Unsolved Homicide

Lesley Woodman

Lesley Carol Woodman, 35, was found shot to death in a bedroom of her Jefferson County home near Bessemer on Nov. 10, 2014. Investigators explored a possible link to a nearby burglary, but the supplied sources report no charge or resolution.

Incident date: November 10, 2014
Location: Bessemer area, Jefferson County
Independent sources: 5

The record

More than a decade after 35-year-old Lesley Carol Woodman was found shot to death in her Jefferson County home, no resolution has been reported publicly in the supplied sources.

A relative found Woodman dead in a bedroom at about 2 p.m. on Nov. 10, 2014, according to a contemporaneous WBRC report citing the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and investigators. She had been shot in the head. The home was on Batton Road in an unincorporated part of Jefferson County near Bessemer, ABC 33/40 later reported. 45

Woodman’s daughter, Whitney Burr, told NBC News in 2024 that she had been unable to reach her mother that day and went to check on her. Burr said the house appeared undisturbed before she found Woodman in bed with a gunshot wound. Burr was 18 at the time. 1

Woodman’s boyfriend, Ellis Lee Bentley, told NBC that he left for work at about 8 a.m. while Woodman was sleeping and inadvertently left the door unlocked. Bentley said investigators questioned him several times and that he cooperated. No supplied source says he or anyone else was charged. 1

The accounts differ about what was missing from Woodman’s property. Bentley told NBC that only a small lockbox was taken. In 2015, however, Jefferson County Detective Wayne Curry told ABC 33/40 that items had been taken from beneath Woodman’s bed, elsewhere in the home and from an outdoor shed. 14

Investigators examined a nearby burglary for a possible connection. WBRC reported that a neighbor said a shotgun was stolen after someone broke into his house on the same day. ABC 33/40 reported in 2015 that investigators found similarities between items taken from the two properties, and Curry said he believed the incidents might be connected. NBC reported in 2024 that Curry later said investigators had not ruled out other explanations. 145

Curry described Batton Road as remote, with only a few houses, and said its proximity to Morgan Road and Vulcan Road could help someone recognize who had been in the area. In 2015, he said tips had slowed and investigators had not identified one person through neighborhood interviews. 4

NBC reported on Dec. 1, 2024, that the killing remained unsolved a decade later. The network said it sought comment from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office multiple times but received no response. 1

Woodman’s mother and daughter described her as outgoing, cheerful and close to her family. Bentley said he wanted the case solved and would assist investigators in any way he could. 1

Anyone considering submitting information should verify the current contact details directly with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office because the supplied reports list numbers published in different years.

Timeline

November 10, 2014Confirmed
A relative found Lesley Woodman dead in a bedroom at about 2 p.m.; investigators said she had been shot in the head.
November 10, 2014Reported
A nearby home was reportedly burglarized, and a shotgun was reported stolen.
March 2, 2015Confirmed
ABC 33/40 reported that Detective Wayne Curry believed the burglary and killing might be connected and said tips had slowed.
2017Confirmed
According to NBC’s 2024 account, Curry told a local television station that he believed the burglary and killing were connected but that investigators had not ruled out other explanations.
December 1, 2024Reported
NBC reported that Woodman’s killing remained unsolved a decade later and that the sheriff’s office had not responded to its requests for comment.

Documented claims

Lesley Carol Woodman was 35 years old when she was found dead in a bedroom of her Jefferson County home near Bessemer.
Confirmed
Source: WBRC · Corroborated by 2 additional sources: https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/cold-case-spotlight/lesley-woodman-2014-bessemer-alabama-cold-case-rcna181953, https://abc3340.com/archive/crime-stoppers-2-24-15-finding-lesley-woodmans-killer
Woodman was found at about 2 p.m. on Nov. 10, 2014, after a relative came to the house.
Confirmed
Source: WBRC · Corroborated by 1 additional source: https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/cold-case-spotlight/lesley-woodman-2014-bessemer-alabama-cold-case-rcna181953
Investigators said Woodman had been shot in the head; NBC reported that her daughter said the wound was to her face.
Confirmed
Source: WBRC · Corroborated by 2 additional sources: https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/cold-case-spotlight/lesley-woodman-2014-bessemer-alabama-cold-case-rcna181953, https://abc3340.com/archive/crime-stoppers-2-24-15-finding-lesley-woodmans-killer
The home was on Batton Road in an unincorporated area of Jefferson County near Bessemer.
Confirmed
Source: ABC 33/40 · Corroborated by 2 additional sources: https://www.wbrc.com/story/27347758/body-of-woman-found-dead-in-home-near-bessemer-identified/, https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/cold-case-spotlight/lesley-woodman-2014-bessemer-alabama-cold-case-rcna181953
Woodman’s daughter, Whitney Burr, said she went to check on her mother after being unable to reach her and found her in bed.
Reported
Source: NBC News / Dateline · Single-source claim.
Ellis Lee Bentley said he left for work at about 8 a.m. while Woodman slept and unintentionally left the door unlocked.
Reported
Source: NBC News / Dateline · Single-source claim.
Bentley said the sheriff’s office questioned him several times and that he provided investigators with information.
Reported
Source: NBC News / Dateline · Single-source claim.
Sources conflict about what was taken from Woodman’s property: Bentley said only a small lockbox was taken, while Detective Wayne Curry said items were taken from beneath the bed, other parts of the home and an outdoor shed.
Disputed
Source: NBC News / Dateline · Single-source claim.
A nearby home was burglarized on the day Woodman was killed, and a shotgun was reported stolen.
Reported
Source: WBRC · Corroborated by 2 additional sources: https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/cold-case-spotlight/lesley-woodman-2014-bessemer-alabama-cold-case-rcna181953, https://abc3340.com/archive/crime-stoppers-2-24-15-finding-lesley-woodmans-killer
Detective Wayne Curry said investigators found similarities between the nearby burglary and Woodman’s killing and believed they might be connected, while not ruling out other explanations.
Confirmed
Source: ABC 33/40 · Corroborated by 1 additional source: https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/cold-case-spotlight/lesley-woodman-2014-bessemer-alabama-cold-case-rcna181953
Curry said Batton Road was remote, had few houses and was near Morgan Road and Vulcan Road.
Confirmed
Source: ABC 33/40 · Single-source claim.
NBC reported on Dec. 1, 2024, that Woodman’s killing remained unsolved a decade later.
Reported
Source: NBC News / Dateline · Single-source claim.
NBC said the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to multiple requests for comment in 2024.
Reported
Source: NBC News / Dateline · Single-source claim.
No supplied source reports that anyone has been charged in Woodman’s killing.
Unknown
Source on file · Single-source claim.

Sources

2014 murder of Lesley Woodman in Bessemer, Alabama, unsolved a decade later — NBC News / DatelineOpen
Lesley Woodman obituary — AL.comOpen
Daughter pleads for answers in 11-year-old Bessemer murder case — WVTM 13Open
Crime Stoppers 2-24-15: Finding Lesley Woodman's killer — ABC 33/40Open
Body of woman found dead in home near Bessemer identified — WBRCOpen