U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear murderer Wood’s appeal for life

The United States Supreme Court declined to hear Craig Michael Wood’s appeal of his conviction on Monday, April 20, according to information provided by the Associated Press. The court turned away Wood’s appeal without comment.

Wood argues sentence unconstitutional
It was reported that the argument for Wood’s appeal was that the way in which he was sentenced to death for murdering Hailey Owens was unconstitutional. Woods was found guilty of murdering Hailey in November of 2017. However, at his sentencing trial the following January, the jury deadlocked on whether to sentence him to death or give him life in prison. That left the sentencing up to the presiding judge, Thomas Mountjoy, who sentenced Wood to death. According to information provided by the News-Leader, this is legal only in Missouri and Indiana.
After his conviction, Wood appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court, which upheld his sentence. The U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to hear his appeal was Wood’s latest legal setback. Aside from a commutation or pardon by the Missouri governor, which appears unlikely, it remained unclear if Wood has any other legal options.

The abduction
Wood, who was employed at Pleasant View Middle School in Springfield for 16 years as a football coach, paraprofessional and a substitute teacher, kidnapped 10-year-old Hailey Owens on Feb. 18, 2014. She was walking home from a friend’s house when Wood called her over to his truck, pretending to want directions. When she approached him, he grabbed her, pulled her into his truck and sped off.