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SALT LAKE CITY — A man, who at one time was ordered to serve the rest of his life in prison after avoiding a possible death sentence but was then granted a parole hearing last year, will remain in prison for at least another 13 years.
The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole announced Thursday that Lance Conway Wood, 56, will not be granted parole at this time but another hearing will be scheduled in 2038. The board cited the extremely violent nature of Wood's crime as a factor for keeping him incarcerated.
"Your offense is characterized by extreme cruelty or depravity that is greater than similar offenses within the same sentencing guideline crime category," the board wrote in its decision.
The five-member board also noted that "the victim's family expresses significant impact and does not support release."
On Nov. 22, 1988, Wood and Michael Anthony Archuleta, 61, tortured, sexually assaulted and killed 28-year-old Gordon Ray Church and dumped his body in a shallow grave near Kanosh, Millard County, in an area known as Dog Valley.
Both men were convicted of capital murder. But while Archuleta was given a death sentence, a jury could not reach a unanimous decision about Wood's fate, thus sparing him the death penalty. He instead was sentenced to life in prison. In 1990, the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole ordered Wood to serve the rest of his natural life in prison.
That decision was upheld during a rehearing in 1995. But in 2021, the board — citing "Mr. Wood's positive institutional behavior" as well as his age at the time of the offense — agreed to take his request for a redetermination hearing under advisement.
Last June, Wood was granted a parole hearing.
During that hearing, Wood expressed remorse for the crime and spent a lot of time talking about his accomplishments while in prison.
Church's brother, Kevin Church, also addressed the board in June and had a very different view of Wood.
"It's nauseating to listen to this," he told the board. "He's a con man and a liar. You have never, ever accepted responsibility for what you've done."
Church said he's angered that Wood has always referred to himself as simply the accomplice.
"You changed my family forever and you have never ever said you participated. You're always the accomplice," he said. "You're a tattletale and you're a snitch, that's what you do. … Where were you when my brother was pleading for help?
"You're more evil in my eyes than Archuleta ever will be in my eyes because he admits what he did. ... To sit here and talk about how wonderful you are makes me want to throw up, because you're not. You never were."
Church referenced the 2020 documentary film "Dog Valley," which was made to raise awareness about hate crimes and help the LGBTQ community. Wood agreed to be interviewed for the film, but Archuleta did not. Kevin Church says he was angered by Wood's joking and seemingly flippant attitude in the movie.
Prior to Wood's next parole hearing, the board has ordered him to get an updated mental health examination and updated risk assessment evaluation.
