Ann Rule, (writing as Andy Stack), does it again. As naturally she would. Being a #1 New York Times bestselling author. She draws on her previous experience in law enforcement to help us better understand the blood, sweat and tears that go into an investigation such as this one. The first printing of this book was in 1984. The crimes that are recounted in this book happened between December of 1980 and March of 1981. There was a lull in this crime spree which lasted from Dec.21, 1980 thru Jan 8, 1981. The perp was evidentally celebrating the holidays, as if he deserved to. The crimes were committed along the I-5 Freeway Corridor from Redding, California, to Bellevue, Washington. In just a few short months this criminal managed to attack at least 44 people. Ranging from grown women, to teenagers, to children. A few escaped, but many did not.


Ms Rule takes us from the killer's (Randall Brent Woodfield) birth all the way through his crime spree and his trial. She even informs us of his escapades in prison after he is sentenced to life, plus 165 years. (He became involved with the infamous Diane Downs, another murderer convicted of killing her own daughter and attempting to murder her three other children). She does so in a manner which is riveting and thorough.


If you like this book, by all means read Ann Rules', "Small Sacrifices" the Diane Downs story.


We get to know almost all of the victims by name and to read about each attack in grueling detail, in the order in which they occur. And there are many. This man was very deeply disturbed. Growing up in Otter Rock, Oregon, a small town located on the coast. He started out as a handsome, very athletically inclined student,who showed much promise early on. Then came the hope of a career in professional football. Being drafted by the Green Bay Packers, everything he'd dreamed of was about to come true. But Randy Woodfield didn't make it with Green Bay, he was cut from the traveling squad. I feel sure though, that these crimes would've been committed, Packers or no. You see he started to expose himself when he was in Junior High School. Though he was caught on numerous occasions over the years, it would be some time before the community stopped brushing his indiscretions under the proverbial "rug". As I explained earlier, he was to be their hero. His parents also denied any wrong doing on Randy's part. When actually, as Ms Rule explains it, Randy Woodfield had many misperceptions about females. He was very close to his mother, yet resented the fact that he couldn't always please her nor live up to her expectations of him. The Woodfields were pillars of the community. But none of these things stopped him, he graduated from small time exhibitionist to petty thief and then skipped on up to rapist and serial murderer. He preferred young girls.


Although he was finally arrested and sentenced to 10 years in the Oregon State Penitentiary, for armed robbery, he served less than 4. He had convinced the prison psychologist that he'd finally gotten his life together and that he was no longer a threat to society. Therefore he was recommended for parole and released back into that same unsuspecting, society to pray upon them once again and to take away forever their mothers, daughters, wives and children.


This prison release would turn out to be one of the biggest mistakes made in this case. Randy Woodfield then proceeded to run rampant, terrorizing a very large vicinity of people. Some were almost prepared for an encounter with the rapist/murderer, and proved to be very good witness in some instances. But Randall Woodfield would, attack one time too many and at last he was caught.


As Ms Rule was so particular to detail and thorough in her account of the investigation, we are able to feel the frustrations of the many law enforcement personal who selflessly gave of there time, ignoring their own well being and stayed diligently involved in this search for the elusive,"one-man sexual scourge", known as the "I-5 Killer"




Recommended: Yes