David Leonard Wood hearings delayed

by El Paso Matters Staff May 8, 2026

This is your weekly news roundup, which takes a quick look at some developments in government, politics, education, environment and other topics across El Paso. 

Judge Delays Hearings for El Paso Death Row Inmate David Leonard Wood 

Hearings on the future of El Paso death row inmate David Leonard Wood won’t begin until September at the earliest, a judge ruled this week.

Wood, 68, was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in 1992 in connection with the deaths of six girls and young women whose bodies were found buried in the Northeast El Paso desert in 1987.

He has had two execution dates stopped by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals,most recently in March 2025, two days before he was scheduled to die. The court didn’t provide any reasons for its decision and sent the case back to a visiting judge in El Paso, Dick Alcalá, for further action.

At a procedural hearing Tuesday, Alcalá granted a defense motion to conduct 14 depositions of potential witnesses over the next 90 days. The judge said that time frame meant that he couldn’t begin hearings in El Paso until September.

Alcalá also heard a defense motion for additional DNA testing, and said he would rule later.

The hearing was conducted virtually, with Wood appearing via video from the state’s death row in Livingston, Texas. He didn’t address the court during the hearing. Alcalá said he would not bring Wood back to El Paso when hearings begin.