In the late hours of a September evening in 2018, Stephen Gudknecht, a 37-year-old White male, was finishing his shift as a manager at a Chili's restaurant in DeWitt, a suburb of Syracuse, New York. As he and three co-workers were leaving the establishment after midnight, they were confronted by a former employee, William Wood Jr. Armed with a handgun, Wood forced the employees back inside the restaurant with the intention of robbing it.
Inside the restaurant, Wood held the four
employees at gunpoint while demanding money from the safe. After obtaining the cash that was accessible, an enraged Wood shot and killed Gudknecht. He also fatally shot another employee, Kristopher Hicks. Wood attempted to shoot a third employee, but his gun malfunctioned, allowing that employee and another to escape and hide. A 911 call was made from the restaurant, but by the time first responders arrived, Gudknecht had already passed away. Hicks was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
The investigation quickly led to William Wood Jr. as the suspect, and he was subsequently arrested. Wood faced numerous charges in both state and federal court. He pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and other charges in Onondaga County Court and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In federal court, Wood also pleaded guilty to robbery and firearms offenses, which carry a potential sentence of life in prison. Federal prosecutors had initially announced their intention to seek the death penalty against Wood, but this was later withdrawn in favor of a life sentence without parole.
