New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Apr. 8 the indictment and arraignment of Buffalo Police Department Officer Lance Woods, age 53, of Lewiston, Niagara County, on a charge of Murder in the Second Degree. The indictment alleges that Woods shot his wife, Alexis Skoczylas, causing her death while he was off-duty on February 14.
Woods appeared before Judge Caroline Wojtaszek at Niagara County Court for arraignment and was remanded. The next court date is set for May 8. Previously, Woods had been arrested after the incident and initially arraigned by Town of Somerset Justice Pamela Rider. If convicted of Murder in the Second Degree, Woods faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, “On February 14, in the house where Woods and his wife lived, Woods allegedly shot Ms. Skoczylas, causing her death.” Under New York Executive Law Section 70-b, every incident involving a police or peace officer that may have caused a person’s death is assessed by the Office of Special Investigation (OSI). This applies whether an officer is on- or off-duty and regardless of whether the decedent was armed or unarmed or in custody.
The New York Attorney General operates as a public law enforcement and legal advocacy agency for New York according to its official website. The office promotes social justice through civil rights enforcement and consumer advocacy according to its official website, protects residents’ safety and defends civil rights according to its official website, provides services such as consumer fraud investigations and tenant dispute mediation according to its official website, addresses local legal issues through regional offices according to its official website, and is headed by Letitia James according to its official website.
The charges against Woods are accusations only; he is presumed innocent unless found guilty at trial or by plea.
