GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. — A South Carolina circuit court judge ruled that death row prisoner John Wood is not competent for execution because of severe schizophrenia, temporarily stopping the state from issuing a death warrant against him. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Judge Grace Knie issued a 12-page decision on April 22, 2026, finding that Wood could not “rationally understand the reason” for his execution under standards established by the Supreme Court in Ford v. Wainwright, Panetti v. Quarterman and Madison v. Alabama.
The Death Penalty Information Center states that the rulings in Ford, Panetti and Madison created constitutional protections for prisoners who lack a “rational understanding” of their punishment. Three mental health experts testified during a two-day hearing in March 2026. Those experts included “a psychiatrist retained by prosecutors” along with “a psychiatrist and psychologist retained by Mr. Wood’s defense team,” all of whom agreed that Wood failed South Carolina’s competency standard for execution.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, several of Wood’s delusions were discussed during the hearing. Judge Knie found that Wood believes he is immortal and already “died three times on death row.” The article also states that Wood believes if South Carolina executes him, “he will be resurrected.” These beliefs became central to the court’s determination that schizophrenia prevents him from rationally understanding the punishment imposed by the state.
The DPIC reports that Wood believes “the governor of South Carolina has already issued him a pardon,” meaning he thinks his death sentence no longer exists. The court distinguished between awareness of execution and a rational understanding of its purpose.
The article explains that Wood also suffers from paranoid and religious delusions connected to his criminal case. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Wood believed law enforcement officers were “trying to frame him for brutal rape.” The organization also reported that Wood believes individuals involved in his trial were agents of a figure called “Beloved Kevin Rudolph,” who Wood believes is involved in “a battle to rule the planet.”
According to the article, Wood additionally believes he was given “wings and immortality” to help him win that conflict. Experts used these delusions to demonstrate how schizophrenia distorted Wood’s perception of reality and prevented a rational understanding of his situation.
Additional reporting from the New York Post noted that prosecutors argued Wood still understood “he is going to be executed and why.” However, the court ultimately sided with mental health experts who testified that his schizophrenia prevented a rational understanding of his punishment.
The article notes that Judge Knie’s decision made Wood “the first death-sentenced prisoner in South Carolina to be found not competent for execution since the state resumed executions in September 2024.” South Carolina had previously paused executions for 13 years prior to 2024.
The Death Penalty Information Center article also compares Wood’s case to Texas prisoner John Rubio, whose execution was stopped after he developed severe delusions. Rubio reportedly believed “his execution would trigger the biblical Armageddon.”
Regarding Wood, the article reports that experts discussed whether medication could restore his competency. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, experts testified that schizophrenia medications may reduce symptoms, but there was uncertainty about whether treatment could restore Wood’s “rational understanding.”
Wood’s case highlights the legal conflict between severe mental illness and capital punishment. The state Supreme Court will now decide whether Judge Knie’s ruling will stand.
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