A death row inmate who believes he has already died three times and been resurrected has been deemed too mentally ill to face execution. John Richard Wood, 56, has been in prison for more than 25 years after killing a state trooper in South Carolina. In December 2000, Wood opened fire on South Carolina State Trooper Eric Nicholson during a traffic stop. After fleeing, he shot at police and hit another officer with a bullet fragment before being arrested.
Now, three mental health experts have agreed that he is not competent enough to be executed, having not understood why he is being punished. Wood, who has schizophrenia, believes he is immortal and thinks he has already died on death row three times. The judge in his case said Wood believes he will be resurrected if the state executes him and that he has already received a pardon from the governor.
Delusions of Immortality and Divine Intervention
During his 2002 trial, Wood thought the courtroom was working as an agent of 'Beloved Kevin Rudolph', a deity he thinks is part of a war to win control of planet Earth. The court also heard that Wood thinks he has 'wings' and was gifted immortality to win his 'fight' against the justice system. The judge, with the help of two psychiatrists and a psychologist, has agreed that Wood cannot be executed because he cannot face the death penalty with his debilitating mental illness. They found that Wood understands why he received the death sentence but still thinks that police were 'framing him for brutal rape'.
Legal Proceedings and Next Steps
The judge's ruling will go to the South Carolina Supreme Court, which could either uphold or overturn the decision to spare Wood. Earlier today, another man was sentenced to death after kidnapping and killing seven-year-old Athena Strand in Texas. Tanner Horner, 34, told detectives after his arrest that he bundled the young girl into his van after accidentally hitting her with it and then strangled her to stop her from telling anyone.
Wise County District Attorney James Stainton showed the court video of little Athena alive and well in the FedEx truck after her abduction. The court heard that Horner told Athena, 'Don't scream, or I'll hurt you' during the terrifying ordeal. After a two-week hearing, a jury chose to execute Horner by lethal injection rather than sentence him to life without parole. In a statement following Horner's initial indictment, Athena's mother, Maitlyn Gandy, said she supported the death penalty in this case, adding: 'Every breath he takes is one my daughter doesn't.'
