Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 1

I mm Metro edition Jackson, Mississippi Mississippi's Newspaper Thursday October 2, 1997 500 (Win 1 hmm SPECIAL REPORT: TRAGEDY IN PEARL Mm. i i a JAfeiB liji j8' Teenager also charged in slashing death of mom By Andy Kanengiser and Jill Farrell King Clarion-Ledger Staff Writers 'V, Menefee Dew VAV. Teens turn to church for understanding, 10A Seven students wounded by gunfire, 10A Counselors will be at school a week, 10A Pearl residents never expected violence, 1 1 A There are heroes amid the fear at Pearl High, 1 1 A Shooting evokes painful memories, 12A Experts say no school can be perfectly safe, 1 3A About 70 officers respond to scene, 13A Football game postponed indefinitely, 13A Editorial: Parents' biggest worry, 14A Marshall Ramsey, 14A SCOREBOARD PEARL Mourners placed stuffed animals and flower bouquets outside Pearl High, where two students were shot dead and seven others wounded in a Wednesday morning rampage that began with the slashing death of the alleged gunman's mother. Classes at Pearl High have been canceled until Monday, but not for other schools in the district. Teachers are asked to report at 10 a.m.

today at the district's central office, 3375 U.S. 80 for a meeting and to receive counseling. Students are asked to voluntarily report to school Friday for counseling. Witnesses say Pearl sophomore Luke Woodham, 16, drove to the school off U.S. 80 shortly before 8 a.m.

armed with a 30-30 rifle. He allegedly opened fire on his classmates in the building's commons area. The bloodshed began at 5 a.m., when Woodham allegedly killed his mother, 50-year-old Mary Ann Woodham, by slashing her throat at their 323 Barrow St. home. Her body was found about 9:30 a.m., more than an hour after the school shootings.

Killed at Pearl High were freshman Christina Menefee, 16, Wood-ham's ex-girlfriend, and senior Lyd-ia Kaye Dew, 17. Those injured were senior Alan Westbrook, 18; sopho- more Denise Magee, 15; junior Dee-pika Dhawan, 17; freshman Joni Palmer, 14; freshman Robert Harris 14; sophomore Jerry Safley, 17; and sophomore Stephanie Wiggins, 15. Family members of Menefee and Dew were gathered at Baldwin-Lee Funeral Home late Wednesday and told reporters they did not want to be interviewed. The killings in this normally tranquil city are sending shock waves and drawing national media attention. "It's a tragic situation for this community," said Rankin County District Attorney John Kitchens.

"ItH take a long time for the community of Pearl to get over this. We're all in shock Pearl is a good place to live and raise a family." Woodham is charged with three counts of murder and seven counts of aggravated assault and is being held in the Rankin County jail without bond. Students believe Mene-fee's recent breakup with Woodham See SHOOTING, 16A I m- 1 i .11 lit SlL.il..:.:, Jlu Greg Jenson The Clarion-Ledger Lora Brown of Pearl (right) is comforted by her sister condition of her daughter, Stephanie Wiggins, 15, on Merida Jordan, also of Pearl, while awaiting word on the Wednesday at Rankin Medical Center. BASEBALL PLAYOFFS Braves 13 Astros 3 Marlins 7..:. 6 Orioles 9 Mariners 3 Coverage, Section Alleged gunman described as 'picked on' Ik 4 art 'LA 7' 1 it 'V -i i times played video games with Woodham, called his younger friend "a reader, very intelligent." Woodham "loved philosophy," he said.

But Woodham did leave behind clues to his apparent anger, which police and witnesses say erupted at Pearl High Wednesday morning. After the shooting, a student gave police a troubling letter Woodham had handed him 1 Ai 'I i I I NATIONWORLD Mirmates walk in space An American and a Russian walk in space outside the Atlantis-Mir complex and retrieve panels covered with cosmic lint and dings from micrometeorites. 5A Senate OKs pay hike Reversing itself, the Senate passes a measure for members to receive a $3,072 raise. 4A 3 1 after arriving at school Wednesday. Pearl Police Chief BillSlade described the note as "a manifesto" at a morning news conference, just hours after two stu Luke Woodham told what he planned to do in letter, police say By Josh Zimmer Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer PEARL The elements of an unhappy young life jump off the pages of Luke Tims Woodham's tragic story.

Asked to characterize the accused 16-year-old killer, acquaintances described Woodham as introverted, bookish and not very talkative. He is overweight and wears thick glasses to compensate for poor eyesight, they said. Acquaintances couldn't recall Woodham having any close friends. Some said he had been picked on at school since kindergarten. "We weren't really friends, but we knew each other and we would speak when we saw each other," said llth-grader Trey Bynum, 16, a junior high school football teammate of Woodham's.

"I remember when he started kindergarten, he got picked on every day. "When we got to junior high, he still got picked on. They called him fat, chunky and chubby, and they used to jump him (start fights) all the time. When we got to the ninth grade, everybody still picked on him, and I guess he just finally blew up. He just got fed up with it all and snapped." Grant Boyette, 18, who some Vickie KingThe Clarion-Ledger Christina Menefee's mother is transported from the Pearl learning of her daughter's death.

Christina and Lydia Police Department to a hospital with chest pains after Dew, 17, were shot to death at Pearl High School. Single mom called quiet, hard-working Woodham By Josh Zimmer Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer FORECAST Partly sunny i with highs in the 80s. Clear tonight with lows in the 50s. I 1 Weather details, 2A INDEX dents were killed and seven others wounded. One of those killed was Christina Menefee, 16, Woodham's ex-girlfriend.

Referring to the breakup, Woodham wrote that he felt angry and that he had been treated unfairly, Slade said. Based on the note and the manner in which Woodham allegedly killed his mother, Mary Ann Woodham, 50, Menefee and Lydia Kaye Dew, 17, and injured classmates with a 30-30 rifle, Slade reached a chilling conclusion. "This is not a spontaneous incident," he said. Woodham "had this planned" See WOODHAM, 16A ing," said neighbor MedgieSwann. Swann saw a hint of problems in the Woodhams' yard, which she could see from the back of her house.

"His mom used to always get out in the yard, work the flower said. But she couldn't get Luke Wood- ham to mow the lawn, Swann said. "He would just do one or two or cut a square section in the middle of the yard, she said. "I just got the impression he might be a little bit rebellious toward his See MOTHER, 16A In trying to explain their shock, neighbors looked for signs of trouble in this mother-son relationship. Divorce papers filed in Rankin County Chancery Court show that while Mary Ann Woodham, 50, had been a single mother for years, her 15-year marriage with John P.

Woodham Jr. officially ended in 1992. In the settlement, she retained custody of Luke Woodham, 16, and her first-born son, John P. Woodham III, 24. Tm sure she had a hard time raising two boys all by herself and work PEARL Despite her violent death, Mary Anne Woodham leaves behind a quiet legacy.

She was a hard worker, said neighbors and co-workers. Like her son, who is accused of slashing her throat, she kept to herself, never socializing with neighbors beyond a quick hello or wave of the hand, they said. "She was just a nice lady," recalled Kacy Strauss, 17, a classmate of Luke Woodham who lives across the street from the Woodham home. Ann Landers 4D Opinion 14.15A Business 10C People 2A Calendar 3D Puzzles 5D.3F Classified 1F Southern Style 1D Comics 4-5D Sports 1C Deaths 2B Spotlight 5A Jack Sunn 4D StateMetro 1B Jumble 5D Stocks Movies 15-17E TV listings 6D Volume 161 No. 227 Copyright 1997 WorldCom's Ebbers makes $30 billion bid to take over MCI Queries get fair answers Maybe you'll find the answer to your question about the Mississippi State Fair in Friday's Southern Style.

WorldCom's bid is a good deal, officials say, 10C WorldCom has come along way, 10C as much as $2.5 billion or 22 per- cent the first year after the deal closes, growing to about $5 billion by 2005, said Scott Sullivan, WorldCom's chief financial officer. The bid for MCI comes on the heels of WorldCom's announcement that it will acquire Brooks Fiber Properties which pro- vides local telecommunication ser- vice in 44 U.S. cities. The combined companies would have a market potential of x. 70 percent of all U.S.

business However, British Telecom, which already owns 20 percent of MCI, has been negotiating an acquisition for more than a year. After British Telecom reduced its initial offer of about $40 a share to $30 a share, WorldCom decided to outbid it by $6 billion. Pending federal regulatory approval, MCI shareholders will make the final call on whether to accept WorldCom's offer or stick with British Telecom. An MCI-WorldCom merger would boost WorldCom's earnings WorldCom is offering $41.50 in stock for each outstanding MCI share. In order to merge the two companies all MCI shareholders would get the same stock offer, giving them ownership in the best performing telecommunications stock in the country.

It's an offer MCI shareholders can't refuse, Ebbers said. "We are able to make a superior offer because there is far greater synergy between MCI and WorldCom than with British Telecom," Ebbers said. They just don't live here." Proposed merger would be largest in corporate history By Dewanna Lofton Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer Bernie Ebbers, WorldCom chief executive officer, is making a bold bid to merge with MCI Communications the nation's second largest telecommunications company. If successful, it would be the largest merger in corporate history, ahead of the $25.6 billion combination of Bell Atlantic Corp. and Nynex Corp.

WorldCom Inc. made a hostile $30 billion offer to buy MCI, a direct challenge to British Telecom's bid to buy MCI. 5 ,5 1.