Where is Louise Woodward now?
THE shocking story of Louise Woodward made headlines all over the world when she was accused of shaking eight-month-old Matthew Eappen to death.
But who is she and what was she convicted of? Here’s all you need to know...
Who is Louise Woodward?
Louise Woodward was a normal teen from Elton, Cheshire, at 18 years old when she flew 3,100 miles to work for an au pair for an agency in Boston, Massachusetts after she finished her A-levels in 1996.
She was placed with a family but reportedly was “unhappy” with the 11 pm “curfew” they had enforced on her and left.
Soon after she was hired by Sunil and Deborah Eappen, both 30-year-old doctors, to take care of their young son Matthew, in November.
But within two months, it was claimed the parents were concerned by Woodward staying out late at night and they cautioned her.
They allegedly drew up a list of expectations in January 1997 to ensure “the safety and well-being of our kids”, the Irish Times reported.
Four days later, Woodward called an ambulance to their home after eight-month-old Matthew stopped breathing.
He was rushed to Boston Children’s Hospital and put on a life support machine – but tragically six days later, he died of a brain haemorrhage.
In between that time, Woodward, then 19, was arrested by police and she pleaded not guilty to one charge of battery of a child.
Where is Louise Woodward now?
Now, Louise is aged 43 and is a law graduate and a salsa instructor in the UK.
Louise's husband, Anthony Elkes, runs a truck hire company in the UK.
It is not known how the pair met, but the two are still happily married today, after tying the knot in 2014.
Louise and Anthony also have a daughter together, who would now be over 7 years old.
What was Louise Woodward convicted of?
The prosecution alleged she killed the baby in a “frustrated, unhappy and relentless rage” – a claim the au pair’s lawyers strongly rejected.
While under cross-examination, Woodward clarified that she had "popped" and not "dropped" the baby - as police officers had previously claimed. Later, she explained that to 'pop' was an English term meaning to "lay" or to "place".
Experts said the injuries were classic symptoms of Shaken Baby Syndrome – a forceful action that causes serious brain damage or death.
However, the defence and brain surgeon Joseph Medsen argued Matthew’s death could have resulted from a head injury obtained two weeks earlier.
In October, Woodward wept in the docks as she was found guilty of a lesser second-degree murder charge and was later sentenced to life in prison.
Outside the court, the teen’s mother said: “They’ve made a horrendous mistake and they need to put it right.”
While support grew and funds amassed to launch an appeal, Woodward told her parents: “Please don’t let me spend the rest of my life in here for something I didn't do.”
What happened to Louise Woodward?
Two days after her conviction, it emerged that the jury was split before they were convinced in favour of finding the teen guilty.
According to one jury member, none of them “thought she tried to murder” Matthew.
The defence launched an appeal and within 10 days of being sentenced to life in prison, Woodward was released.
Judge Hiller Zobel overturned the jury's verdict and ruled that she was guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
What is shaken baby syndrome?
Dr. Harvey Karp, CEO of Happiest Baby inc, explains: “Shaken baby syndrome is arguably the deadliest form of child abuse.
“It usually occurs before 12 months of age (Peak around four months of age during the colicky phase of infancy) when a parent finally loses patience with their inability to sooth the babies crying and grabs the baby by the shoulders rapidly shaking the baby’s body out of frustration.
“The babies heavy head may be hit against a surface or snapped back-and-forth on the infant’s thin neck causing the soft brain inside to bang against the hard inside of the skull causing brain swelling and tearing tiny veins causing life threatening bleeding.
“Clearly, the serious cases are the tip of the iceberg. Many children may have minimal brain damage that is not diagnosed but perhaps goes on to cause neurological problems such as attention deficit and learning problems.”
John McMullan, consultant paediatric neurosurgeon at Sheffield Children's Hospital, toldthe BBC that shaking a baby caused brain injuries similar to those in boxing.
But he said: "In boxing the incidences of the head blows are relatively infrequent and so that damage is taking place over, typically, years.
"Whereas with an infant shaking, the damage is occurring in seconds."
He sentenced her to 278 days in jail – the amount of time she had already spent behind bars.
The following day, the prosecution vowed to “pull out every stop” to get Woodward back in jail and her lawyers promised “total vindication”.
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By June 1998, Judge Zobel’s verdict had been overturned after it was claimed he “abused his statutory discretion” and the decision moved to The Supreme Court.
By four votes to three, his verdict of involuntary manslaughter and the reduced sentence was upheld, which finally allowed Woodward to go home to the UK.