Freddie Woodruff

Freddie R. Woodruff (September 14, 1947 — August 8, 1993)[1] was a regional affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tbilsi, Georgia. He was shot in the head and killed in 1993. Woodruff has been widely reported as the Central Intelligence Agency station chief involved in training the bodyguards of the Georgian leader Eduard Shevardnadze and an élite Omega Special Task Force.

Anzor Sharmaidze, a former Soviet soldier, was convicted of Woodruff's murder.[2] Sharmaidze was reported to have been drunk and randomly shot at Woodruff.[2] Although not formally cleared of the charges, he released from jail in 2008 after witnesses stated they were forced via torture to implicating him.[2] In 2013, Georgian Minister of Justice Tea Tsulukiani stated that "[t]he case has not been properly investigated". Tsulukiani said she believed that the killing embarrassed President of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze and cast doubt in the United States government about his ability to lead his nation.[2]

Woodruff was survived by his wife, Meredith, a former CIA officer, and sister, a nurse in Arkansas.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.stillwaterpioneermemorial.org/resources/woodrfr.pdf
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Higgins, Andrew (April 23, 2013). "New Look at a C.I.A. Officer’s Death". The New York Times (New York). Retrieved April 29, 2015.