This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
For nearly 50 years, many wondered whether Ann Woodward had gotten away with murder.
A New York socialite, she finds herself in Truman Capote’s crosshairs after her wealthy husband is shot and killed, and she pays with her life. In 1975, at age 59, she was found dead in a duplex apartment on Fifth Avenue. A mother of two committed suicide by poisoning herself with cyanide.
A shocking true crime case that shook Manhattan’s elite comes to life in “Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans,” a limited series that explores how the secrets of high society sneak into the pages of authors’ works. It is lit. This series is based on the best-selling book by Lawrence Riemer. “Capote’s Women: True Stories of Love, Betrayal, and a Classic Swan Song.”
’50s femme fatale Lana Turner’s stormy romance with an abusive mobster ended when her teenage daughter stabbed him: the book
New York socialite Anne Woodward, pictured, is played by Demi Moore in Ryan Murphy’s Capote vs. the Swan. (Getty Images)
Demi Moore plays Woodward in the series.
“There are so many lies being told about Ann Woodward that it upsets me,” Riemer told FOX News Digital. “Truman Capote wrote a false story that had devastating consequences.”
“Truman Capote wrote a false story that had devastating consequences.”
Lawrence Riemer is the author of Capote’s Women: True Stories of Love, Betrayal, and Swan Songs from an Era. (Penguin Publishing Group)
Woodward, a native of Kansas, was an aspiring actress and model who was voted “Radio’s Most Beautiful Girl” in 1940. After trying to see her own name in the lights, her fortunes changed when she caught the eye of billionaire sportsman William Woodward Jr.
Ann Woodward was an aspiring model and actress when she met William Woodward Jr. (Getty Images)
His father, William Woodward Sr., was heir to the Hanover National Bank and the Bellaire Farm in Maryland. He previously met his future daughter-in-law at the Monte Carlo nightclub FeFe in New York City.
Woodward Sr.’s son and the charismatic dancer were married in 1943.
“She was a radio actress. She did all kinds of things that young women were doing at the time,” Riemer explained. “She was no worse, no better than many others. She was a beautiful young woman and he was a young man. When she met him, he was in the military. And, you know, she was probably looking for her.’
Follow the FOX True Crime Team at X
William Woodward Jr. and his wife, Ann Woodward, were shot to death at their Oyster Bay Cove mansion on Long Island. The photo was taken at the Embassy Club at the Ambassador Hotel in New York. (Getty Images)
But things were not to be happy for Woodward. The union was in trouble, and Woodward was often shunned by the union. The romance soured, and after giving birth to two sons, Woodward Jr. asked for a divorce.
“It was a troubled marriage,” Riemer said. “But if every troubled marriage her wife killed her husband, the graveyard would be full.”
And the union ended on a high note.
William Woodward Jr., owner of the famous Nashua Horse, was found shot to death on his Long Island property. His wife, Anne Woodward, said she had mistaken him for a prowler. She had been sedated after the shooting. (Getty Images)
On the evening of October 30, 1955, the couple returned to their luxurious Oyster Bay mansion after attending a boozy party hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. After hearing news that local loiterers were wreaking havoc in their neighborhood, the nervous couple began sleeping in separate bedrooms with their weapons close by. Woodward woke up to the constant cries of his miniature poodle, followed by strange noises. She feared that robbers had broken in, so she stepped out into the darkness and opened fire.
William Woodward Jr., pictured here with his wife and beloved racehorse, was 35 years old at the time of his death. (Getty Images)
“She thought the robber was in the hallway,” Riemer explained. “She came out, picked up a shotgun, fired it down the hallway, and killed her husband. Now, the shotgun, it was a bird gun with little bullets in it. That shouldn’t have killed my husband, but it just happened.” One of those little bullets hit him in the head. ”
“There was probably a burglar in the house at that time,” Riemer continued. “She fired a shotgun (bird rifle) and he died. But it was an accident.”
“She came out, picked up a shotgun and fired into the hallway, killing her husband.”
Sign up to get it true crime newsletter
A sketch of the shooting of William Woodward Jr. (Getty Images)
The tabloids and Woodward’s mother-in-law relented. Other wealthy socialites taunted Woodward, calling her a gold digger and a “bunny girl.” And the rumors grew stronger. Some claim that she was Woodward Sr.’s mistress before marrying Junior.
Some claimed that Woodward had been set up by Senior to cover up Junior’s suspicions of homosexuality. Many also believe that Ms. Woodward could not handle her husband’s alleged affair with another showgirl and that she knew that if she divorced, she would lose her fortune and her two sons. I believed that.
Anne Woodward (centre) at Chateau L’Orizon, the property of Prince Ali Khan (bottom left), in 1948. The following year he married Rita Hayworth (bottom right). Above left is Bonnie Edwards Manville Babst Wilson Bagel, wife of film executive Charles Bagel. (Getty Images)
But Riemer, who has reviewed Woodward’s file and other unpublished documents related to the incident, is adamant that the shooting was nothing more than a horrific accident.
“The central misconception is that she murdered her husband,” Riemer said. “She didn’t do that. And it makes me sick to see other books that claim she did. It’s unfair to her, it’s unfair to her heirs, and it’s not true. It’s very unfair. The rumors coming from the upper classes were terrible.” … There were sleazy journalists trying to make up stories like this to make a quick buck. ”
Ann Woodward cries in court. (Getty Images)
But not everyone avoided heartbroken widows. The New York Times reported that several witnesses who were at the party on the fatal night supported Woodward’s testimony regarding concerns about loiterers. After 30 minutes of deliberation, the grand jury ruled that there was no crime.
According to the newspaper, Nassau County police arrested a 23-year-old suspect who pleaded guilty to attempted robbery at Woodward’s residence on the night of the shooting. However, Woodward was found guilty in the court of public opinion.
Here, Ann Woodward is seen riding in a limousine leaving the hospital. (Fred Morgan/New York Daily News Archive)
According to Reamer, Capote was inspired by the “malicious and frightening” gossip circulating about Woodward. Ms. Riemer pointed out that Capote, who surrounded herself with a crowd of “swans,” or New York elites, did not like her former model, whom she called “Mrs. Bang Bang.” .
Get real-time updates directly true crime hub
Truman Capote (center) and socialites Jean Murray Vanderbilt (left) and Barbara Babe Paley, circa 1957. (Ulstein Paper/Ulstein Paper)
“She made anti-gay and offensive comments to him,” Riemer alleged. “He was furious. That’s when he accused her of her murder.”
Capote sat at a typewriter and drew Woodward as Anne Hopkins, a gold miner who shoots her husband to death in La Côte Basque 1965. Mr. Woodward was found dead several days before excerpts were published in Esquire magazine. It is believed that Woodward managed to view an advanced copy of Capote’s writings before taking his life.
Mr. Riemer claimed that Mr. Capote “feeled no remorse.”
Truman Capote dances with Marilyn Monroe at El Morocco, circa 1955. (Getty Images)
“He then tried to obtain more material for his book,” Riemer claimed. “He didn’t even give me a grace period almost immediately. He was charming, seductive, a great writer. He was a creative genius. But he also had an undeniable thorny quality.
“He didn’t have to do this to Ann Woodward. He had the papers. He knew the truth. And because Ann Woodward didn’t use his real name, she gave him the honor roll.” She couldn’t sue for defamation. But everyone knew what it was. Ann knew that something like this would happen again and everyone would read Truman’s words and believe them. I was very worried and devastated.
Truman Capote is believed to have called Anne Woodward “Mrs. Bang Bang.” (Getty Images)
“She committed suicide,” Reamer recalled. “But as far as I’m concerned, in a de facto sense, not a legal one, Truman murdered her.”
After Woodward’s death, her mother-in-law reportedly said, “She shot my son, and Truman just killed her, so I don’t think I have to worry about that anymore.”
‘America’s Most Wanted’ host John Walsh reflects on son’s brutal murder: ‘My heart was broken and I almost died’
Ann Woodward’s sons William Woodward III, 11, and James, 7, at the time of the shooting. (Hal Mathewson/New York Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
However, the tragedy did not end there. Each of Woodward’s sons jumped to his death. Jimmy Woodward died in 1978 at the age of 31. His older brother William “Woody” Woodward died in 1999 at the age of 54.
Capote, known for his works “In Cold Blood” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” died in 1984, just short of his 60th birthday.
Today, Riemer wants readers to discover a new side of Woodward.
A hysterical Ann Woodward told police she believed her husband was wandering around the Oyster Bay property and shot him in the dark hallway between their two bedrooms. (Getty Images)
“No matter what you do, people may come at you and accuse you of things you haven’t done,” he said. “It’s a tragic thing. People can be very nice, but they can also be very disgusting.”
