EVERETT — A man behind bars in Snohomish County allegedly tried to orchestrate the killing of the woman who accused him of rape.
Jerry G. Wood, 41, didn’t want the woman to testify, according to new police records.
He’s been at the county jail for a year, awaiting a trial scheduled for March on charges of rape and kidnapping.
This past weekend, another inmate who was staying in the same part of the jail was getting ready for release. The man told investigators Wood had given him the woman’s address, along with instructions to inject her with a lethal amount of heroin.
Wood allegedly arranged for someone to pay the remaining $450 on the man’s bail, saying it was imperative the woman not make his upcoming court hearings.
“I know what murder for hire is. And this is it,” the man reportedly told detectives.
Wood is a sex offender with a 2006 rape conviction in New York. He finished his sentence in federal prison in December 2015, and was arrested in a prostitution case a month later in King County. Wood was on bail pending his King County trial when the Snohomish County woman said she was attacked.
The two had met at a bar in Shoreline. Wood reportedly offered her a ride home but then took her to a rural area outside of Arlington. The woman said he told her: “You’re mine now. I own you. I’ll find you wherever you go.”
The trial has been repeatedly delayed. In November, a psychologist determined Wood was competent to assist with his own defense. On Jan. 22, Wood wrote a letter to the judge, saying he’s worried that people expected to testify on his behalf might not be available if the case takes much longer.
That was before the new allegations came to light.
Sheriff’s detectives filed paperwork in court earlier this week, seeking additional charges of soliciting murder, kidnapping and intimidating a witness. The newspaper obtained a copy of the documents Wednesday.
The man who contacted detectives about the alleged plot is a 32-year-old felon. He was in the county jail until Saturday for investigation of stealing a car. He remains free on bail.
The man said Wood wrote the instructions for the killing on the pages of novels.
“This must be done and the person must disappear before the 5th homie,” one note reportedly read.
The messages detailed a payment of $3,000, along with promises of access to vehicles and places to stay, according to the police report. There also was language about extra daily pay if he kept the woman prisoner, and an invitation to bring the man in on a $300,000 “lick,” or robbery.
“I will keep putting you on money missions when I get out of here,” Wood allegedly wrote.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @rikkiking.
