Condemned SC inmate who believes he’s died repeatedly can’t be executed, judge rules

By: Tiffany Tan

Outlets: South Carolina Daily Gazette

Published: May 1, 2026

Words: 904

Last Updated: 2 months, 2 weeks ago

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SPARTANBURG — A 59-year-old man sentenced to death for killing a state trooper in Greenville County in 2000 can’t be executed because of a mental illness that’s left him incoherent and believing he’s immortal, a Circuit Court judge has ruled.

John Richard Wood is the first condemned inmate in South Carolina found not competent to be executed since the state restarted capital punishment in September 2024. The seven executions since then include three …

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