Judge grants request for DNA testing in 1987 Northeast El Paso killings

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- A judge issued a decision in a hearing Friday where David Leonard Wood's attorney requested testing on evidence from the 1987 serial killings.

During the hearing, visiting Judge Dick Alcala stated that even though the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals had ruled against the defense's request for DNA testing back in 2024, he would grant the current motion.

Wood, who is 69 years old, is one of the oldest death row inmates.

He was convicted of capital murder in 1992 for the deaths of six young girls and women whose bodies were dumped in the desert area of Northeast El Paso in 1987.

At the time of his original trial, DNA testing wasn't widely used. In 2011, Wood's attorneys requested DNA testing on three pieces of evidence. A piece of clothing that was tested excluded Wood as a contributor to the DNA evidence. The other two tests were inconclusive.

Several subsequent requests for DNA testing were filed in court and denied.

His executive has been delayed twice. The last time was in March 2025, where the court of criminal appeals sent the case back to the original court and stayed his execution.