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Indiana man executed for 1984 killing

David Leon Woods dies by lethal injection for fatal stabbing of 77-year-old

IMAGE: Son of murdered man attends execution
Joe Raymond / AP
Gene Placencia talks to reporters early Friday following the execution of David Leon Woods at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. Gene Placencia's father, Juan Placencia, was killed by Woods in 1984.
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updated 6:55 a.m. ET May 4, 2007

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. - A man convicted of killing a 77-year-old man during a 1984 burglary was executed by lethal injection early Friday.

David Leon Woods, 42, was pronounced dead at 12:35 a.m. Central Daylight Time, officials at the Indiana State Prison said.

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected requests that Woods’ execution be stayed Thursday, as did the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels also denied clemency for Woods on Thursday. The state Parole Board had earlier unanimously recommended against granting clemency.

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Woods’ attorneys had tried to stop the execution on the grounds that Indiana’s lethal injection protocol constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. He also disputed the state court’s method of determining whether he was mentally retarded, which could have rendered him ineligible for the death penalty.

Woods was convicted of breaking into Juan Placencia’s house in 1984 and stabbing him to death.

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