A South Carolina judge has ruled that an inmate, convicted of murdering a state trooper over 25 years ago, cannot face execution due to a mental illness that leads him to believe he is immortal.
The inmate, John Richard Wood, aged 59, is deemed incapable of effectively communicating with his legal counsel or understanding the nature of his crimes and punishment. This decision, as reported by WSPA and the South Carolina Daily Gazette, is based on assessments from three mental health professionals.
The evaluations, which included insights from a prosecution psychiatrist and both a psychiatrist and a psychologist from Wood’s defense team, concluded that Wood does not meet the legal standards required for competence to be executed.
As a result of this finding, the judge has supported the defense’s argument that Wood’s schizophrenia significantly impairs his ability to undergo capital punishment at this time.
Judge Grace Knie’s decision must now be reviewed by the state Supreme Court, which holds the authority to confirm or overturn this ruling.
Knie’s ruling must be reviewed by the state Supreme Court, which could determine whether to uphold or overturn her decision.
The judge said Wood believes that he is immortal, has already died three times on death row and will be resurrected again if the state executes him, citing the mental health experts’ testimony during a hearing in March, the South Carolina Daily Gazette reported.
Wood also believes he has already received a pardon from South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster.
John Richard Wood lacks the ability to rationally communicate with his lawyers and does not have a rational and factual understanding of his crimes, why he is being punished or the nature of his punishment, a judge found. (South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP/File)
The experts have said that while Wood understands why he received the death sentence, he mistakenly believes law enforcement officers were “trying to frame him for a brutal rape.”
Additionally, Wood believes the judge at his 2002 trial and courtroom personnel were working against him because they were agents of “Beloved Kevin Rudolph,” a deity that he thinks is part of a battle to rule the planet, according to the South Carolina Daily Gazette. Wood also believes he was given wings and immortality to win this fight.
He is the first inmate on death row in South Carolina found to be not competent to be put to death since the state restarted executions in September 2024 after a 13-year pause because the state was struggling to obtain lethal injection drugs. The state added the firing squad as an execution method during that hiatus. Seven executions have been carried out in the state since capital punishment was resumed, including three men who chose to die by firing squad.
The judge said John Richard Wood believes that he is immortal, has already died three times on death row and will be resurrected again if the state executes him. (South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP)
Wood was convicted of killing South Carolina State Trooper Eric Nicholson in December 2000 during a traffic stop in Greenville County. Wood shot Nicholson five times during the traffic stop, according to authorities.
During a subsequent pursuit, he shot at police and hit one officer in the face with a bullet fragment. Wood was eventually taken into custody after he hijacked a truck.
He was sentenced to death in February 2002. He was among death row inmates in line to receive a death warrant after exhausting regular appeals.
While his death warrant is paused, Wood’s original conviction and sentence still stand.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the South Carolina Department of Corrections and Knie’s office for comment.
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