Heir to a banking fortune, William (Billy) Woodward Jr. married the infamous Ann “Eden” Crowell, a Manhattan showgirl. After a tumultuous marriage, in what Life Magazine called “the shooting of the century” Ann fatally shot Billy in 1955 in their Long Island mansion.
Following Billy’s death, both of Ann’s sons joined René and his brother at boarding school in Switzerland. The widowed Ann had an on-again, off-again relationship with René’s father.
She committed suicide on learning of Truman Capote’s upcoming book, Answered Prayers, in which she was portrayed as s cold-blooded killer. Both her sons also died at their own hands.
The story is the subject of Dominick Dunne’s book and mini-series The Two Mrs. Grenvilles, which René will reference. It regained fame through 2024s TV series Feud: Capote vs the Swans. Both shows will be used to illustrate the story, but from personal experience René will share things they got wrong.
René will reveal details about Ann and the infamous shooting and will include many personal anecdotes.
