The Betrayal of a Friend's False Testimony

"To tell the story of my life," he said. "You know how people get tattoos, 'Oh, I was drunk, so I put this on'? No. We're not doing that. Everything has a meaning." On his lower leg, he has portraits of three family members who have died: his father, his mother, and one of his two sons."

"It has nothing to do with feeling better or forgetting," Woodruff said, reflecting on his decision to get the tattoo. "I'll never forget. I'll never feel better about what I've done.""

"The tattoo alludes to his role in a homicide prosecution that occurred fifty years ago. At the time, Woodruff, who is now sixty-seven, was seventeen. He rarely speaks about what happened, but twice last year he travelled to a federal courthouse in upstate New York to recount the story."

Tyrone Woodruff, now sixty-seven, was seventeen when Buffalo police interrogated him about a murder in January 1976. Under pressure from detectives, he made choices that resulted in three of his friends—Darryl Boyd, Darryn Gibson, and Floyd Martin—being sent to prison. Woodruff has carried this burden for fifty years, memorializing his role through meaningful tattoos including one inspired by DJ Khaled's "Never Surrender." Recently, he traveled to federal court twice to recount the events, seeking some form of accountability or resolution. Woodruff acknowledges he will never forget or feel better about his actions, but continues grappling with the consequences of his teenage decisions made under interrogation pressure.

Read at The New Yorker