Missouri convicted killer wants U.S. Supreme Court to review case

Summary

• Craig Michael Wood sentenced to death in 2018
• Wood convicted of 2014 abduction, rape, and murder
• Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh granted filing extension
• Missouri Supreme Court denied Wood’s appeals in 2024 and 2026

A Springfield man convicted of killing 10-year-old Hailey Owens in 2014 wants to take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Craig Michael Wood was found guilty of Owens’ 2014 abduction, rape and murder, and was sentenced to death by lethal injection. Wood is seeking a writ of certiorari from the U.S. Supreme Court.

On May 14, Supreme Court Justice Brent Kavanaugh granted Wood an extension to file the petition by June 24, 2026.

Here’s what to know about Wood’s previous appeals and what he’s asking for from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Who is Craig Michael Wood and why is he facing the death penalty?

Wood is a former middle-school football coach who, in 2018, was sentenced to death for the 2014 abduction, rape and murder of 10-year-old Owens of Springfield.

Wood was convicted of first-degree murder in November 2017, but the jury was unable to agree on whether to sentence him to a life sentence or the death penalty. Judge Thomas Mountjoy, who was the judge in that trial, chose the death penalty.

When has Wood appealed his sentence before?

First, Wood appealed his sentence in 2018, which the motion court rejected and the Supreme Court affirmed his sentence in 2019.

He’s also filed two post-conviction appeals, which were denied by Greene County Court and the Missouri Supreme Court in 2024 and 2026, respectively.

According to the petition, Wood sought a re-hearing after the Missouri Supreme Court denied his appeal on Jan. 13, 2026. The Missouri Supreme Court denied his re-hearing petition on Feb. 24, 2026.

What does Wood want?

In the past, Wood has requested a new trial, a new sentencing to impose life without parole and a new evidentiary hearing, all based on the idea that his lawyers were ineffective and that Mountjoy’s status as a Springfield resident prevented the judge from being impartial in the 2018 sentencing.

What is a writ of certiorari?

A writ of certiorari orders a lower court to deliver its record in a case so that a higher court may hear it, according to the Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute.

“Certiorari is generally associated with the writ that the Supreme Court of the United States issues to review a lower court’s judgment. A case cannot, as a matter of right, be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court,” LII said. “As such, a party seeking review of a lower court’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, must file a writ of certiorari.”

If four or more justices agree to review the case, then the Supreme Court will hear the case. Of the more than 7,000 cases the Supreme Court is asked to review yearly, it agrees to hear about 100 to 150 cases, according to the United States Courts.