Judge Blocks Execution of Inmate Who Believes He’s Immortal

A South Carolina judge has ruled that John Richard Wood, a death row inmate convicted of killing a state trooper in 2000, cannot be executed due to his severe mental illness. Judge Gracie Knie upheld Wood’s attorneys’ claims that his schizophrenia prevents him from being executed, as he believes he is immortal and has already died three times on death row. The ruling, issued April 22, follows testimony from mental health experts during a March hearing. Wood, 59, was convicted of murdering South Carolina State Highway Patrol Trooper Eric Nicholson after a traffic stop on I-85 in Greenville. He was sentenced to death in 2002. Wood’s delusions include believing he is a U.S. Army Ranger, a 300-year-old immortal, and that he has already received a pardon from South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster. The judge’s decision must now be reviewed by the state Supreme Court, which could uphold or overturn it. Wood’s legal team argued that his mental state prevents him from rationally understanding his punishment, a requirement for execution under South Carolina law. Prosecutors and defense experts agreed that Wood lacks the ability to communicate rationally with his lawyers or comprehend the nature of his crimes and punishment. The case raises questions about the intersection of mental illness and the death penalty, with implications for future executions in the state.