The Last 12 Weeks

The gist

This is the first episode of a five-part investigative series following death penalty lawyer Greg Warchuk's frantic last-minute effort to stop David Wood's execution in Texas. Wood was convicted in the early 1990s for six murders near El Paso based largely on testimony from jailhouse informants and circumstantial evidence. A newly emerged witness—George Hall, a former inmate—claims the informants were coerced into fabricating testimony. Additionally, DNA testing from a victim's clothing came back as male but not matching Wood's DNA, yet Texas has refused to test over 100 other pieces of evidence. The series documents Warchuk's team as they navigate bureaucratic obstacles, attempt to persuade a newly elected district attorney to support DNA testing, and pursue fresh investigative leads—all while the clock ticks down to execution day.

Key takeaways

• David Wood was convicted based primarily on testimony from two jailhouse informants who claimed he confessed to being the "Desert Killer." One received $13,000 in reward money; the other had his capital murder charge dropped—clear incentives for lying.

• George Hall, who was imprisoned with Wood in the late 1980s, claims police coerced informants by transporting them from prison, showing them case files, offering food and amenities, and implying they could reduce sentences or earn money for implicating Wood.

• Male DNA found on a victim's clothing does not match David Wood's DNA, yet Texas authorities have repeatedly denied requests to test over 100 other pieces of evidence that could potentially exonerate or further implicate him.

• Newly elected District Attorney James Montoya initially refused to meet with Warchuk, claiming lack of bandwidth. When reporter Stephanie Valle seemed to broker a meeting, she subsequently took a job with Montoya's office and declined to comment on whether she ever actually advocated for Wood's case.

• Greg Warchuk, a University of Wisconsin law professor and veteran capital defense attorney, has only 67-87 days remaining (depending on the episode timeline) to convince courts to halt the execution and allow DNA testing—an extraordinarily compressed timeline for investigating six murders.

• Detective John Guerrero, the original investigator, remains convinced of Wood's guilt based on circumstantial evidence: Wood's criminal history of sexual crimes against young girls, the timeline of his release from prison, orange fibers found at crime scenes, and the discovery of bodies in the desert.

• The prosecution's case rested on physical evidence (orange fibers in a vacuum cleaner at Wood's apartment) and testimony from prisoners, but lacked direct forensic or eyewitness evidence conclusively linking Wood to the murders.

Notable quotes

"What I have to live with is, can I live with myself knowing that I know two people fabricated testimony to get a guy executed, and I don't say anything about it?" — George Hall

"The second you let yourself get discouraged and give up, you're doomed...when the planets align, you're not gonna be ready." — Greg Warchuk, comparing his persistence to Charlie Brown's determination to kick the football

"I'm telling you, it's not happening." — James Montoya, dismissing Warchuk's initial plea for a meeting at the courthouse

Worth a full listen?

Listen to the full series if you're interested in how the criminal justice system handles capital cases, want to understand the mechanics of last-minute appeals and investigations, or are drawn to stories about the tension between finality and justice—otherwise, this TLDR captures the episode's core narrative and investigative foundation.