Prosecutors say Lance Woods fatally shot Alexis Skoczylas inside their Lewiston home and later tried to cover up the crime.
LOCKPORT, N.Y. — A Buffalo police officer was indicted and arraigned Wednesday on a second-degree murder charge in the fatal shooting of his wife, a case that has drawn scrutiny from state investigators because the suspect is a law enforcement officer.
Lance Woods, 53, pleaded not guilty in Niagara County Court to one count of second-degree murder in the death of Alexis Skoczylas, 35. Prosecutors say Woods shot Skoczylas inside the couple’s home in Lewiston on Feb. 14. Judge Caroline Wojtaszek ordered him held, and the case is set to return to court May 8. The charge carries a potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
The indictment moves the case into a new phase nearly two months after Woods was first arrested. New York Attorney General Letitia James said her office is handling the matter under a state law that requires review when a police officer may have caused a person’s death, whether the officer was on duty or off duty. Woods was off duty at the time of the alleged shooting, according to the attorney general’s office. He had already been arraigned once, on Feb. 15, in Niagara County’s centralized arraignment part after his arrest.
Prosecutors laid out some of the strongest public details yet during Wednesday’s court appearance. They said Woods shot Skoczylas in the head after an argument inside the home. Prosecutors also said she may have remained alive for some time after being shot, but that Woods did not seek medical help. Instead, they told the court, he tried to clean the scene, moved her body into the basement and searched online for ways to get rid of it. They also said he looked for places to live in Florida and jobs in Georgia, a detail they used to argue that he should remain jailed pending trial.
Defense lawyer Barry Covert entered the not guilty plea on Woods’ behalf. The defense has said the evidence in the case is extensive, but Woods did not speak during the arraignment. He appeared in court wearing an orange jail uniform and restraints. He remains jailed in Orleans County, not Niagara County, because local officials said his former wife had worked in the Niagara County Jail, creating security concerns about where he would be housed before trial.
The case first came to public attention after Lewiston police found Skoczylas dead at the home on Buffalo Street in Sanborn, a hamlet within the Town of Lewiston. Court records say the killing is alleged to have happened at 5781 Buffalo St. According to local reporting, investigators have said Skoczylas had filed for a contested divorce in September 2025. Lewiston Police Chief Michael Salada previously said there had been no prior domestic violence calls to the address, a detail that left many questions about what happened in the home before the shooting.
The case has also caused fallout inside the Buffalo Police Department. Woods was suspended without pay effective Feb. 16, according to local reporting. A Buffalo police captain also was suspended with pay pending an internal review tied to the department’s handling of events after Skoczylas’ death. Public reporting has said Buffalo police released a timeline as the department began examining whether its own policies and professional standards were followed. The captain has not been publicly identified in all official statements, but the internal review added another layer of attention to a case already being watched closely by both criminal investigators and city officials.
For now, the criminal case remains centered on one count. The felony complaint accuses Woods of intentionally causing Skoczylas’ death by shooting her with a firearm on or about Feb. 14 in Lewiston. Prosecutors have not announced any additional charges, and many details, including what evidence a grand jury heard and what forensic findings investigators plan to rely on at trial, remain under seal or have not yet been made public. It is also not yet clear when prosecutors expect to turn over the full discovery file or whether the defense will seek to challenge any statements, searches or physical evidence gathered in the investigation.
Outside the courtroom, the case has unsettled both western New York law enforcement circles and the community where the couple lived. A homicide allegation involving a police officer almost always draws wider public attention, but this one has been especially closely followed because it involves an off-duty officer, a spouse, and an investigation now being led by the attorney general’s Office of Special Investigation. That office was created to handle deaths involving police officers and peace officers in circumstances that can raise questions about independence and public trust.
Woods remains jailed without bail after pleading not guilty, and the next public milestone in the case is his scheduled May 8 court appearance in Niagara County.
Author note: Last updated April 9, 2026.