A death row prisoner who claims to be ‘immortal’ narrowly avoided being executed in a recent turn of events. John Richard Wood, aged 56, asserts that he has experienced death and resurrection on three separate occasions. Having served over 25 years for the murder of a state trooper in South Carolina, US, he was scheduled for execution but was deemed mentally unfit.
In 2000, Wood fatally shot Eric Nicholson during a traffic stop, leading to his arrest after a confrontation with law enforcement where he injured another officer. Three mental health professionals concluded that his lack of understanding of his punishment rendered him incompetent for execution.
Suffering from schizophrenia, Wood’s belief in his immortality and resurrection, including a mistaken belief in a pardon, led the judge to explain that he believes he will return to life if put to death by the state. During his 2002 trial, he perceived the courtroom as an instrument of ‘Beloved Kevin Rudolph’, a deity in a battle for control of the world, where he, equipped with ‘wings’ and immortality, fights the justice system.
The judge, along with two psychiatrists and a psychologist, agreed that Wood’s severe mental illness precludes execution, despite his comprehension of the initial death sentence and his belief that the police were framing him for a crime. The judge’s decision will now be reviewed by the South Carolina Supreme Court to determine its validity.
