Bio

Stephen Edward Wood was born in 1960. He grew up in Oklahoma. Details about his early life are limited. There is not a lot of information available about his childhood or family background. However, it is known that he struggled with alcohol.

As he grew older, his drinking habits seemed to worsen. Wood became involved in various criminal activities. He had several run-ins with the law before committing serious crimes.

Murder Story

On November 28, 1992, Stephen Edward Wood committed his first murders. He attacked Charles Van Johnson and Charles Stephens while they were working on a woodcutting crew in Lincoln County, Oklahoma. In a drunken rage, he stabbed both men multiple times. Wood stabbed Stephens 55 times and Johnson 62 times. After the attack, he left their bodies beneath a bridge near Cushing.

Wood was arrested and later pleaded guilty to the murders of Johnson and Stephens. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

While serving his sentence, Wood committed another murder on June 12, 1994. He killed Rev. Robert Bruce Brigden at the Oklahoma State Reformatory. Brigden was a former Presbyterian pastor who had been convicted of molesting young girls. He was serving a 40-year sentence when Wood attacked him.

Wood entered Brigden's cell and attempted to rob him of his wristwatch. When Brigden refused to give it up, Wood stabbed him multiple times with a homemade knife, referred to as a "shank." Brigden suffered seven stab wounds and died from the attack.

Following this murder, Wood was charged and found guilty. He received the death penalty for killing Brigden. He later waived his appeals and chose to be executed. On August 5, 1998, Stephen Edward Wood was executed by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. He was 38 years old at the time of his death.