A Service of UA Little Rock
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

High Court Affirms Conviction In Murder Of Univ. Of Arkansas Student

Arkansas Supreme Court

The Arkansas Supreme Court has upheld the conviction and death sentence of a man who fatally stabbed a University of Arkansas student in 2007.

The court on Thursday found that Zachariah Scott Marcyniuk's trial attorney provided a capable defense. Appellate lawyers for Marcyniuk argued that the trial attorney improperly abandoned a mental illness defense.

At trial, Marcyniuk's attorney argued for a second-degree murder conviction, telling jurors that Marcyniuk suddenly flew into a rage and killed 24-year-old Katie Wood of Greenbrier.

Prosecutors argued that Marcyniuk planned the crime.

Marcyniuk broke into Wood's apartment, surprised her and stabbed her about 50 times. He hid the body, climbed out a window and drove to Oklahoma, where he was arrested. On the way, he disposed of the knife and his bloody clothes.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.