Texas death row inmate David Leonard Wood’s execution, which had been set for this week, was halted by a Texas appeals court on Tuesday.
David Leonard Wood, aged 67, has spent close to three decades on death row for the murders of six girls and young women who were discovered buried in the desert near El Paso. His scheduled execution by lethal injection was temporarily halted by the court this week, with an unspecified duration mentioned in their concise three-page order.
A majority of six out of the nine court members were in agreement to suspend Wood’s execution, as reported by FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth. However, Judges Mary Lou Keel and Gina Parker dissented against delaying the execution, while Judge Bert Richardson, who presided over all of Wood’s appeals in the trial court since 2011, did not partake in the decision-making process.
Wood has experienced another setback in his scheduled execution timeline, having previously faced a hold on his 2009 execution just 24 hours before its scheduled occurrence. The delay was due to assertions of his intellectual disability, which could render him ineligible for the death penalty. Despite these claims being dismissed by a judge later on, Wood was once again set for execution on Thursday.
FILE – Convicted killer David Leonard Wood poses for a photo at death row in Huntsville, Texas, July 15, 2009. (Mike Graczyk, File)
Authorities said Wood gave rides to the victims and then drove them into the desert, where he sexually assaulted and killed them. The victims were Rosa Casio and Ivy Williams, both 23; Karen Baker, 21; Angelica Frausto, 17; Desiree Wheatley, 15; and Dawn Smith, 14.
Two other girls and a young woman were also reported missing but were never found.
Paperwork from David Wood’s prison file. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via FOX 4)
Wood, a repeat convicted sex offender who worked as a mechanic, has long maintained his innocence.
“I did not do it. I am innocent of this case. I’ll fight it,” Wood said in recent documents filed in his appeals.
Wood’s execution was the second halted in the U.S. on Tuesday after a federal judge stopped Louisiana’s first death row execution using nitrogen gas, which was to take place next week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
