Murder Monday #6 Gwen Graham and Cathy Wood

   Gwen Graham, born on August 6, 1963, in Texas, and Cathy Wood, born on March 7, 1962, in Michigan, met at the Alpine Manor nursing home where they worked as nurses aides. Their relationship quickly grew to friends, then lovers and murder partners. According to Wood's account, in January 1987, Graham smothered a patient with Alzheimer's while Wood was the lookout. The death appeared to be natural, so no autopsy was done. Over the next few months, Graham murdered four more patients with Alzheimer's and at first, they were trying to select victims so to spell "murder," but eventually counted their murders as a "day," and they would tell each other "I will love you forever and a day" or "I will love you forever and four days" as they accumulated kills. Wood also claims that Graham collected souvenirs from the victims, which were never found, and that Graham was the dominant in their relationship. Their relationship ended when Graham started to date another nurse in the home and moved to Texas.

    In 1988, an investigation began when Wood confided in her ex-husband about the murders (although he was probably still her husband at the time.) As she was questioned, Wood gave the police information that Graham was the mastermind behind all the murders. Even though there was no evidence to assume that the victims were murdered, which isn't unusual in smothering cases, they were still ruled as homicides, based off of Wood's claims. In December 1988, Graham and Wood were arrested and charged with two murders. On November 3, 1989, Graham was found guilty of five counts of murder and one count of conspiracy to murder and was given life sentences for each count; Wood was charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, and sentenced to 20 years.


   HOWEVER, those who knew Graham and Wood would give a completely different story to what Wood told. They described Wood as "a coercive and seductive pathological liar who delighted in wreaking havoc in the lives of others." It's believable that Wood was actually the mastermind and used the murders as leverage to make sure Graham didn't leave her. When Graham did, Wood started to throw out breadcrumbs that Graham was the mastermind and since Wood was cooperating, she would get a deal and Graham would suffer.