SC death row inmate’s execution halted over mental health delusions, judge rules

A South Carolina inmate convicted of killing a state trooper more than 25 years ago cannot be executed because of a mental illness that made him believe he was immortal, a judge ruled.

Based on the opinions of three mental health experts, Judge Grace Knie found that 59-year-old John Richard Wood lacked the ability to communicate rationally with his attorneys and lacked a rational and factual understanding of his crimes, why he was being punished or the nature of his sentence, according to WSPA and the South Carolina Daily Gazette.

A psychiatrist for the prosecution, as well as a psychiatrist and a psychologist on Wood’s legal team, agreed that Wood failed this two-pronged legal standard of competence to perform.

With that decision, the judge upheld his lawyers’ argument that the debilitating effects of schizophrenia prevent him from currently facing the death penalty.

SOUTH CAROLINA COURT APPROVED THE EXECUTION OF A COP KILLER WHO SAID THAT MOST LAWS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL

Knie’s decision must be reviewed by the state Supreme Court; This court will be able to determine whether to confirm or overturn the decision.

The judge said he believed Wood was immortal, had already died three times on death row and would be resurrected if the state executed him, based on testimony from mental health experts at the March hearing, the South Carolina Daily Gazette reported.

Wood also believes he has already received a pardon from South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.

SOUTH CAROLINA DEATH PENALTY GOVERNMENT SAYS JUDGES ARE RUNNED BY THE DEVIL BECAUSE IT IS THE COURT’S WEIGHT TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEY HAVE AUTHORITY TO EXECUTE.

A judge found that John Richard Wood lacked the ability to communicate rationally with his lawyers and did not have a rational and factual understanding of his crimes, why he was being punished or the nature of his sentence. (South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP/File)

Experts said they understood why Wood received the death penalty but mistakenly believed law enforcement was “trying to pin a brutal rape charge on him.”

Additionally, Wood believes the judge and courtroom staff at his 2002 trial were working against him because they were agents of the “Dear Kevin Rudolph” god, who he thought was part of his war to rule the planet, according to the South Carolina Daily Gazette. Wood also believes he was given wings and immortality to win this war.

He is the first death row inmate in South Carolina to be found incompetent to face the death penalty since the state resumed executions in September 2024 after a 13-year hiatus due to difficulty obtaining lethal injection drugs. During this hiatus, the state added firing squad as a method of execution. Since the reinstatement of capital punishment, there have been seven executions in the state, including three people who chose to die by firing squad.

The judge said John Richard Wood believed himself immortal, had died three times on death row, and would be resurrected if the state executed him. (South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP)

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

Wood was convicted of killing South Carolina State Trooper Eric Nicholson during a traffic stop in Greenville County in December 2000. According to authorities, Wood shot Nicholson five times during the traffic stop.

During a later pursuit, he shot at police and hit an officer in the face with a bullet fragment. Wood was eventually taken into custody after hijacking a truck.

He was sentenced to death in February 2002. He was among the death row inmates about to receive execution orders after exhausting regular appeals.

Although the death warrant has been paused, Wood’s original conviction and sentence still stands.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the South Carolina Department of Corrections and Knie’s office for comment.