Below is a copy of David Leon Woods' final written statement before his execution. Click on the image to enlarge it in order to read it. This post will likely be updated later with a text transcription of the statement included.
You can read more about the vigil in this article published on May 4th in the Michigan City News Dispatch. Additionally, ND ASK Co-Director Andrea Laidman was interviewed by Fort Wayne's WANE TV. A transcript and video of the coverage can be found here.
Pictures below:
Members of ND ASK pause for a picture with Father Doyle, Chairman of the Duneland Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
Joe Baker from the University of Illinois drove several hours to the vigil with three other U of I students.
Marty Pizzini, Education Coordinator for the Dunaland Coalition, lead a drum litany about the death penalty.
We thought we would be the youngest people at the vigil but 20-month old Gerald Hayes quickly proved us wrong.
Getting off our bus at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, our collection of students from Notre Dame, St. Mary's, and Holy Cross were greeted with the tail end of a beautifully sung "Ave Maria." The smiles and warm greetings from the veterans of execution vigils that we met there briefly veiled the reason why we had all gathered together outside of the prison on a chilly night. We were there because a man was about to be killed.
It was an eclectic mix of ages and backgrounds. Former inmates stood alongside former prison employees and priests. Soon-to-be octogenarian Father Doyle mingled with students 60 years younger than he. It was a truly wonderful cross-section of Indiana. The thing that we all held in common was our belief that the execution that was about to occur was unjust and would not solve anything. As the other death row inmates put it in their letter to the Governor and the parole board, David's execution "diminishes us all."
A variety of testimonials and readings were given, ranging from religious to personal stories about David and other experiences with the prison system. People marched around with a variety of signs in opposition to the death penalty while guards paced with their dogs just inside the gates.
As the midnight hour of execution neared, we all gathered together directly in front of the gates and tried our best to light candles despite the harsh gusts of wind. We said some prayers and began our silent vigil while the final steps of the system of capital punishment were taken inside the prison in front of us. We waited for what seemed like an eternity in silence. Each time a guard passed by the entrance of the prison, I held my breath, anticipating that we were about to be hit with the tragic report of execution. However, no answer came.
At about 30 minutes past midnight, a hearse pulled around the side of the prison. Everyone's eyes followed it as it disappeared from sight. Several minutes later, we heard a door slam shut. An unspoken truth settled over our group. After 50 minutes of silence and no sign of movement from the prison, Michael Griffin from Holy Cross led us in offering prayers and petitions for the Placencia family, David Woods and his family, and the prison employees.
At about 1 am, we could see members of the Placencia family filed into a white van and were whisked away while Wanda Callahan, David’s spiritual advisor of 23 years, slowly made her way out the front and into her car. The lack of information compounded the chill of the wind and the exhaustion of the group. Wanda was the first to reach us, driving through the gate and getting out of her car to deliver her account of the execution and talk about her friend David.
David went peacefully, she said, smiling and nodding as the lethal drugs were delivered into his body. He was at peace with God, she said, and knew that he was going to a better place. She mentioned how sad it was that the first time he felt safe in his entire life was when he was sent to death row. Everyone was gathered around, listening to her shaky voice deliver such powerful words. After she had finished her account of the situation, she hugged several of us, thanking us for our prayers and thoughts. She told us that she could certainly feel our presence during the execution.
Officials from the prison approached next and told us that David Leon Woods had been executed at 12:35 am.
This will likely be the last post before our group heads off to the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. There will certainly be a large discussion tomorrow about what happened and plenty of information posted here.
For those of you who are up at midnight, please observe a minute of silence and reflect on the pain that David's crime caused to Juan Placencia's family and the pain that this execution will cause David's family. More victims of David's crime will be created tonight by Indiana.
Also, let us hope that this execution will in fact bring healing to the Placencia family. God knows that healing will be the only good thing to result from this, if indeed even that happens.
This post is long overdue but is certainly still relevant as tonight, David Woods will be executed. The following is a letter written and signed by twenty death row inmates at Michigan City. Bear in mind that they are talking about a man who was 19 at the time of the crime and clearly poses no threat to society from within prison and hasn't given any evidence in his 23 years on death row that he is a danger to the guards or other inmates.
This is who Indiana is executing tonight.
Dear Parole Board Members:
This letter is in support of clemency for our friend and brother David (Dave) L. Woods, who has been a part of the Indiana State Prison Death Row Unit for twenty-two years now. Dave's presence on the Death Row Unit has had a stabilizing effect on us all because of his peaceful and accommodating nature. Dave has never refused to assist any of us in a time of distress or need, and has gone out of his way to be a friend to all. Dave has been a Range Porter several times over the years, a job that requires patience, kindness, and an attitude of caring for others. This is a position of trust amongst staff and prisoners alike. Dave is a man whose conduct conforms to a high standard of propriety and correct behavior. Dave has never, in his 22 years on the Death Row Unit, demonstrated any violent side to his decent character. We, the men that have been touched by Dave's friendship on a daily basis during these past 22 years, beseech and implore you to set a precedent in logic and mercy based on the objectives of the Indiana Department of Corrections, and spare Dave this sentence of death by execution, which diminishes us all.
At approximately midnight tonight, after 23 years on death row, David Woods will be executed at the Michigan City Prison. We fully intend to demonstrate to the Governor that this is not done in our name.
For those of you in the South Bend area, there are still several seats available on our bus to Michigan City tonight. The bus will be leaving at 9:45pm from McKenna Circle on campus which is located on Notre Dame Ave. Please register ahead of time so we know to expect you!
Due to the time change between South Bend and Michigan City, the bus will be returning back to campus around 2:30am. The bus is free of charge and we encourage anyone who is interested to please join us for this important event.
A hard copy of our petition asking for clemency for David Woods was overnighted to Governor Daniels early this afternoon with 490 signatures! In addition to the hard copy of the signatures accumulated so far, the link to the petition website was included so that any signatures acquired after printing should be noted by the Governor.
However, there's more you can do!
If you have not already, please call the Governor at 317-232-4567. Simply let them know that you are asking the Governor to grant David Woods clemency. No ideological debates will ensue; it will only take a minute and every little bit counts. Talking points provided by David's lawyer can be found here for those who wish to elaborate on their requests.
You can read the text of the accompanying letter written and signed by ND ASK co-directors Will McAuliffe and Andrea Laidman below.
April 30, 2007
The Honorable Mitch Daniels
Office of the Governor
Statehouse
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-8797
Governor Daniels,
Please find attached the names and information of almost 500 people asking you to grant David Woods clemency. As is apparent by the comments left by some of the petitioners, there are a variety of reasons that people have reached the conclusion that clemency is the appropriate action: some for religious reasons, some over concerns for human dignity, and others who are simply appalled that we would execute someone with such a traumatic background and history of service to the death row community. We are certain that none of these reasons are alien to your conscience, yet we are equally certain that seeing that they are echoed throughout Indiana and the United States should give you no reason to proceed with the execution of David Woods and should bolster your confidence in granting clemency.
We would also like to emphasize the unprecedented relevance of this particular execution in relation to the release of the American Bar Association’s report on Indiana with which we’re certain you are aware. This report, in essence, has revealed many of the flaws in the judicial system particularly as it relates to capital cases. This information has existed for some time yet has never been so accessible or well-documented. To carry out an execution in the wake of such an important document that calls into question the nature and certainty of justice in Indiana would be an affront to Indiana’s central tenets “…that justice be established, public order maintained, and liberty perpetuated.” There is no justice in carrying out an execution which has resulted from a flawed and unjust system.
We sincerely hope that the words of the petitioners reach your mind and your conscience. We hope that you take great pause when you consider that 61% of Hoosiers would support a moratorium on executions. We pray that you carry out justice in the only way that our God and society finds acceptable by granting clemency to David Woods.
We thank you on behalf of all the petitioners for your consideration of this matter. We appreciate the gravity of the situation and the scrutiny which accompanies your decision, but are certain that you will inevitably conclude that society and the notion of justice upon which our country and the state of Indiana were built are not served by the death of this man.
Most Sincerely,
Andrea Laidman
Co-Director, ND ASK
Will McAuliffe
Co-Director, ND ASK
Our online petition has now hit the 400 signature mark, bringing us to the threshold of our original goal of 500 signatures! Obviously, there is no magic number which will force Governor Daniels to examine his conscience on this case and grant David Woods clemency so we ask those who haven't signed the petition to do so now and for those who have signed but haven't passed on the important message of forgiveness and hope to do so immediately.
The petition will close on May 1st, so there are several crucial days left for us to speak out against the inhumane execution of this man. Please sign or forward the petition immediately!
Additionally, one of David Woods' attorneys has asked for our help in contacting Governor Daniels by calling his office at 317-232-4567. Don't worry, you don't need to engage in an ideological debate over the death penalty, you simply need to voice your request for clemency for David Woods. If you wish to give a more detailed request, the following message from his attorney has been provided:
"Please call 317-232-4567 request Gov. Daniels to grant clemency for
David Leon Woods. The Board voted 5-0 against,
but we got 1 "agonized" vote from Daniels appointee Randall Gentry.
David was 19 at the time of his enraged stabbing of a 77 year old man who had previously been engaged to his mother.
His prior adult record was 1 Public Intoxication. His mother was totally dysfunctional & would have sex w/ guys younger than David in front of him. [David] didn't graduate, abused in children's home, medicated to sleep during trial.
Attorneys appointed shortly before trial; the one "right out of law school" co-counsel was doing [mitigation] investigation during trial. Mother testified for state in penalty phase & then at clemency said it was because male prosecutor told her it was the only way she could help her son & he would take her to dinner.
LWOP (Life Without Parole) was not an option at the time. David is only seeking LWOP; he told the board he didn't deserve freedom for what he did.
All the other guys on the row signed a touching letter vouching for how peaceful & kind David has been during the last 22 years.
We are still in the courts, but nothing has a realistic chance of success.
Thanks for any phone calls you can generate."
Again, please contact Governor Daniels' office at 317-232-4567 as soon as possible. Every voice counts.
For those interested in the rationale of each parole board member in recommending against clemency for David Woods, here are excerpts from each of their letters. Additionally, a link to each letter is included so they can be read in their entirety.
William R. Harris:In Woods' request for clemency, his current attorneys describe his case as "has been the subject of a tortured past".[sic] He has been described as a neglected and abused child, whose case was improperly litigated on every step of the court system. However, Wood's [sic] childhood was not that bad and he was only in 3 foster homes and one county group home. The Parole Board recently saw an offender that had been in 28 foster homes and institutions before reaching adulthood, and he was not a murderer. I have to use offender to offender comparison for these decisions, not text books, and not apples to oranges.
Click here to read Mr. Harris' letter in its entirety.
...Practice making 20 stab motions, it takes so long and you can stop after 5, 10, or even 15. I believe Woods didn't stop because Mr. Placencia could identify him... Woods decided he had to die.
Valerie J. Parker:By his own testimony... Mr. Woods admitted that he was the orchestrator of the events that day...He admitted that he was without a doubt the individual who in a raged [sic] filled moment, rage directed at his mother, violently stabbed this helpless 77 year old man to death.
Click here to read Ms. Parker's letter in its entirety.
Let's face it, at the time of this crime David L. Woods was considered in every sense of the word to be an adult. He now has to suffer the adult pain caused by his adult choices. Mr. Woods had every opportunity to help Mr. Placencia after stabbing him the first time. But as this helpless elderly gentleman pleaded for his life, Mr. Woods chose to continue to hurt and not help, until he had taken all of the life from this victim. Throughout the clemency process, this board has been sufficiently advised of Mr. Wood's [sic] tumultuous, tortured past, but I say to you today that his situation is not unique enough in my heart and mind to ordain or accept murder as a response to his pain or a means of coping with it.
Thor R. Miller:The reality is that Woods is noto mentally incompetent. His legal counsel was forced to deal with a difficult, uncooperative client who even went so far as to file his own motions and failed to follow their legal advice and properly participate in his legal defense.
Click here to read Mr. Miller's letter in its entirety.
...Testimony and evidence provided concerning Mr. Wood's [sic] horrible childhood and appalling living conditions is merely an attempt to place blame where blame should not lie. Since when should having a horrible childhood give one the license to kill? Thousands of people experience horrors in their daily lives, yet most will continue to obey the law. No exceptions should be made for Woods.
Randall P. GentryMr. Woods' own testimony sufficiently revealed the crime details to a point that it is not hard to understand the cruelty of his actions. Stabbing a person twenty plus times takes effort, a great deal of rage, and huge lack of respect for life. This was no bar room fight. This was a seventy-seven year old man in his home in the middle of the night murdered by three adults.
Click here to read Mr. Gentry's letter in its entirety.
...This was not an accident, but a planned crime that may have deviated as intended. The result was murder. While we may all search to ease our minds as to why this crime occured, it is important to understand this crime did happen and Mr. Woods admits he committed the act of murder against Juan Placencia.
...In hindsight, [his background] may provide a precursor to the future, but I render a guess many children have had a similar horrible upbringing and yet failed to commit a murder.
...In my opinion, Mr. Woods is not a monster as society might define one, but Juan Placencia did not deserve to die this horrific death. With the lack of some fact or mitigation that is not currently in the record, I struggle to recommend that we should alter course from the original sentence.
...I continued to review and reread documents right up to the preparation of this recommendation to you. I was unclear on what I was looking for, justification to move forward with this sentence or a reason to recommend Clemency. The crime in question can be described in one sentence, but the reason behind the crime could take pages. I found it easy to be deflected from the decisions that has to be made. Attempts to present mitigating arguments for Mr. Woods, such as an awful childhood, a long standing issue with his mother, mild mental retardation, or even improper legal representation at trial fail to excuse what has been done.
Christopher E. Meloy, Chairman:
[Woods'] level of understanding, his introspection, and his assessment of others in his life leads me to believe that Mr. Woods' mental capacity is more than sufficient not only to understand the correlation between his actions and logical consequences but he also appears to be a person who holds a personal peace after significant, in-depth, and introspective review of his life's situations.
...the truth was accurately discovered in this case.
...When satisfied with his thefts, Mr. Woods returned to Mr. Placencia but not to help despite the elderly man's pleas but to stab him 20 additional times leaving him for dead.
Click here to read Mr. Meloy's letter in its entirety.
Please e-mail notredameask@gmail.com if you have any issues opening these links.
David's mother approached the front of the auditorium and spoke in a hushed, reserved tone. She put forth just enough effort to make her terse answers barely audible. When the defense attorney asked her the names and ages of her children, she paused and finally stated that she didn't know their ages. When asked to simply recount their names, she hesitantly proceeded to name her six children, with grinding hesitation between each name. When asked which of the siblings were David's full brothers and sisters, she said that three were, but only gave two names.
Mary Pilkington stated that, while she testified against David at his trial, she did so without her knowledge. According to Pilkington, the prosecutor "put his arms around her" and told her "I'll get your son off and I'll help you and take you out to dinner." After a pause, Mrs. Pilkington added, "I didn't know I was on the wrong side."
The most shocking stories of the day came from one of David's sisters, Mary Anne. The themes of her stories focused on neglect, abuse, and outright disturbing scenarios. She began by recalling a time when she stepped on a rusty nail in the yard. When she limped inside, her mother's response to her whimpers was "you take care of it yourself." She told about the time her brother held the door shut when she had to go to the bathroom so she was forced to go in a bucket. When her mother found out, she took the feces out of the bucket and "shoved it in [her] mouth." One time when she was sitting on a porch railing, her mother backhanded her, sending her sprawling onto the pavement below. Her mother's response to her cries of pain: running in the house to get a camera in order to snap photos of her crying daughter.
The most gruesome and twisted recollection, however, was the time that Mary Anne's mother fed Mary Anne her pet rabbit, unbeknownst to her at the time and revealed the truth to Mary Anne only after she'd eaten the rabbit by showing her the severed head of the rabbit that she had placed in the back yard. Additionally, Mary Anne testified that when she was 10 years old, she was molested by her step father. When she told her mother about it, her mother told her "don't tell no one." When the police found out about the molestation, Mary Anne's mom simply replied that "she asked for it" and attempted to bribe Mary Anne with $50 if she changed her story.
The main theme running throughout the clemency testimony was summed up in her next sentence: "I just wanted her to love me."
Sherry Hudson, a capital habeas petition investigator, took a snipe at Alabama's prolific death penalty sentencing by stating that “even in Alabama this wouldn’t have been a death penalty case.” Her role in the David Woods saga was to investigate mitigating circumstances for presentation in Woods’ appeal as no investigation had been done in the initial case. Additionally, Woods’ file from the original case had been lost or destroyed.
Wanda Callahan, a pastor from the Church of the Brethren spoke passionately about David’s reformation since his time in prison. As a volunteer pastor for the prison for 36 years, Wanda has seen her share of “rough types” but states that by no means is David one of these personalities. She had nothing but good things to say about him, stating that “he has so much goodness” and that “he acts like the peacemaker on death row.” She warned the panel that if he were to be executed that “you’re going to do a great big harm to death row. He’s what holds that place together most of the time.” Additionally she stated that “I wish my churches were full of people like David,” backing her claim “I don’t know anyone who’s as good a Christian as David is.”
Ms. Callahan posed the observation that “he never felt safe until he was on death row. Isn’t that a horrible thing?” She left the panel with this parting thought: “If you kill David, it’s going to be a cruel case of injustice. If you do, I’m certainly going to pray for you.”
After presenting several other people close to David and his case who testified along the same lines of abuse and dysfunction as a child leading to his crime, the State presented their side of the argument, backed by six members of the victim’s family.
The deputy prosecutor presented the perception that Woods “learned over time” buzz words and terms alluding to mitigation. He emphasized that Woods was the leader of the robbery and that at least 29 judges in 6 different courts have written 8 different opinions all affirming the sentence of death for Woods. He stated that “the defense is asking you to believe that all those judges and juries were unreasonable.” Additionally, he rebuffed Woods’ good behavior on the row, stating that it would be ludicrous that “he should be rewarded for not having committed more crimes.”
Additionally, the deputy prosecutor called the ABA report, released in February, a product of the “moratorium project” and claimed that it contained “many assertions” that “are false or inaccurate.” Ultimately, he concluded stating that “no reasonable person would have voted differently.”
Juan Placencia’s granddaughter spoke about her grandfather saying that he “brought those children up to love God, family and country.” She listed his 13 children and 72 grandchildren all by name, a process that took several minutes. She stated that “our community is a community of love and tradition” but cautioned that “life is not always the way we wish it would be,” refusing to accept Woods’ upbringing as an excuse for the killing. She read several letters from family members not in attendance which cited Juan’s pleas for mercy as he was stabbed, the need for enforcement of laws as a fundamental element of society, and ultimately struck the tone that “Juan’s pleas only took seconds, not years.”
Juan’s daughter, Catherine Placencia, stated that Woods “took the best man in the world: our father.” Additionally she refused to accept Woods’ childhood as a mitigating circumstance: “…he blames everything… he’s gotta look in the mirror and blame himself, because he’s the one who did this to my father.”
Another of Juan’s daughters, Mary Anne Petrie, gave a tearful statement, showing a picture of the family with Juan stating that “we’ve got pictures to look at, that’s it.” Also she qualified her desire for an execution by saying that “this is justice, it isn’t revenge.” She accused Woods of spewing falsehoods about his faith and his rationale for the murder: “No Christian would lie like he’s doing.”
Two more of Placencia’s descendants gave statements which focused on Woods making conscious choices which led to the murder and also made the conscious choice to stab Juan Placencia 21 times. One of Juan’s grandsons, Glen McDonald begged that the board “allow justice to be served so that another healing process may begin.”
After rebuttals from both sides which essentially summarized the main points of the pleas by both sides, the panel was adjourned for deliberation. Upon their return at 2:30 pm, each panel member read their letters of recommendation to Governor Daniels. Each member of the panel recommended that Governor Daniels deny clemency. These full statements will be posted on the website later, but they all focused around the severity of the crime and its inexcusability, despite Woods’ upbringing.
I will be attending David Woods' clemency hearing in Indianapolis which begins at 9am today (4/23) and will do my best to update this post as soon as possible after the testimony phase of the hearing and then again after the board reads their recommendation. Check this post regularly throughout the day for updates and quotes from the hearing.
I will provide an objective report in this space as well as a separate follow-up post with my analysis of the proceedings for those interested in my take on how it went.
Stay tuned!
-Will McAuliffe
Co-director of ND ASK
Please sign our petition calling for Governor Mitch Daniels to grant David Woods clemency! It only takes a few moments and, with enough signatures, may help sway the Governor towards clemency.
Additionally, please notify all interested family and friends of this important petition. Together we just may be able to stop the execution!
Notre Dame's Campus Ministry has been generous enough to sponsor a bus load of protesters for a vigil at Michigan City Prison on the night of David Woods' execution (May 3rd-May 4th, the execution occurs at midnight). ND ASK is now taking seat reservations for the bus. The transportation is free of charge and is open to anyone who is interested, including anyone outside the Notre Dame community.
We hope to fill the bus and show our support for a moratorium against the death penalty while bearing witness to the tragedy of capital punishment. Details and updates on the vigil will follow. Please fill out the form below to reserve a seat. Vigil updates and details to follow via e-mail and on the blog.
Additionally, plans for a vigil in remembrance of the victim, Juan Placencia, and his family are in the works and details will be posted soon.
The pending execution of Indiana death row inmate David Woods on May 4th is a milestone in the history of Indiana’s death penalty. Our nagging doubts and fears about the death penalty system being Indiana’s “other lottery” have now been confirmed and thoroughly documented in a recent report by the American Bar Association. Out of this report rises an opportunity to show that Indiana will not stand by while a man is executed as a result of so flawed and suspect a system. Instead, we must show that Indiana stands for fairness and true justice by demanding a hold on executions until the ABA report’s recommendations can be further examined and the death penalty system as a whole can be judged.
A moratorium is not only advisable, but is also overwhelmingly supported by 61% of Hoosiers as demonstrated in an ABA commissioned poll. Once the ticking clock of impending executions is silenced, objective examination of this system will expose the inhumanity, inefficiency, and injustice of capital punishment. I urge all who are concerned about ensuring the legitimacy of our justice system to petition their legislators and Governor Daniels for a stay of Mr. Woods’ execution and a moratorium on capital punishment.
ND ASK will be organizing a vigil to be held at Michigan City the night of the execution as well as demonstration in South Bend and petitions to suspend the use of the death penalty in Indiana, citing fundamental errors in the process.
