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Serial

The Last 12 Weeks - Ep. 5

June 18, 2026 • 39m

Summary

⏱️ 10 min read

Overview

This final episode of The Last Twelve Weeks chronicles the intense final days before David Wood's scheduled execution in March, following his defense team's frantic legal maneuvering and ultimately successful effort to secure a stay. The episode captures the emotional toll on lawyers, the condemned man, and victims' families as courts issued unexpected rulings. Months later, the CCA ordered a hearing on Wood's innocence claims, though questions about the death penalty's arbitrariness and the case's ultimate resolution remain unanswered.

The Final Visit Before Execution

With exactly one week until David Wood's execution date, attorney Naomi Irvin drives to death row for what could be her last visit with him. The emotional weight of potentially saying goodbye forever haunts her preparation, as she struggles with how to balance professional distance with genuine compassion. During their three-hour visit, David mostly tells stories from his past rather than discussing the case, and Naomi found herself questioning the nature of their relationship and her grief over possibly losing someone the world sees as a serial killer.

  • Naomi was up at 3:30 AM trying to figure out the right thing to say during what might be her final visit with David Wood
  • During the three-hour visit, David didn't want to talk about the case and instead told stories about his past, including prison, childhood, and psychedelic experiences
  • Naomi struggles with the nature of her relationship with David - not quite a friendship but defying easy categorization
  • She grapples with grief over potentially losing David while knowing victims' families experienced permanent loss without any closure
" It's hard because you want to be caring and you want to express compassion, but you also have to remain in the role of an attorney. And, like, I don't want to have, like, some sort of, on my part, like, teary goodbye of, like, I might never see you again. "
" It's this really strange relationship that is not a friendship, although it can sometimes feel like one. Like how do we describe not only like that relationship but the grief of maybe losing that person, like what am I really sad about here, particularly when as far as the outside world knows David Wood is a serial killer "

Greg's Vigil at the Holiday Inn

Attorney Greg Wiercioch sets up a makeshift war room at a Holiday Inn near death row, the same location where he previously won a stay for another client. He stocks up on simple foods and prepares for the intense legal work ahead while making himself available for frequent visits with David. Greg reflects on his 16-year relationship with David, acknowledging it as closer than relationships with his other death row clients, and confronts the possibility that David might ask him to witness the execution.

  • Greg chooses to work from a Holiday Inn near death row, the same place where he won a stay for another client years ago
  • Greg has represented David Wood for 16 years, longer and more closely than most of his other death row clients
  • Greg worries David might ask him to witness the execution, something he's never done before due to concerns about trauma affecting his work
  • At age 60, Greg recognizes David will likely be his last death row client, as another capital case might outlive him
" So I like to have a turkey sandwich every day for lunch. So I've got my bread, I've got my processed turkey, and I've got my cheese, Swiss and cheddar, got my mustard. "
" I've gotten to know him fairly well over the years. Now, 16 years. "

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