William Woodward Jr.

William Woodward Jr. (June 12, 1920 – October 31, 1955) was the heir to the Hanover National Bank fortune (later Manufacturer's Hanover), the Belair Estate and stud farm and legacy,

, decorated war veteran, and a leading figure in racing circles before he was shot to death by his wife, Ann Woodward, in what Life magazine called the "Shooting of the Century".

Billy Woodward was the only son of William Woodward Sr. and his wife, Elizabeth Ogden "Elsie" Cryder.

His mother was one of the "Cryder triplets" of New York City society fame.

His father was president and director of the Hanover Bank of New York, and was secretary to the ambassador to the Court of St. James's during the reign of Edward VII.

Woodward Sr. frequented the race track with the king, and they developed a close friendship.

Woodward was educated at Buckley School and Groton School, and graduated from Harvard University.

After graduation, he fought in the United States Navy during World War II.

There, he received a Purple Heart after a torpedo attack on his ship, the USS Liscome Bay.

After leaving the navy, Woodward became a director of Hanover Bank.

A young, tall, wealthy man, he was considered by some to be the most eligible bachelor in America, and eventually became one of the country's finest horse breeders.

The couple announced their engagement on March 6, 1943, and were married two weeks later.

They had two sons, William "Woody" III (born July 1944) and James "Jimmy" (born January 1947).

The Woodward marriage was reportedly turbulent.

Both had affairs, drank frequently and often argued publicly.

Ann also began abusing prescription drugs.

On the senior Woodward's death in 1953, Woodward inherited Belair Mansion and stud farm in Collington, Maryland, the oldest in America, along with the thoroughbred horse Nashua.

During his naval service, Woodward met Ann Eden Crowell (born Angeline Lucille Crowell), a Powers model and stage and radio actress who also danced as a showgirl in upscale Manhattan nightclubs.

There were rumors that Ann was initially Woodward Sr.'s mistress and that he passed her along to his son.

Woodward Sr. did in fact set his son up with Ann much to the displeasure of his wife Elsie who thought Ann was a gold digger.

After attending a dinner party for the Duchess of Windsor on October 30, 1955, Woodward and his wife returned to their home in Oyster Bay, New York.

Both were nervous about reports of a prowler roaming nearby estates, including their own.

The Woodwards, both avid hunters, each went to their separate bedrooms that evening with loaded shotguns.

A few hours later, Ann heard a noise on the roof and went into a darkened hallway with her gun, where she saw a shadowy figure standing in front of Woodward's bedroom door.

Believing the figure to be a prowler, Ann fired the gun, killing her husband.

Upon arriving at the home, police found Ann holding her husband's body and sobbing.

She immediately confessed that she had shot her husband because she thought he was a burglar.

Police later arrested a man named Paul Wirths, who admitted that he had attempted to break into the Woodwards' house on the night of the shooting.

Wirths confessed that he had been on the roof above Ann Woodward’s bedroom and was climbing into a hallway window, when he got scared by the sound of gunshots and then left.

Woodward's mother Elsie, however, believed that the shooting had been deliberate but publicly supported her daughter-in-law in order to avoid further scandal.

There was speculation that Elsie had paid Wirths to say he had attempted to break into the home in an effort to exonerate Ann.

Three weeks after the shooting, Ann testified before a grand jury and maintained that the shooting was an accident and that she thought her husband was an intruder.

The grand jury determined that no crime had been committed.

Elsie ultimately said “I know Ann loved Billy very much and the shooting could be nothing but an accident”

The shooting of Woodward immediately became a cause célèbre and was detailed extensively by the mainstream media and tabloid newspapers.

Life magazine called the episode "The Shooting of the Century".

The story was also frequently gossiped about within the Woodwards' social circle, who speculated that Ann intentionally shot her husband to get his money.

Despite the fact that she was never charged and was cleared of wrongdoing by a grand jury, Ann was banished from New York high society.

The tale followed Ann everywhere and people continued to speculate about her guilt.

She spent her remaining years traveling and having relationships with younger men.