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South Carolina inmate who believes he is immortal cannot be executed due to mental illness, judge rules

Nypost · · 553 words · By Fox News
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What to know about South Carolina inmate who believes he is immortal cannot be executed due to mental illness, judge rules

South Carolina inmate who believes he is immortal cannot be executed due to mental illness, judge rules A South Carolina inmate convicted of killing a state trooper more than 25 years ago cannot be executed due to a mental illness that has him believing he is…

Claims checked 18
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center83%
Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

South Carolina inmate who believes he is immortal cannot be executed due to mental illness, judge rules A South Carolina inmate convicted of killing a state trooper more than 25 years ago cannot be executed due to a mental illness that has him believing he is…

Why it matters

John Richard Wood, 59, lacks the ability to rationally communicate with his lawyers and does not have a rational and factual understanding of his crimes, why he is being punished or the nature of his punishment, Judge Grace Knie found, based on the opinions…

Common ground

A psychiatrist with the prosecution as well as a psychiatrist and a psychologist with Wood’s legal team all agreed that he failed this two-pronged legal standard for competence to be executed.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/06/us-news/south-carolina-death-row-inmate-john-richa…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 18 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 8
check_circle Corroborated 6
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
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Claim 1: “During a subsequent pursuit, he shot at police and hit one officer in the face with a bullet fragment.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 2: “A psychiatrist with the prosecution as well as a psychiatrist and a psychologist with Wood’s legal team all agreed that he failed this two-pronged legal standard for competence to be executed.”
CORROBORATED
Reports indicate the judge's ruling was supported by testimony from mental health experts, specifically mentioning two psychiatrists and a psychologist.
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web search NEUTRAL — The judge said Wood believes that he is immortal, has already died three times on death row and will be resurrected again if the state executes him, citing the mental health experts’ testimony during …
https://nypost.com/2026/05/06/us-news/south-carolina-death-r…
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web search NEUTRAL — The court heard that the convicted killer believes he possesses 'wings' and was granted immortality to prevail in his 'fight' against the justice system. The judge, supported by two psychiatrists and …
https://d1dagyb1ctngx1.cloudfront.net/news/us/2202662/south-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Court records show the state has acknowledged the motion. The motion says Rubio has ongoing mental health problems and suffers from delusions.“Rubio is incompetent because his delusions make him unabl…
https://www.krgv.com/news/lawyers-for-brownsville-man-on-dea…
info
Claim 3: “Knie’s ruling must be reviewed by the state Supreme Court”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the ruling by Judge Knie is confirmed, the provided evidence does not explicitly state that the ruling 'must be reviewed by the state Supreme Court'. The search results for 'Judge' were generic Wikipedia entries and not specific to this case's legal procedure.
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web search NEUTRAL — A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judge
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web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · According to the California Ethics in Judicial Elections guide, even a lawyer who served temporarily as a judge cannot use the title of “judge” in their campaign. What else should I know …
https://lapublicpress.org/2026/05/la-elections-2026-judges/
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web search NEUTRAL — To search for the permanent assignments of Los Angeles Superior Court Judges, Commissioners and Referees enter your search criteria in either the "last name" or "first name" fields, or both, and click…
https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/judicialofficers/ui/index.aspx
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Claim 4: “Wood believes the judge at his 2002 trial and courtroom personnel were working against him because they were agents of “Beloved Kevin Rudolph,” a deity”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding 'Beloved Kevin Rudolph'.
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Claim 5: “Wood also believes he has already received a pardon from South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources explicitly state that Wood believes he received a pardon from Governor Henry McMaster.
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web search NEUTRAL — Wood also believes he has already received a pardon from South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster. SOUTH CAROLINA DEATH ROW INMATE SAYS JUDGES ARE LED BY SATAN AS COURT WEIGHS IF HE IS COMPETENT FOR EXECUTI…
https://www.wrganews.com/2026/05/05/south-carolina-inmate-wh…
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web search NEUTRAL — During a hearing in March, it was revealed by a mental health expert that Wood believes he has already died three times while on death row and that he would resurrect if the state attempted to execute…
https://totalnews.com/south-carolina-inmate-john-richard-woo…
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web search NEUTRAL — South Carolina Department of Corrections Wood also believes he has already received a pardon from South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/06/us-news/south-carolina-death-r…
schedule
Claim 6: “the state restarted executions in September 2024 after a 13-year pause because the state was struggling to obtain lethal injection drugs.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 7: “He is the first inmate on death row in South Carolina found to be not competent to be put to death since the state restarted executions in September 2024”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm if Wood is the first inmate found incompetent since September 2024.
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Claim 8: “A South Carolina inmate convicted of killing a state trooper more than 25 years ago cannot be executed due to a mental illness that has him believing he is immortal, a judge ruled.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent news sources (Fox News, The Daily Caller, and other reports) confirm that a judge ruled John Richard Wood cannot be executed due to mental illness and delusions of immortality.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A South Carolina inmate convicted of killing a state trooper more than 25 years ago cannot be executed due to a mental illness that has him believing he is immortal, a judge ruled. John Richard Wood, …
https://www.foxnews.com/us/south-carolina-inmate-who-believe…
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web search NEUTRAL — A South Carolina inmate sentenced for killing a state trooper cannot be executed due to the effects of schizophrenia, which makes him think he’s immortal, a judge ruled April 22. Judge Gracie Knie uph…
https://dailycaller.com/2026/05/06/judge-ruling-south-caroli…
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web search NEUTRAL — SC inmate cannot be executed due to his mental condition.The judge said Wood assumes that he has already died three times on death row and would come back again if executed. The finding was based on t…
https://www.inquisitr.com/death-row-inmate-who-killed-state-…
info
Claim 9: “he mistakenly believes law enforcement officers were “trying to frame him for a brutal rape.””
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided search results for this claim returned irrelevant information about the biblical Apostle John and the Gospel of John, with no mention of John Richard Wood's beliefs regarding a frame-up for rape.
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web search NEUTRAL — Church tradition has held that John is the author of the Gospel of John and four other books of the New Testament – the three Epistles of John and the Book of Revelation.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Apostle
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web search NEUTRAL — 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a w…
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1&version=…
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web search NEUTRAL — Read the Book of John online. Scripture chapters and verses with full summary, commentary meaning, and concordances for Bible study.
https://www.biblestudytools.com/john/
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Claim 10: “Wood was convicted of killing South Carolina State Trooper Eric Nicholson in December 2000 during a traffic stop in Greenville County.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 11: “John Richard Wood, 59, lacks the ability to rationally communicate with his lawyers and does not have a rational and factual understanding of his crimes, why he is being punished or the nature of his punishment, Judge Grace Knie found”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm Judge Grace Knie's finding that Wood lacks the rational ability to communicate with lawyers or understand his crimes and punishment.
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web search NEUTRAL — John Richard Wood, 59, lacks the ability to rationally communicate with his lawyers and does not have a rational and factual understanding of his crimes, why he is being punished or the nature of his …
https://nypost.com/2026/05/06/us-news/south-carolina-death-r…
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web search NEUTRAL — Judge Grace Knie ruled on April 29 that John Richard Wood, 59, was too incompetent to be executed.The judge wrote that Wood lacks a rational or factual understanding of the proceedings and is unable t…
https://www.aol.com/articles/judge-rules-convicted-killer-tr…
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web search NEUTRAL — Experience: Grace Gilchrist Knie, PA · Location: Spartanburg · 2 connections on LinkedIn. View Grace Knie’s profile on LinkedIn, a professional community of 1 billion members.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-knie-4936905b
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Claim 12: “Wood was eventually taken into custody after he hijacked a truck.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 13: “The state added the firing squad as an execution method during that hiatus.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 14: “He was sentenced to death in February 2002.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 15: “Seven executions have been carried out in the state since capital punishment was resumed, including three men who chose to die by firing squad.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 16: “Wood believes that he is immortal, has already died three times on death row and will be resurrected again if the state executes him”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (Fox News, South Carolina Daily Gazette, and others) confirm Wood's belief that he is immortal and has died three times on death row.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A death row inmate who believes he is 'immortal' has been spared execution at the eleventh hour. John Richard Wood, 56, claims he has already died and been resurrected three times.
https://d1dagyb1ctngx1.cloudfront.net/news/us/2202662/south-…
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web search NEUTRAL — John Richard Wood was set to be executed after killing a state trooper in 2000.According to a report from the South Carolina Daily Gazette, the 59-year-old believes he has already died three times whi…
https://www.ladbible.com/news/us-news/john-richard-wood-deat…
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web search NEUTRAL — The judge said John Richard Wood believes that he is immortal, has already died three times on death row and will be resurrected again if the state executes him. (South Carolina Department of Correcti…
https://www.foxnews.com/us/south-carolina-inmate-who-believe…
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Claim 17: “the debilitating effects of his schizophrenia prevent him from facing the death penalty at this time.”
CORROBORATED
The Daily Caller specifically mentions that the execution was halted due to the 'effects of schizophrenia'.
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web search NEUTRAL — This is a list of people, living or dead, accompanied by verifiable source citations associating them with schizophrenia, either based on their own public statements, or reported contemporary or posth…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_schizophre…
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web search NEUTRAL — In this video I will be talking about a part of my experience with dealing with schizophrenia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adUtbLxvYdw
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web search NEUTRAL — Schizophrenia can only be diagnosed by a medical doctor or mental health professional. A doctor may use tests like MRIs, CT scans or blood tests to check for physical causes for your symptoms.
https://www.healthcentral.com/quiz/schizophrenia-test
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Claim 18: “Wood shot Nicholson five times during the traffic stop, according to authorities.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.