The brutal 2018 murder of Alexander “Alex” Woodworth by his ex-lover, Ezra McCandless, is the subject of the CBS episode “48 Hours: The Case Against Ezra McCandless,” as the show’s title suggests. The young Wisconsin native almost usually acknowledges that she was the one who killed Alex by stabbing him, but her initial claims that she did it in self-defense were disproven within weeks due to convincing evidence. So now that it has been some time since this matter was definitively resolved, let’s learn more about Ezra McCandless, her heinous offence, motivations, and whereabouts right now, shall we?
Who is Ezra McCandless?
Many people believe that Ezra McCandless had a rocky upbringing. He was born Monica Kay on October 6, 1997, to a mother who was only 14 and a father who was never there in her life. That’s not totally true, though, as her mother’s partner adopted her when she was four years old and they stayed together even after their divorce when Ezra was twelve. Only one item stands out—that she struggled with gender identification while still in high school, trying on various names and pronouns until deciding that Ezra McCandless “suited wonderfully for who I am.”
Ezra moved to the city of Eau Claire after dropping out of college, where she met and started relationships with Jason Mengel and Alex Woodworth in 2017. Her own stories indicate that Ezra’s contact with Alex began gradually and after Jason had already assumed a significant role in her life, indicating that it was a covert love affair. However, Ezra ended her relationships with both men in late February 2018 after her ex-boyfriend found about the other liaison. She later tried to make amends with Jason, which ultimately resulted in Alex’s murder on March 22, 2018.
On April 6, 2018, two weeks after the event, the 20-year-old, who had never been violent before, was detained and charged with one count of first-degree intentional murder. After all, she was unreliable due to her own official statements, which were inconsistent and constantly changing and added to the mound of evidence against Ezra. The prosecution said that Alex’s almost complete lack of defensive wounds indicated that she had always intended to lure him out and legitimately catch him off guard in order to permanently remove him from the picture. They continued by saying that Ezra was motivated by the fact that she was an attention whore who would do everything to win Jason back.
Where is Ezra McCandless Now?
The oddest thing about Ezra McCandless’ trial in the fall of 2019 wasn’t her utter joy when her ex-boyfriend Jason Mengel entered the courtroom (to testify against her), but rather her obvious grin anytime she was the subject of the conversation. Ezra’s carefree attitude when she stood up for herself was also pretty amazing. So, in addition to the evidence, it appears that the jury’ conclusion was also influenced by her actions. 2019-11-01: Ezra was found guilty of all charges.
On February 7, 2020, about two years after Alex was killed, Ezra was given a life sentence with a 50-year parole eligibility period. Following her conviction, Ezra claimed that she had been unfairly portrayed as a “sex fiend and a liar” by the media. She said in a statement, “If you breathe, it will be used against you. “She is a fake if you cry too much or too hard. She is Heartless if you don’t cry enough. You can tell she isn’t taking things seriously if you smile. If you maintain a composed expression, “She is unfeeling,” DAILY: Try not to smile too much. You can cry, but try not to cry too much. Don’t respond! But be sure to display your identity!
Despite this, Ezra said during her sentencing hearing, “I loved Alex very much. I’m sorry for my part in your death. I also feel like I lost a lot. I’ll never be able to put into words how sorry I am. She is currently detained at the medium-to-maximum security Taycheedah Correctional Institution in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, at the age of 24. We should also point out that she is currently publicly making use of her time in jail by doing sketches and selling them online.
