CRAIG WOOD

Current Proceedings: 29.15 proceedings pending.

Case Number: 19-967

Judge: Supreme Court of the United States

Defendant’s Demographic Information: White Male

Current Counsel:

Valerie Sue Leftwich & Jenny Rebecca Young Missouri Public Defender 1000 West Nifong Building 7, Suite 100 Columbia, Missouri 65203 573.777.9977 (tel.) 573.777.9974 (fax) emails: val.leftwich@mspd.mo.gov, jenny.young@mspd.mo.gov

Legal Status: Amended 29.15 Petition filed on 03/26/2020; Motion to Disqualify Prosecutor Dan Patterson and Second Motion to Disqualify Hon. Thomas Mountjoy filed on 03/27/2020; Motion to Disqualify Judge Mountjoy denied on 04/24/2020; Hearing on Motion to Disqualify Prosecutor "and remaining issues" scheduled for 06/29/2020.

Significant Legal Issues:

  • Hurst/Ring, jury found existence of aggravating circumstances but deadlocked on whether to impose death sentence, judge sentenced to death

  • Trial counsel's failure to investigate and present expert evidence on addiction neurobiology in support of diminished capacity defense at guilt and meth addiction mitigation at penalty

  • Trial counsel's failure to investigate and present other mental health evidence (history of depression, polysubstance addiction, Bipolar, ADD)

  • Trial counsel's failure to investigate and call several mitigation witnesses

  • Missouri public defender system was overloaded and failed to provide adequate mitigation investigation and personnel

  • Trial counsel's failure to present evidence that someone other than Mr. Wood sexually assaulted the victim

  • Ineffective assistance of appellate counsel for failure to raise properly preserved issues on appeal

  • Judicial bias when judge became ultimate sentencer after jury deadlock because judge was member of community where crime occurred and exposed to intense media coverage, making judge-imposed death sentence unfair

  • Trial counsel's ineffectiveness during voir dire for failing to object to prejudicial evidence, inadmissible testimony, and improper argument

  • Rule 29.15 time constraints (as well as unforseen constraints of Covid-19) prevented counsel from fully investigating and preparing motion, in violation of due process

Last Judicial Decision Related to Conviction or Sentence:

  • State v. Wood, No. SC 96924, 580 S.W.3d 566 (Mo. July 16, 2019)

Reported Opinions:

  • Conviction and sentence affirmed on direct appeal, over dissenting opinion, in State v. Wood, No. SC 96924, 580 S.W.3d 566 (Mo. July 16, 2019)

Prior Counsel:

  • Tejinder Singh (direct appeal)

  • Rosemary Ellen Percival (trial and direct appeal)

Conviction County: Greene

Counts: 1

Victim Demographic: White Female

Crime Date: 02/18/2014

Sentencing Date: 01/11/2018

Trial Counsel:

  • Rosemary Ellen Percival

  • Thomas Jefferson Stephens IV

  • Patrick Joseph Berrigan

  • Thomas Joseph Jacquinot

Trial Judge: Thomas Mountjoy

Trial Prosecutor:

  • John Daniel Patterson

  • Philip Fuhrman