After more than two decades, justice has been done in a frightening murder case that had gone unresolved for years. Antoine Nehme, a 73-year-old man, will now spend the rest of his life in prison for organizing Dennis Wood’s murder in 2004 in an attempt to avoid financial obligations.
According to a May 20 announcement from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, Nehme was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. This comes after his March conviction on multiple felony charges, including murder, conspiracy to commit a crime, and solicitation of murder.
The court found additional specific charges to be genuine, emphasizing the gravity of Nehme’s offenses. These included murder for financial gain, the use of excessive force, and the exploitation of a vulnerable victim. He was also convicted of persuading another person to engage in the conduct.
Dennis Wood’s body was found in the doorway of his Ventura County house on April 16, 2004. A welfare check led officers to the terrible scene, where they discovered Wood with several gunshot wounds, two to the head and one to the chest, lying in a pool of blood.
Despite an initial investigation, the case went cold, with no arrests made for years. However, a breakthrough emerged when investigators began digging into Wood’s financial ties.
Prosecutors revealed that Wood, who owned a prepaid phone card business, had loaned Nehme over $28,000 for a business deal. Nehme, who ran a gas station in Ojai at the time, instead of repaying the money, chose to eliminate his debt by orchestrating Wood’s murder.
In February 2010, a suspect in an unrelated Los Angeles homicide case came forward with crucial information. He informed investigators that his co-defendant, Alex Bracamonte, had confessed to killing Wood at Nehme’s request.
Bracamonte, who had previously worked at Nehme’s gas station, was already serving time for a different 2006 murder. In August 2023, during a taped interview, Bracamonte admitted to fatally shooting Wood, leading the filing of additional charges.
Bracamonte pleaded guilty to the 2004 murder in May 2024 and received a 15-year to life sentence. During Nehme’s trial, he testified against his former employer and confirmed his involvement in the crime.
Senior Deputy District Attorney John Barrick expressed relief over the verdict, stating, “Dennis Wood was a good and honorable man who didn’t deserve to die the way he did. I am glad Dennis’ family was able to see his murderers finally brought to justice after 21 long years.”
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