An April indictment sharpens the prosecution of Lance Woods and deepens focus on how police agencies responded after his wife’s death.
NEW YORK — The state’s case against Buffalo Police Officer Lance Woods advanced Wednesday when a Niagara County grand jury indicted him on a second-degree murder charge in the shooting death of his wife, Alexis Skoczylas.
Woods, 53, pleaded not guilty during his arraignment before Niagara County Court Judge Caroline Wojtaszek. Prosecutors say he shot Skoczylas, 35, inside the couple’s Lewiston home on Feb. 14 while off duty. He was remanded to jail and is due back in court on May 8. The indictment formalizes a charge first filed after his arrest in February and places the case squarely on a path toward pretrial litigation and possible trial.
The legal step matters beyond the single charge because the prosecution is being handled by New York’s attorney general, not a local district attorney. Under state law, the attorney general’s Office of Special Investigation reviews deaths caused by police officers or peace officers, including cases involving off-duty officers. Attorney General Letitia James said that is why her office stepped in here. That structure is designed to answer a basic public concern in police death cases: whether an outside agency can investigate and prosecute with enough distance from the department involved.
In court, prosecutors offered a more detailed picture of what they say happened in the house. They said Woods shot Skoczylas in the head after an argument and did not get help for her even though she may have survived for some time after the gunshot. They also told the judge that Woods tried to cover up the killing by cleaning the crime scene and moving Skoczylas’ body into the basement. Prosecutors further alleged that he searched for ways to dispose of her body and looked into relocating out of state, including searching for homes in Florida and work in Georgia.
Those claims have not yet been tested at trial, and the defense has not publicly laid out a detailed response. Woods’ lawyer entered a not guilty plea and let the court know the case involves a large amount of evidence. Woods himself did not speak. Still, the prosecution’s version of events gave the public its clearest account so far of why investigators believe the killing was intentional and why they argued Woods should remain in custody. If convicted, he faces 25 years to life in prison.
The background of the relationship is likely to remain important as the case moves forward. Local reporting has said Skoczylas had filed for a contested divorce in September 2025. Lewiston Police Chief Michael Salada also said after the death that officers had no earlier domestic violence calls to the address. That combination leaves open major unanswered questions about what tensions or events may have preceded the shooting and whether family members, friends, co-workers or records could later shed more light on the marriage’s final months.
The case has also triggered a second track of scrutiny inside Buffalo police. Woods was suspended without pay after his arrest. Separately, a Buffalo police captain was suspended with pay pending an internal review into the department’s response around the time Woods became a person of interest. Public reporting said Buffalo police released a timeline and began reviewing whether department rules and professional standards were followed. That internal matter is not the same as the homicide prosecution, but it has added to public pressure on the department to explain what contacts, if any, occurred between Woods and fellow officers before his arrest.
The record already made public is still narrow. The felony complaint filed earlier in the case says Woods intentionally caused Skoczylas’ death by shooting her with a firearm at 5781 Buffalo St. in Lewiston on or about Feb. 14. It does not spell out the prosecution’s full evidence, and grand jury proceedings remain secret under New York law. More information is likely to emerge through discovery, motion practice and future court appearances. Those steps could include disputes over physical evidence, digital searches, witness statements and any body movement or scene cleanup evidence referenced by prosecutors in open court.
For Buffalo and Niagara County, the case sits at the intersection of domestic violence allegations, police accountability and public trust in the justice system. Cases involving officers often bring extra attention because they test both criminal law and institutional response. Here, the state is now pressing forward on the homicide count while Buffalo police continue their own review. The two processes will likely move at different speeds, but together they will shape how the public understands not only the death of Alexis Skoczylas, but also how authorities handled the aftermath.
As of Wednesday, Woods remains jailed after his indictment and not guilty plea, with the next court appearance scheduled for May 8 in Niagara County.
Author note: Last updated April 9, 2026.