Execution Halted: What’s Next for Death Row Inmate?

Gavel, handcuffs, and "Death Penalty" sign on desk.

The execution of Texas’ longest-serving death row inmate, dubbed the “Desert Killer,” has been suspended just days before he was scheduled to die by lethal injection, giving David Leonard Wood another chance to prove his innocence after 32 years on death row.

Key Takeaways

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has stayed the execution of David Leonard Wood, who was convicted of murdering six women and girls in El Paso in the late 1980s.
Wood has consistently maintained his innocence and his attorneys argue that DNA testing could exonerate him, noting that previously tested evidence revealed male DNA that didn’t match Wood.
This is the second time Wood’s execution has been halted, following a 2009 stay based on claims of intellectual disability.
Wood has spent over 32 years on death row, the longest of any Texas inmate before execution.
Victims’ families express frustration with the delayed justice, with one mother calling for community support to seek justice for her daughter.

Court Blocks Execution at the Last Moment

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has halted the scheduled March 13, 2025 execution of David Leonard Wood, just days before he was set to receive lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit prison in Livingston. Wood has been on Texas’ death row since 1992 for the murders of six women and girls whose bodies were found in shallow graves in a Northeast El Paso desert in the late 1980s. The court voted 6-2 to stay the execution, with one justice not participating in the decision, though the ruling did not specify the exact reasons for stopping the lethal injection.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued the stay for David Wood, convicted of six 1987 murders. His defense argues weak evidence and lack of DNA testing in the case. https://t.co/1astII4Z3C

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) March 12, 2025

Wood’s legal team filed several claims in their appeal, including innocence, false testimony, suppression of evidence, destruction of evidence, ineffective trial counsel, conflict of interest, lack of unanimous jury verdict, and issues with witness confrontation. This marks the second time Wood’s execution has been stayed, with the first occurring in 2009 when he was just 24 hours away from death due to claims of intellectual disability, which were eventually rejected.

Families of Victims Express Frustration

The court’s decision has sparked strong emotions from the victims’ families who have been seeking justice for nearly four decades. Marcia Fulton, mother of victim Desiree Wheatley, expressed her disappointment and frustration with the justice system after learning about the latest stay of execution. The prolonged legal battle has taken a significant toll on those still grieving the loss of their loved ones.

Fulton has called for community support in seeking justice for her daughter and the other victims. The brutal nature of the crimes shocked the El Paso community in the late 1980s when the bodies of six women and girls were discovered in shallow desert graves. Wood was also linked to three other missing individuals whose bodies were never found, though he was not charged in those cases.

DNA Testing at Center of Appeal

A central element of Wood’s appeal focuses on DNA evidence. His attorneys have long sought additional DNA testing on evidence collected from the crime scenes, arguing it could exonerate their client. Previous testing revealed a male DNA profile on one victim’s clothing that did not match Wood. His legal team contends that authorities focused on Wood as a suspect rather than following where the evidence led, potentially resulting in a grave miscarriage of justice.

The Texas Attorney General’s Office has consistently opposed further DNA testing in the case. Just prior to the court’s stay, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles had declined to commute Wood’s death sentence or grant a 90-day reprieve, seeming to clear the way for the execution to proceed as scheduled before the court intervened. Wood, a repeat sex offender, was allegedly linked to the murders when he reportedly bragged about the killings to a cellmate.

Record Time on Death Row

At 32 years and two months, Wood has spent more time on Texas’ death row than any other inmate who has been executed in the state’s history. His case highlights ongoing debates about the death penalty, the rights of the accused to access potentially exonerating evidence, and the painful reality that victims’ families often wait decades for resolution. The court’s decision to stay the execution came on the same day that a federal judge halted Louisiana’s first planned execution using nitrogen gas.

Wood’s case now returns to the legal system for further review, with no immediate timeline for when a final decision might be reached. The stay of execution ensures that, at least for now, Wood will remain alive on death row while his claims of innocence are examined once more by the courts, leaving both him and the victims’ families in continued legal limbo.