James Edward Wood
James Godwin
Active for 18 years
(1976-1993) in United States
1
CONFIRMED
VICTIMS
12
POSSIBLE
VICTIMS
Jump to:
- Summary
- Serial Killer Profile
- Serial Killer Type
- General Information
- Characteristics
- Childhood
- Cognitive Ability
- Incarceration
- Death
- 15 Timeline Events
- Serial Killers Active During Spree
- Boolean Statistical Questions
- 7 Books Written About James Edward Wood
- 3 External References
- Internal References
James Edward Wood (born James Godwin) an American serial killer and rapist also known as James Godwin. Wood was convicted and sentenced to death in 1993 for the kidnapping, dismemberment and murder of an 11-year-old newspaper delivery girl in Pocatello, Idaho. He was arrested in 1993 and later led authorities to the body that had been thrown into the Snake River in Idaho Falls. Wood would kidnap, rape molest, commit acts of necrophilia on the body and dismember the corpse of his victims. He has been suspected of multiple rapes, robberies and dozens of murders. In 2004, James Edward Wood died from a heart attack at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, Idaho.
James Edward Wood Serial Killer Profile
Serial Killer James Edward Wood (aka) James Godwin, was active for 18 years between 1976-1993, known to have ( 1 confirmed / 12 possible ) victims. This Serial Killer was active in the following countries: United States
James Edward Wood was born on December 9th 1947 in Louisiana, US. He was raised by both parents until (Age 2), his mother and step-father until (Age 8), his Uncle Gene and Aunt Mildred Wood until (Age 14), ward of state until (Age 17), his biological father until adulthood. He was raised as a only child and had no siblings. His father, an unnamed man who was incarcerated, James (Age 2). After his fathers release he worked selling and installing chain fences. His mother, Hazel Godwin died in a potato processing plant fire, James (Age 8). During his education he had academic, social or discipline problems. James Edward Wood was sexually, physically, and psychologically abused at some point of his life.
He completed 11 years of school, no degree received. He married Angie Bell in 1967, divorced re-married Angie Bell in 1974, divorced. He had three children, two sons and one daughter.
Prior to his spree he had commited crimes, served time in jail, and served time in prison. He was known to abuse alcohol.
In 1976 (Age 28/29) James Edward Wood started his killing spree, during his crimes as a serial killer he was known to rob, commit acts of necrophilia, torture, stalk, rape, mutilate, and murder his victims. James Edward Wood used a weapon and was in possession of a firearm during his crimes. At the time of his crimes he was living with his cousin Dave Haggard.
He was arrested on July 6th 1993 (Age 45), convicted on January 14th 1994 (Age 46), sentenced to death at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, Idaho, US.
James Edward Wood died on February 1st 2004 (Age 56), cause of death: natural causes at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, Idaho, US.
Profile Completeness: 96%
serial killers by profile completenessJames Edward Wood has been listed on Killer.Cloud since July of 2017 and was last updated 5 years ago.
James Edward Wood a known:
( 651 killers ) SERIAL KILLER
The unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events. Serial Killer as defined by the FBI at the 2005 symposium.
( 308 killers ) RAPIST
Rape is usually defined as having sexual intercourse with a person who does not want to, or cannot consent.
( 60 killers ) NECROPHILIAC
Necrophilia, also called thanatophilia, is a sexual attraction or sexual act involving corpses. Serial Killer Necrophiliacs have been known to have sex with the body of their victim(s).
( 89 killers ) TORTURER
Torture is when someone puts another person in pain. This pain may be physical or psychological. Tourturers touture their victims.
( 53 killers ) STALKER
Stalking means following someone secretly to watch them. Serial Killer Stalkers stalk victims prior to killing them.
James Edward Wood
Serial Killer Profile:
Updated: 2019-07-13 Collected by Killer.Cloud
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Name: | James Edward Wood |
| Nickname: | James Godwin |
| Victims: | 1 - 12 |
| Years Active: | 1976 - 1993 |
| Ages Active: | 28/29 - 45/46 |
| Active Countries: | United States |
| Life Span: | 1947 - 2004 |
| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Male |
| Sexual Preference: | heterosexual |
| Astrological Sign: | ♐ Sagittarius Nov 22 - Dec 22 |
| Birth Month: | December |
| Marital Status: | married Angie Bell in 1967, divorced re-married Angie Bell in 1974, divorced |
| Children: | three children, two sons and one daughter |
| Living With: | his cousin Dave Haggard |
| Childhood Information | |
|---|---|
| D.O.B.: | Dec 9, 1947 |
| Birth Location: | Louisiana, US |
| Birth Order: | 1st of 1 |
| Siblings: | no siblings |
| Raised By: | both parents until (Age 2), his mother and step-father until (Age 8), his Uncle Gene and Aunt Mildred Wood until (Age 14), ward of state until (Age 17), his biological father until adulthood |
| Birth Category: | only child |
| Mother: | Hazel Godwin died in a potato processing plant fire, James (Age 8) |
| Father: | an unnamed man who was incarcerated, James (Age 2). After his fathers release he worked selling and installing chain fences |
| Cognitive Ability | |
|---|---|
| IQ: | N/A |
| Highest School: | 11 years of school |
| Highest Degree: | no degree received |
| Incarceration | |
|---|---|
| Arrested: | Jul 6, 1993 (Age 45) |
| Convicted: | Jan 14, 1994 (Age 46) |
| Sentence: | death |
| Prison Location: | the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, Idaho, US |
| Executed: | N/A |
| Previous Crimes: | TRUE |
| Previous Jail: | TRUE |
| Previous Prison: | TRUE |
| Death Information | |
|---|---|
| Death Date: | Feb 1, 2004 (Age 56) |
| Cause of Death: | natural causes |
| Death Location: | the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, Idaho, US |
| Killed In Prison: | FALSE |
| Suicide: | FALSE |
15 Timeline Events of Serial Killer
James Edward Wood
The 15 dates listed below represent a timeline of the life and crimes of serial killer James Edward Wood. A complete collection of serial killer events can be found on our Serial Killer Timeline.
| Date | Event Description |
|---|---|
| Dec 09 1947 | James Edward Wood was born in Louisiana, US. #19471209 |
| Dec 09 1967 (Age 20) | 20th Birthday |
| 1976 (Age 28/29) | James Edward Wood started his serial killing spree. #1976 |
| Dec 09 1977 (Age 30) | 30th Birthday |
| Dec 09 1987 (Age 40) | 40th Birthday |
| Oct 31 1992 (Age 44) | moves to Pocatello, Idaho #19921031 Location: Pocatello, Idaho, US James arrives at his cousin’s, Dave Haggard, and asks for a place to live. Haggard agrees to let him stay until he could get back on his feet. |
| 1993 (Age 45/46) | James Edward Wood ended his serial killing spree. #1993 |
| Jul 06 1993 (Age 45) | James Edward Wood arrested. #19930706 |
| Jan 14 1994 (Age 46) | James Edward Wood was convictedand sentenced to death at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, Idaho, US. #19940114 |
| Jul 25 1995 (Age 47) | appeal rejected #19950725 Location: Idaho, US Sixth district judge rejects Wood’s appeal. |
| Dec 09 1997 (Age 50) | 50th Birthday |
| Oct 09 1998 (Age 50) | appeal rejected #19981009 Location: Idaho State Supreme Court, Idaho, US Idaho State Supreme Court rejects Wood’s appeal |
| Dec 22 1998 (Age 51) | stay of execution #19981222 Location: Idaho, US Supreme Court justice O’Connor signed a stay of execution until Wood’s death sentence appeal could be heard by the entire U.S Supreme Court. |
| May 16 1999 (Age 51) | appeal rejected #19990516 Location: U.S. Supreme Court, US U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Wood’s appeal. |
| Feb 01 2004 (Age 56) | James Edward Wooddied.cause of death:natural causesat the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, Idaho, US. #20040201 |
Back to top Serial Killers Active During
The following serial killers were active during the same time span as James Edward Wood (1976-1993).
Serial Killers By Active Year
| 38 / 40 ANSWEREDSerial Killer Boolean Questions: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killer Question | Killer Answer | Total Answered | ||
| problems in school | TRUE | 221 | ||
| physically abused | TRUE | 231 | ||
| psychologically abused | TRUE | 224 | ||
| sexually abused | TRUE | 226 | ||
| alcohol abuse | TRUE | 226 | ||
| previous crimes | TRUE | 367 | ||
| previous jail | TRUE | 352 | ||
| previous prision | TRUE | 336 | ||
| used weapon | TRUE | 453 | ||
| used gun | TRUE | 451 | ||
| rape | TRUE | 453 | ||
| torture | TRUE | 426 | ||
| stalk | TRUE | 418 | ||
| sex with body | TRUE | 430 | ||
| mutilated | TRUE | 447 | ||
| robbed | TRUE | 418 | ||
| living with children | FALSE | 268 | ||
| suicide | FALSE | 225 | ||
| killed in prison | FALSE | 218 | ||
| father drug abuse | FALSE | 192 | ||
| mother drug abuse | FALSE | 195 | ||
| teased in school | FALSE | 218 | ||
| physically defect | FALSE | 300 | ||
| speach defect | FALSE | 300 | ||
| head injury | FALSE | 299 | ||
| psychologist | FALSE | 258 | ||
| forensic hospital | FALSE | 257 | ||
| previous killed | FALSE | 208 | ||
| kill at killers home | FALSE | 320 | ||
| kill at victims home | FALSE | 323 | ||
| blindfold | FALSE | 363 | ||
| bound | FALSE | 406 | ||
| strangle | FALSE | 443 | ||
| ate part of body | FALSE | 451 | ||
| drank blood | FALSE | 442 | ||
| posed body | FALSE | 365 | ||
| totem body part | FALSE | 365 | ||
| totem personal item | FALSE | 354 | ||
Books that Mention James Edward Wood
Edward St. Aubyn
Mother's Milk
Terry Adams
Eye of the Beast
James C. Worthy
Shaping an American institution
James Edward Wood
Church and State in the Modern World
James Edward Wood
Church and State in Historical Perspective
James Pontolillo
The Unknown War of Edward D. Wood, Jr.
Steve Milner PhD LCS...
Good Night James Wood-the Story of a Serial K...
7 Books that mention Serial Killer
James Edward Wood
| ISBN10 | Book Title | Author | Killers Mentioned | Killers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1250206553 | Mother's Milk | Edward St. Aubyn | James Edward Wood | 1 |
| 1938803507 | Eye of the Beast | 3 Total Including Terry Adams | James Edward Wood | 1 |
| 0252010515 | Shaping an American insti... | James C. Worthy | James Edward Wood | 1 |
| 0313256047 | Church and State in the M... | James Edward Wood | James Edward Wood | 1 |
| 0313256039 | Church and State in Histo... | James Edward Wood | James Edward Wood | 1 |
| 1548869473 | The Unknown War of Edward... | James Pontolillo | James Edward Wood | 1 |
| 1543915590 | Good Night James Wood-the... | Steve Milner PhD LCS... | James Edward Wood | 1 |
External References
- Juan Ignacio Blanco, James Edward WOOD on murderpedia.org, Retrieved on Dec 14, 2018.
- Jessica Weber, Heather Wells, James Edward Wood on maamodt.asp.radford.edu, Retrieved on Dec 14, 2018.
- Rebecca Boone, Idaho death-row killer dies in prison on www.deseretnews.com, Retrieved on Jun 10, 2019.
Internal References
James Edward Wood is included in the following pages on Killer.Cloud the Serial Killer Database
- #43 of 43[ Page 3 ] of Sagittarius Serial Killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #45 of 45[ Page 3 ] of Serial Killers with birthdays in December
- #53 of 53[ Page 4 ] of Serial Killer Stalkers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #54 of 651[ Page 4 ] of serial killers sorted by Profile Completeness
- #60 of 60[ Page 4 ] of Serial Killer Necrophiliacs sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #66 of 651[ Page 5 ] of serial killers sorted by Years Active
- #89 of 89[ Page 6 ] of Serial Killer Torturers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #306 of 307[ Page 21 ] of Serial Killer Rapist sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #327 of 327[ Page 22 ] of Serial Killers active in the United States
- #632 of 651[ Page 43 ] of the A-Z List of Serial Killers
- #650 of 651[ Page 44 ] of serial killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- Statistics:
- Serial Killers Statistics, charts James Edward Wood is included in: Active Serial Killers by Country, Serial Killers By Gender, Age of Serial Killer by Date, Killers By Astrological Sign, Killers By Birth Month, Serial Killers IQ Level, Highest Degree Achieved, Sexual Preference, Birth Category, Active Serial Killers by Year and Statistical Boolean Questions.
- Years Active: