Connor Wood pleads not guilty by insanity
Published 9:37 am Friday, May 25, 2007
The attorney of alleged triple murderer Connor Wood, 15, withdrew Wood’s plea of “not guilty” and changed it to “not guilty by reason of insanity” Wednesday.
Wood was indicted May 7 on three counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of his parents John and Geraldine Wood, as well as his neighbor and friend Matthew Whittington.
He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges at a May 16 arraignment.
The court accepted the change in pleas, and Judge Leo Boothe appointed Coroner Sara Lee and John Simoneaux to a sanity commission.
Assistant District Attorney Brad Burget and Wood’s lawyer Paul Lemke were given 10 days to submit names of physicians to serve as the third party on the commission.
Boothe also ordered the entire court record for the matter sealed.
The Concordia Parish Sheriff’s office received a 911 call from Wood early March 14, during which he stated an intruder had broken into his house and killed his parents.
He said he found a gun and killed the intruder, Whittington.
Wood reportedly later changed his story to say he and Whittington had plotted to kill the Wood couple, and once Whittington had killed them, Wood killed him in turn.
All three victims were reportedly shot multiple times.