The Frederick Woods Case

Kadie Bell

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On July 15, 1976, at age 24, Frederick Woods and brothers Richard and James Schoenfeld kidnapped a school bus full of children and buried them alive. This became the largest mass kidnapping in U.S history. The children, from ages 5 to 14, and their bus driver, were driving about 100 miles to a remote quarry near Livermore, California. The kidnappers ordered their victims to a moving van, buried six feet underground. They were demanding 5 million dollars in ransom while the children were suffering underground in the awful California heat. After being underground for sixteen hours, the victims had dug themselves out while the kidnappers were asleep. Woods and the Schoenfeld brothers were each given 27 sentences of seven years to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The court later overturned the sentence, saying that the men never caused any bodily injury and that they should have a chance at parole. Richard Schoenfeld was paroled in 2012, and brother James Schoenfeld was paroled in 2015. Woods's attorney stated “In sum, Mr. Woods has shown a change in character for the good, great maturity, insight and remorse for the arrogance and poor choices he made nearly 50 years ago,” In March, Woods was approved for a parole hearing at California Men’s Colony, after previously being denied 17 times, he had the support of 2 survivors. After the approval became final, it had been reviewed by Governor Gavin Newsome, and at age 70, Woods was granted parole.