Who is Lin Wood's wife Debby ‘Debbie’ Wood? The mystery behind his lesser-known love life and troubled past
Once dubbed “Attorney for the Damned”, Lin Wood is known for his controversial past and conspiracy theories. A fervent Donald Trump supporter, the 68-year-old is said to have spread claims of a rigged election after Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. Not just that, he is also known for claiming that the Covid-19 crisis was manufactured by the Chinese government and — most recently — he was trolled for saying Jeffrey Epstein is alive!
Amid all the controversies, he has never ceased to represent cases of international and national importance, including representing Richard Jewell, the security guard falsely accused in the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta; Burke Ramsey, older brother of the murder victim in the case of JonBenét Ramsey; Gary Condit and the accuser in the Kobe Bryant rape case.
As he is dragged into the spotlight yet again, let's steal a glance at his early childhood days and his personal life.
Who is Lin Wood?
Born as Lucian Lincoln “Lin” Wood Jr on October 19, 1952, the attorney and political commentator didn't have an easy upbringing. “I wasn’t surprised. I grew up in a life of domestic abuse. It was a brutal life,” he recounted in an interview, chalking out his childhood in Macon, Georgia. He was raised by alcoholic parents who were often violent toward one another until he came home to find his father standing over his mother's lifeless body.
Looking back at the tragic incident, he said he checked his mother’s pulse and, realizing she was dead, called the police. “I remember walking down the driveway and driving off in my mother’s car,” Wood said.
“I was going to stay with a friend, but first I stopped in the park and kind of had a little heart-to-heart with myself. I said, ‘You’re in charge of your life now. You’ve got to do something with it.’ That doesn’t mean that I wasn’t affected by it emotionally. I just knew that I had a horrible situation and I had to deal with it. I’ve been fairly independent ever since,” he revealed.
A troubled past
Wood’s father pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and he raised money to hire a lawyer to represent him. “I just remember how I felt when they said they would help me,” he said. “And I remember thinking at the time, maybe one day I'll be able to make somebody feel the same way.” After high school, he studied at Mercer Law School and took up a string of odd jobs, including working at a men’s clothing store, as a sports writer at the Macon News and as a hospital orderly.
Back in 1983, Wood partnered with attorney Jack Moore to set up shop and Wayne Grant also came on board. “Those first couple of years were tough,” Wood recalled. “We lived on borrowed money and borrowed time.” Banking on his ability to choose the right clients gave his career the right direction. “I would not like to represent a client who is guilty,” he said. “I have a good eye for determining clients who are worthy. In large part it’s instinctual. I concede that it’s an inexact science.”
Contrary to belief, he turns down several high-profile cases. He said, “I’ve had a number of high-profile individuals that have come to me with the idea of bringing lawsuits for defamation where I’ve felt their motives were more to tie themselves to my reputation of representing the victims, or ‘the damned,’ and to try to manipulate it. I’m not in the business of doing that.”
Lin Wood's many affairs and his wife
Wood has openly admitted to his dark side when it comes to his personal affairs. “I left a lot of bodies on the side of the road during my first marriage,” Wood said in the same interview. “I haven’t been an angel.” Not much is known about his past but he has been divorced three times and married to his fourth wife, Debby ‘Debbie’ Wood, for over 18 years.
“I have been able to raise four kids successfully. So far, so good,” he said. “I actually made a decision not to live my life in the fashion I was raised. I was determined to never have a child live in an environment like that.” Not much is known about his wife and the couple has managed to keep their life under wraps. Apart from his professional pursuits, he also plays golf, boxes and has taken part in horse jumping competitions. In a candid confession, he also said his first love is practicing law.
Wood lives with his wife and four children in the affluent Sandy Springs area. If reports are to be believed, two of his kids are attorneys. He keeps his income to himself too but once revealed he charges clients a 40 percent contingency fee and doesn't bill them for his TV appearances.