A Charles County judge sentenced Travis Edward Paschal Wood, 36, to life in prison plus 15 years for shooting his wife, 32-year-old Shawnda Nicole Wood, in the back of the head as she slept in their Waldorf home, authorities said. The sentence was handed down Jan. 8 in Circuit Court.
The case drew attention for its stark timeline and the detail prosecutors said explained the weeks of strain leading up to the murder. According to courtroom statements, the couple argued after Shawnda confronted Wood about finding urine on the floor just outside a bathroom and told him to leave the house. Investigators said the December 2022 killing unfolded while children were asleep in the residence. Wood was convicted last fall of first-degree murder and use of a firearm in a violent crime, clearing the way for this month’s sentencing before Judge H. James West.
On Dec. 9, 2022, Wood walked into the Charles County Sheriff’s Office and requested a welfare check at the couple’s house in Waldorf, a Washington, D.C., suburb, detectives testified. Deputies forced entry and found Shawnda dead in bed from a single gunshot wound to the back of her head. A handgun was recovered inside the home. Investigators later described Wood’s demeanor at the station and said he asked for a lawyer after requesting the check, setting off a forensic review that tied him to the weapon and the room where she was found. “This was an execution of a defenseless victim,” a prosecutor said during sentencing, arguing that the shot was fired at close range while the children slept nearby.
Evidence summarized in court included DNA and trace testing on the firearm, cartridge, and bedding, as well as timelines built from phone records and neighbor accounts. Jurors heard that the couple’s recent disputes included Shawnda’s demand that Wood move out of the residence after repeated incidents inside the home. Prosecutors told the court the confrontation about urine outside a bathroom captured the tenor of the conflict but was not the sole source of friction. The state also pointed to statements Wood made to relatives in the aftermath and to his decision to summon a welfare check rather than call 911 to report an emergency.
Charles County State’s Attorney Tony Covington’s office said a jury found Wood guilty in October 2025 after a multi-day trial that relied on forensic comparisons and witness testimony about the household’s final days. Sentencing followed on Jan. 8, 2026. Judge West imposed life for first-degree murder and an additional 15 years for using a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence, to be served consecutively. The court credited the jury’s finding that the killing was deliberate and unprovoked. Defense arguments raised questions about intent and suggested gaps in the state’s timeline, but the judge said the evidence supported the verdict and the longer term.
Friends and family described Shawnda as a devoted mother who worked locally and was known to neighbors for walking with her children after school. A statement read in court said her death “tore a hole” in the family and left two young children without their mother. Outside the courthouse, relatives declined extended comment after the sentence. Domestic violence advocates in Southern Maryland noted that the case fit a common pattern of escalating conflict inside a shared home that ends with a sudden, lethal act, often while other family members are present or sleeping. The sheriff’s office said deputies provided the children with immediate support services through county partners.
Court records show the investigation began with the welfare check and moved quickly to evidence preservation inside the bedroom and adjoining hallway. Detectives secured the residence, photographed the scene, and collected the firearm for lab testing. The state’s case emphasized the physical orientation of the victim’s body, the trajectory of the bullet, and the lack of signs of forced entry, arguing those factors undermined any alternate account. Prosecutors said Wood’s movements and communications before and after the shooting were consistent with someone attempting to distance himself rather than report an imminent threat inside the home.
In Maryland, a first-degree murder conviction carries a maximum of life imprisonment. The additional firearm count can add consecutive time when a judge finds it appropriate. With Thursday’s sentence, Wood will serve life plus 15 years, according to the state’s attorney’s office. Post-trial motions may follow, and an appeal is available to defendants as a matter of right. As of Monday, the court docket listed no new filings beyond the commitment order, and a restitution hearing had not been scheduled. The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services will assign a facility in the coming weeks, standard practice after a life term.
Neighbors on the Waldorf block said patrol cars and crime-scene vans were a steady presence in the days after the 2022 discovery. One resident recalled deputies canvassing for exterior camera footage along the cul-de-sac and asking about overnight noise. “We woke up to police at the door,” said a neighbor who gave only a first name, Tanya. “After that, the lights on the street felt different.” A small memorial of flowers and stuffed toys appeared outside the home’s front walk that week. By the time of the verdict last fall, relatives said they were focused on the children’s wellbeing and on closing a case that had stretched over two holiday seasons.
As of Tuesday, Wood remained in county custody pending transfer to state prison. Prosecutors said additional records, including exhibits admitted at trial, would be processed for the public case file. Any notice of appeal would trigger briefing at the Maryland Appellate Court later this year. No further hearings were listed on the sentencing docket. Authorities said the children are under family care and that victim services will continue to coordinate with guardians on counseling and school support as needed.
Author note: Last updated January 14, 2026.