By Robert Moore, El Paso Matters The conviction of David Leonard Wood in a 1987 serial killing spree should be reexamined by the trial court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled Wednesday. The ruling stops short of ordering a new trial, but it represents a major victory for Wood, who has maintained his innocence and twice came within hours of execution. The ruling could assure several more years of appeals in one of El Paso’s most notorious criminal cases.

David Leonard Wood in a 2025 prison mugshot The Court of Criminal Appeals, which rarely intervenes in death penalty cases, issued its ruling per curiam, meaning there was no written explanation of legal reasons for the ruling. But four of the eight judges participating in the ruling objected to at least part of the decision, indi

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