The Texas appeals court has issued a stay on the execution of David Leonard Wood, a move that temporarily halts a sentence set to be carried out more than three decades after Wood was convicted of a series of murders that left the community of the Borderland reeling. The cancellation, reported by KFOX-TV, came Tuesday, just two days before Woods was scheduled to be put to death.
Wood's past is marked by a deeply troubling record of sex crimes. He was first imprisoned in 1976 at the age of 19 for indecency with a child, and then he was paroled to only again be sentenced in 1980 for raping two individuals over eight days. His parole came in 1987, and shortly after, he was implicated in the murders for which he was eventually sentenced to death. As El Paso Matters outlines, Wood has consistently maintained his innocence, as underscored by recent documents filed in his appeals where he claimed, "I did not do it. I am innocent of this case. I'll fight it."
Earlier this month, Wood's plea for his death sentence to be commuted to a lesser penalty was declined by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. The case saw renewed attention after evidence, previously untested for DNA, came into question in 2011, revealing a male DNA profile on clothing related to the case that did not match Wood. Despite this and Wood's attorney's efforts to push for further DNA testing, their requests were repeatedly blocked by the Texas Attorney General's Office and denied by various courts, as reported by CBS News.
Gregory Wiercioch, one of Wood's attorneys, believes his client has been wrongfully penalized by a justice system too focused on closing cases rather than examining them with due diligence. "We've tried to make it clear to the courts that he's innocent, and we'll see if anyone listens," Wiercioch said, as per CBS News. Whether Wood is ultimately granted the opportunity to have additional DNA evidence considered may largely depend on the outcomes of the appeals process, which has now been extended indefinitely by the court's recent decision.
