A South Carolina death row inmate who believes he has already died and been resurrected multiple times has been ruled mentally unfit for execution by mental health experts.
John Richard Wood, 56, has spent more than two decades in prison after being convicted of killing state trooper Eric Nicholson during a traffic stop in December 2000. Authorities said Wood shot and killed Nicholson before fleeing the scene. During the pursuit, another police officer was injured by a bullet fragment before Wood was eventually arrested.
Three mental health specialists later concluded that Wood was not mentally competent to face execution because he does not fully understand the punishment against him. Court records state that Wood, who has schizophrenia, believes he is immortal and claims he has already been executed three times and brought back to life.
According to the judge overseeing the case, Wood also believes he would be resurrected again if the state carried out his execution. The ruling further noted that he incorrectly believes he has already received a pardon from the governor.
During his 2002 trial, Wood reportedly believed the court system was acting on behalf of a deity he referred to as “Beloved Kevin Rudolph,” whom he believed was involved in a supernatural battle for control of the world.
Court proceedings also heard that Wood believed he possessed wings and had been granted immortality to continue what he described as a fight against the justice system.
The judge, relying on assessments from two psychiatrists and a psychologist, ruled that Wood’s mental illness was severe enough to prevent his execution from moving forward. Experts stated that while he understood he had been sentenced to death, he continued to hold delusional beliefs about the circumstances surrounding his conviction.
The ruling will now be reviewed by the South Carolina Supreme Court, which could either uphold or overturn the decision.
In a separate case in Texas, Tanner Horner was sentenced to death after being convicted of kidnapping and killing seven year old Athena Strand. Prosecutors said Horner admitted he abducted the child after accidentally hitting her with his vehicle before later killing her to stop her from reporting the incident.
During the trial, Wise County District Attorney James Stainton reportedly presented video footage showing Athena alive inside a FedEx truck after the abduction. The court heard that Horner threatened the child during the ordeal, telling her: “Don’t scream, or I’ll hurt you.”
After a two week hearing, the jury sentenced Horner to death by lethal injection. Athena’s mother, Maitlyn Gandy, later said she supported the decision. “Every breath he takes is one my daughter doesn’t,” she said.