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Story Archives: Third Circuit upholds Connor Wood conviction in murders of parents, friend
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Third Circuit upholds Connor Wood conviction in murders of parents, friend
 The Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal has upheld the conviction of Connor L. Wood in the March 14, 2007 murders of his parents and a friend, all of Ferriday.
Wood, 15 at the time of the murder, fired three different weapons more than two dozen times in the murders of his mother Geraldine (Jeri) Trevillion Wood, 40, and father, John David Wood, 42, as the two slept in their bed at their home on 119 Shady Lane in the Woodland Subdivision in Ferriday
Wood also gunned down a friend, 16-year-old Matthew Whittington, in the hallway of the home shortly afterward.
The Third Circuit, in its 25-page ruling issued today, reported:
"On May 7, 2007, Defendant, Connor L. Wood, was charged by three grand jury indictments with the March 14, 2007 murders of his parents, John and Geraldine Wood, and his alleged co-conspirator, Matthew Whittington. The indictments, which each originally charged Defendant with first degree murder, were amended by the State in March of 2008 to charge Defendant with second degree murder. After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of the charged offenses and was subsequently sentenced to three consecutive life sentences at hard labor without the benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.
"We conclude that the evidence presented by the State was sufficient to prove that Defendant possessed the requisite intent to kill or inflict great bodily harm on his parents. In Defendant's second recorded statement...he admitted to shooting his parents. The jury apparently chose to believe this statement over the previous statement in which Defendant labeled Matthew as the gunman, and this court will not second-guess the credibility determinations made by the jury...The victims were shot numerous times, with multiple gunshot wounds to the upper portions of their bodies. Some of the gunshot wounds inflicted on Mrs. Wood were at very close range. Under these circumstances, the State clearly proved that Defendant possessed the specific intent to kill or inflict great bodily harm on his parents."
Then 1st Asst. Dist. Atty. Brad Burget, who is now District Attorney, prosecuted Wood.
Harrisonburg attorney Paul Lempke represented Wood in district court. W. Jarred Franklin of the Louisiana Appellate Project in Bossier City, represented Wood's case before the Third Circuit. |
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