A Charles County jury convicted Travis Edward Paschal Wood, 36, of Waldorf, of first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence on October 23, 2025, following a four-day trial in the 2022 fatal shooting of his wife, Shawnda Nicole Wood. Tony Covington, Charles County state’s attorney, announced the verdict, which carries a potential sentence of life in prison plus 20 years. Sentencing is set for January 8, 2026.
The conviction stems from events unfolding on December 9, 2022, in the 2300 block of Tawny Drive, a residential neighborhood of single-family homes built in the early 1990s in southern Waldorf. Wood and his cousin arrived at the Charles County Sheriff’s Office District III station in Waldorf around 1 p.m. that day. Wood, who described himself as suicidal the previous night, requested a welfare check at his residence and asked for his lawyer without elaborating further.
Deputies responded to the unlocked home and found Shawnda Wood, 32, deceased from a single gunshot wound to the back of her head. A silver and black handgun, registered to Wood, lay on the couple’s bed. Wood’s DNA later matched the weapon, linking him directly to the shooting.
Investigators pieced together the preceding hours through witness statements and evidence. The couple, along with their three daughters, had dined out and shopped before returning home to put the children to bed. Around midnight, Wood and Shawnda Wood visited a hookah lounge for drinks, arriving back at their Tawny Drive address near 2 a.m. An argument ensued when Shawnda Wood confronted her husband about urinating outside the bathroom. She directed him to leave the house by the weekend.
As Shawnda Wood slept, Wood retrieved the handgun and fired once into the back of her head. At about 8:30 a.m., he woke the girls, instructed them not to disturb their mother or enter her bedroom, and drove them to his mother’s house for a visit. Wood lingered at the residence for several hours before returning to his mother’s, where he confessed to the killing. He then revisited the home briefly before proceeding to the sheriff’s office station.
Detectives from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office arrested Wood that afternoon on initial charges including first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, and firearms violations. He has remained in custody without bond at the Charles County Detention Center since then.
Under Maryland Criminal Law Section 2-201, first-degree murder requires proof of a deliberate, premeditated and willful killing. Prosecutors argued Wood’s retrieval of the weapon after the confrontation demonstrated intent, elevating the charge beyond second-degree murder, which lacks premeditation. The separate firearm count, under Section 4-204, mandates a consecutive 20-year term for using a gun in a violent felony like murder.
While specific homicide figures remain limited, Maryland statewide data from the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence shows 1,229 victims served in shelters and transitional housing in recent years, with intimate partner violence accounting for a significant portion of fatal incidents. The 2023 Uniform Crime Report noted a 6.6 percent rise in violent crimes across Maryland, including those tied to family disputes.
In response to such cases, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office maintains a dedicated crime victims support unit, offering counseling and advocacy for survivors of domestic violence and assault. The unit coordinates with local nonprofits like the Women’s Center of Southern Maryland in La Plata, which provides emergency shelter and legal aid. Maryland law requires peace and protective orders to be processed within one business day, with violations treated as felonies carrying up to 10 years in prison.
The sheriff’s office urges residents encountering potential violence to contact the 24-hour hotline at 301-609-3282 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. Anonymous tips can reach Charles County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-8477. Following Wood’s conviction, investigators closed the case, but Covington’s office noted ongoing reviews of similar reports to prevent escalations.
