A South Carolina judge blocked the execution of a convicted cop killer after determining the inmate’s schizophrenia makes him believe he’s an immortal being who cannot die. The ruling marks a rare instance where severe mental illness prevented capital punishment from moving forward.

Delusions Prevent Execution

Judge Gracie Knie ruled April 22 that John Richard Wood cannot be executed due to schizophrenia-driven delusions. Wood believes he’s immortal, claims he already “died three times on death row,” and expects resurrection if executed. Mental health experts testified during a March hearing that Wood thinks he’s a 300-year-old U.S. Army Ranger. Psychiatrist Dr. Amanda Salas told the court his delusional systems are so persistent and well-developed that rational conversation proves nearly impossible.

Wood was convicted in 2000 of murdering South Carolina State Highway Patrol Trooper Eric Nicholson during a traffic stop on Interstate 85 in Greenville. Witnesses reported seeing Wood shoot Nicholson five times before fleeing on a moped, then carjacking a Jeep. Responding troopers found Nicholson after hearing his screams over the radio. A jury sentenced Wood to death for the murder and weapons charges.

Mental Health Behind Bars

Wood received his schizophrenia diagnosis while hospitalized in the state prison’s psychiatric unit. Staff notes presented by his defense attorneys documented bizarre claims including believing he would soon be freed despite his death sentence. Three mental health professionals—Dr. Amanda Salas, psychologist Susan Knight, and state psychiatrist Dr. Matthew Gaskins—all agreed Wood’s mental illness prevents him from understanding his punishment. The defense successfully argued that executing someone who cannot comprehend death violates constitutional protections.

First Incompetent Finding Since Executions Resumed

Wood becomes the first South Carolina death row inmate deemed incompetent for execution since the state resumed capital punishment in September 2024. South Carolina had paused executions for thirteen years partly because of limited access to lethal injection drugs. The state’s return to executions makes this competency ruling particularly significant for how mental illness intersects with the death penalty. Courts have long held that executing mentally incompetent inmates violates the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.