Breaking news: The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has issued an order staying the execution of Jeff Wood and remanding his case to the trial court for consideration on his claims related to false testimony presented during the sentencing phase of his original trial. Wood was scheduled to be executed by the State of Texas on August 24, 2016 even though he did not kill anyone.
Below is a statement in response to the Court order from Wood’s attorney, Jared Tyler.
For Immediate Release: August 19, 2016
Contact: Margot Friedman at mfriedman@dupontcirclecommunications.com or 202-332-5550 or Kate Black at kateblack@texasdefender.org or 303-818-0370
Statement from Attorney for Jeff Wood in Response to Ruling by Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
“The court did the right thing by staying Mr. Wood’s execution and authorizing his claims related to Dr. Grigson’s false testimony during the sentencing phase to be considered on the merits. The man who committed murder was executed in 2002. Justice is not served by executing Mr. Wood, who was outside the building when it happened and who had no criminal history. Three former jurors have said they feel the government’s presentation to them of a discredited psychiatrist who predicted with certainty, and without evaluating Mr. Wood, that Mr. Wood would be criminally violent in the future was unfair. The psychiatrist had been expelled from the American Psychiatric Association and the Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians for the same unethical conduct as he engaged in Mr. Wood’s case. The jurors no longer support a death sentence. Mr. Wood is grateful for the opportunity to prove that his death sentence is unwarranted.”
— Jared Tyler, Attorney for Jeff Wood
August 19, 2016
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Read more about the stay of execution in the Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2016/08/19/execution-halted-jeff-wood-who-never-killed-anyone/