DeWitt, N.Y. (NCC News) – A Syracuse man walked into state court today expecting to plead guilty and spend the rest of his life in prison.
Instead, the prosecutors will seek the death penalty.
William Wood, 33, is accused of killing two of his former co-workers at the Chili’s restaurant in DeWitt.
The crime occurred September 15th around one in the morning. Wood allegedly went to his former place of work with the intention of robbing it, but ended up shooting and killing 29 year old Kristopher Hicks and 37 year old Stephen Gudknecht.
He arrived at state court today to plead guilty, but the Chief Assistant District Attorney wants to give prosecutors more time to look into a potential death penalty case.
The law requires consent from the prosecutor before a defendant is able to plead guilty.
Capital punishment is not an option in New York State, but the prosecutors could still seek the death penalty by escalating the case to the federal level.
