David Leonard Wood, the Desert Killer
Overview
David Leonard Wood is a convicted Texas serial killer known as the Desert Killer. He was linked to a series of murders and disappearances in the El Paso, Texas area during 1987. The victims were girls and young women, several of whom were last seen in Northeast El Paso before their bodies were later found buried in shallow graves in desert terrain outside the city. Wood was convicted in 1992 and sentenced to death on January 14, 1993.
The case became one of El Paso's most disturbing murder investigations because of the ages of the victims, the remote burial sites, and the pattern investigators believed connected the crimes. Most of the victims disappeared within a few months of one another. Their remains were discovered over time between September 1987 and March 1988 in desert areas northeast of El Paso. Prosecutors argued that Wood targeted vulnerable girls and young women, drove them into isolated areas, sexually assaulted them, killed them, and buried them in shallow graves.
Background
David Leonard Wood was born on June 20, 1957, in San Angelo, Texas. Before the murder case, he already had a record involving sexual offenses. In the late 1970s, he was convicted of indecency with a child. In 1980, he was convicted in connection with sexual assaults and received a prison sentence. He was later released on parole and returned to the El Paso area in January 1987.
After his release, Wood lived and worked around El Paso. He was described as having long hair, tattoos, and an ability to move easily among young people, dancers, and people connected to bars or the local nightlife scene. Investigators later focused on the fact that several victims had either been seen near areas Wood frequented or had some possible connection to him or to places he was known to visit.
The 1987 El Paso Murder Pattern
In 1987, a number of girls and young women disappeared from the El Paso area. The confirmed murder victims connected to Wood's conviction disappeared between May and August of that year. Their bodies were later found in shallow graves in the desert. Several remains were discovered close to dirt roads, and some were found near one another. The remote locations made the crimes difficult to uncover quickly, and decomposition limited what investigators could determine about the exact cause of death in some cases.
Authorities believed the killer used the desert as a dumping and burial ground because it was isolated, sparsely traveled, and difficult to search. The pattern of victims, locations, and shallow graves led investigators to believe the crimes were connected. Wood was eventually accused of killing six girls and young women: Rosa Maria Casio, Desiree Wheatley, Karen Baker, Angelica Frausto, Dawn Marie Smith, and Ivy Susanna Williams.
...Read More
Account
