New true-crime documentary The Trial of Louise Woodward arrives on ITV this week, with the hour-long special looking at one of the biggest US court cases to feature a British defendant in recent history.
Louise Woodward was a 19-year-old au pair when she was accused of murdering the nine-month-old child she had been looking after whilst on a gap year in the United States.
ITV’s upcoming special is just one of the latest Louise Woodward documentaries to arrive on our screens, with Channel 4 also working on its own look at the case – Louise Woodward: Villain or Victim?
Here’s everything you need to know about the true story behind the Louise Woodward case and what she is doing now.
Who is Louise Woodward?
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Louise Woodward is a British woman who was convicted of the involuntary manslaughter of nine-month-old Matthew Eappen whilst working as an au pair in Massachusetts in 1997.
She began working for Matthew’s parents Deborah and Sunil Eappen in November 1996, however on 4th February 1997, Matthew was taken to hospital after Woodward noticed he was no longer breathing.
Woodward was arrested for battery of a child, with police alleging that she had admitted to shaking Matthew and throwing him onto a pile of towels, which she strongly denied. On 10th February, Matthew died, with his life support machine being turned off following a major brain haemorrhage, and a grand jury held that Woodward would face a charge of first-degree murder.
During the October trial, Woodward protested her innocence, with experts being called to testify, including a brain surgeon who said that Matthew’s head injuries could have occurred days or weeks before he went to hospital, and a pathologist, who said that the autopsy showed no evidence that Matthew had been shaken.
However, Detective Sergeant William Byrne took to the stand to say that Woodward had told him that she “may have been a little rough” with Matthew after he’d been “cranky, crying and fussy”.
After 26 hours of deliberation, the jury found Woodward guilty of second-degree murder, which comes with a mandatory life sentence and 15 years minimum in prison.
Woodward’s legal team filed an appeal and at a post-conviction relief hearing on 10th November 1997, the judge reduced her conviction to one of involuntary manslaughter, reducing her sentence to 279 days served.
Where is Louise Woodward now?
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After her release from prison, Louise Woodward returned to the United Kingdom and was interviewed by Martin Bashir for Panorama.
In 1997, Deborah and Sunil Eappen filed a civil lawsuit against Woodward for wrongful death, which would prevent her from earning any profits from selling her story. Woodward lost the lawsuit by default after being unable to pay for legal representation.
Woodward went on to study law at London South Bank University, graduating with a 2:2 (Hons) degree in July 2002 and beginning a training contract with a law firm in Oldham.
In 2005, Woodward left law to pursue a career in dance, becoming a salsa teacher.
She married a truck hire company boss in 2013 and gave birth to a daughter a few years later.
The Trial of Louise Woodward airs on Thursday 11th November at 9pm on ITV. Visit to our TV guide for more to watch.