Travis Edward Paschal Wood

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

A Maryland man who directed detectives to the home where he killed his wife may spend the rest of his life in prison.

Travis Edward Paschal Wood, 36, has been convicted of murder in connection with the 2022 shooting death of his wife, Shawnda Nicole Wood, the Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office announced Monday, Oct. 27.

On Dec. 9, 2022, Wood and his cousin walked into the Charles County Sheriff's Office in Waldorf to request a welfare check at his home.

Prosecutors said that Wood told an investigator that he had been suicidal the night before, requested a welfare check, and asked for his lawyer, but did not provide further details.

Officers responded to the 2300 block of Tawny Drive and entered the home through an unlocked front door. 

During a search of the residence, officers discovered a silver and black handgun on the couple’s bed, as well as Shawnda Wood, who had suffered a single gunshot wound to the back of her head. 

According to the state's attorney, the investigation determined that on the night before the shooting, Wood, his wife, and their three daughters went out to eat and shop before returning home to put the children to bed. 

The couple later went out to a hookah lounge, enjoyed some drinks, and returned home around 2 a.m. that morning.

At home, the victim confronted Wood for urinating on the floor outside of the bathroom and told him that he needed to be out of the house by the weekend, prosecutors said.

While the victim lay in bed asleep, Wood retrieved his registered firearm and shot her one time in the back of her head.

At approximately 8:30 a.m. on December 9th, Wood woke his daughters and told them they were going to visit their grandmother and instructed them not to wake their mother and not to go into her bedroom.

Prosecutors said that Wood then dropped his children off at his mother's house, returned home for a few hours and then returned to confess.

"He then confessed to his mother that he shot and killed his wife," investigators said. "After his confession, Wood went back to his house for a period of time before eventually going to the police station."

Wood’s DNA was later found on the firearm used during the murder.

He was convicted of first-degree murder and use of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence.

When Wood is sentenced in January 2026, he will face life in prison plus 20 years.