Episode 6: The Verdict

Summary

Deep Cover: Episode 6 – The Verdict

Introduction

Deep Cover Season Four, titled The Nameless Man, delves into complex legal battles and the pursuit of justice. Episode Six, The Verdict, serves as the gripping season finale, unraveling the intricate trial of Tom Gibson, accused of murdering Iran Wood. Produced by Amy Gaines McQuade and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jake Halpern, this episode offers an in-depth exploration of the trial's proceedings, jury deliberations, and the profound impact on all parties involved.

Background of the Case

In May 2008, the trial for the murder of Iran Wood commenced in Philadelphia. Tyrone Wood, Iran's youngest brother, played a pivotal role as a juror, grappling with emotions and the weight of seeking justice for his sibling. The prosecution charged Tom Gibson with four counts: murder in the first degree, conspiracy to commit murder, carrying a firearm without a license, and ethnic intimidation—a charge akin to a hate crime in Pennsylvania.

Trial Proceedings

The prosecution's case hinged on three key witnesses: two ex-girlfriends who alleged that Gibson had confessed to them, and Craig Peterson, a purported accomplice. Tyrone Wood recounts his experience:

[02:28] Tyrone Wood: "I had to see this guy and then, you know, I'm thinking, I know you did it and you wanted to meet Jamaica one day, and that's beyond me. Then after that, because I know you did. You killed my brother."

Jake Halpern emphasizes the emotional toll on Tyrone:

[02:10] Tyrone Wood: "And people have to live the rest of their lives dealing with the murderer, his family, his friends, his associates, they're going to have to look behind their back for the rest of their lives."

Jury Deliberations

As the trial progressed, the jury faced profound challenges in determining the truth. Jake Halpern interviews Bob, a juror with a scientific background, who struggled with doubts about the prosecution's case:

[08:21] Bob: "Being trained as a scientist, I would say, yeah, logic was a big part, or at least seriously questioning things. And you know, what's proof and what's not proof? You know, where is there doubt? What degree of doubt is there in things?"

Bob articulates his concerns regarding the reliability of eyewitness testimonies and memory recall:

[11:09] Bob: "Somebody can be credible about something that happened 20 years ago and not remember it completely correctly."

The jury, comprising twelve members, divided into distinct camps:

• Guilty Camp: Majority who believed Gibson was guilty of all charges.
• On the Fence Camp: Jurors like Bob who suspected murder but doubted the victim's identity.
• Holdout: A single juror advocating for acquittal on all counts.

Nick, the jury foreman, found himself mediating between these factions:

[18:25] Nick: "Pressure was growing within the group to come to a conclusion. There was a feeling of, we don't have more to go on at this point."

The Verdict

After three tense days of deliberations, the jury reached a split verdict. In a courtroom charged with anticipation, Nick prepared to deliver the jury's decision:

[24:30] Nick: "It was incredibly surreal standing in a room with someone who's being accused of, you know, cold blooded murder, you know, believing that he did it."

The outcome was unexpected:

• Not Guilty: First-degree murder and ethnic intimidation.
• Guilty: Conspiracy to commit murder and carrying a firearm without a license.

Jake Halpern captures the mixed emotions in the courtroom:

[25:07] Mike Farrell: "The court officer then reads the charge. To the first charge, the murder of Aaron Wood, how do you find the defendant? And the jury says, not guilty."

The Philadelphia Daily News labeled it a "bizarre split verdict," highlighting the emotional turmoil among the Wood family:

[26:51] Tyrone Wood: "We were in the courtroom. The first word, I guess, come to mind is what my uncle said, because I was basically speechless. He said, travesty."

Reactions and Aftermath

The verdict left lingering questions and a sense of incomplete justice:

• Wood Family: Struggled to comprehend the split decision, seeking closure.

  [27:14] Tyrone Wood: "Murder is murder. The guy that drove him testified that he done it. He did it. We drove. I drove him there. He shot the black man."

• FBI Agents Scott Duffy and Terry Mortimer: Faced internal and external criticism despite their unwavering belief in the case.

  [30:28] Scott Duffy: "I felt so strongly that we had the right person and the right victim connected, but that's what happens in a case where I have to accept whatever the jury delivers."

• Jurors Nick and Bob: Reflected on the moral complexities of their decision.

  [28:09] Nick: "I thought it was the best we could do, and that did not feel great. There was no way to feel 100% about it when you were negotiating on something you believe to be true."

Personal Reflections

Jake Halpern engages with Tyrone Wood, who shares his journey towards forgiveness and the enduring impact of the trial on his life:

[35:28] Tyrone Wood: "I had to find out on the Internet looking for his name and I did it on the humbug. I was just on the..."

[36:49] Tyrone Wood: "They'll tell you I'm, I'm just as silly as they come. I play around. I'm a hugger. I hug them every time I see them. And what I say, oh, I love y'all, cuz that's what my mother always say."

These moments underscore the personal cost of the prolonged quest for justice and the emotional scars that linger long after the courtroom doors close.

Conclusion

The Verdict encapsulates the tangled web of legal proceedings, personal grief, and the elusive nature of justice. Through meticulous storytelling and poignant interviews, Deep Cover presents a narrative that challenges the notion of absolute truth within the justice system. As the Wood family, FBI agents, and jurors navigate the aftermath, the episode leaves listeners contemplating the fragile balance between truth and compromise in the pursuit of justice.

---

Notable Quotes

• Tyrone Wood ([02:10]): "And people have to live the rest of their lives dealing with the murderer, his family, his friends, his associates, they're going to have to look behind their back for the rest of their lives."

• Bob ([11:09]): "Somebody can be credible about something that happened 20 years ago and not remember it completely correctly."

• Nick ([28:09]): "I thought it was the best we could do, and that did not feel great. There was no way to feel 100% about it when you were negotiating on something you believe to be true."

Production Credits

Deep Cover is produced by Amy Gaines McQuade and Jacob Smith, with editing by Karen Shakurji and mastering by Jake Gorski. The show features original scoring by Luis Guerra and show art by Sean Carney. Special thanks to contributors Daphne Chen, Izzy Carter, Eric Sandler, and others for their invaluable support.

Further Listening

For those captivated by The Verdict, consider exploring other gripping narratives by Pushkin Industries, such as:

• Lost Hills: Investigates the dark side of Malibu, California.
• Where's Dia?: Unravels the mysterious disappearance of a millionaire widow amidst her family’s turmoil.
• Death of an Artist Krasner and Pollock: Explores the lives of Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock, delving into themes of love, power, and legacy in the art world.

Subscribe to Pushkin+ for exclusive, ad-free access to these compelling stories.

Transcript

[Jake Halpern]

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[Jake Halpern]

Previously on Deep Cover.

[Mike Farrell]

Now, in a criminal case, the prosecution side of the story, they have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt as to the defense side of the story, we just have to create reasonable doubt. But we did way more than that.

[Tyrone Wood]

I felt like I had to go to trial every day, and I felt like I had to find truth for not only for the family, but for my mom. People don't understand it's not TV that.

[Jake Halpern]

It'S cut and everybody's happy. There is a life after a case.

[Tyrone Wood]

And people have to live the rest of their lives dealing with the murderer, his family, his friends, his associates, they're going to have to look behind their back for the rest of their lives.

[Jake Halpern]

In May of 2008, the trial for the murder of Iran Wood was in full swing. And Tyrone Wood, Iran's youngest brother, he had a front row seat for it all, including a view of the defendant, Tom Gibson.

[Tyrone Wood]

I had to see this guy and then, you know, I'm thinking, I know you did it and you wanted to meet Jamaica one day, and that's beyond me. Then after that, because I know you did. You killed my brother.

[Jake Halpern]

So at least Tyrone didn't have to face this alone.

[Tyrone Wood]

I always had someone with me, whether it was my brother, my uncle, one of my uncle's friends. I was never, like, ever, completely by myself.

[Jake Halpern]

For years, the story of Iron Wood and his mysterious murder had been a largely private affair for the Wood family. The grief, the uncertainty, and the hope for justice had been theirs alone. But that had changed. Newspapers printed blow by blow coverage of the trial for weeks. It was a gripping drama playing out in real time. So many people were following the story now. One of them was Tyrone's boss. Usually he was a man of few words, not the expressive type, but apparently he felt compelled to say something.

[Tyrone Wood]

He said, wow. I said, wow. What did you say wow for? And him and I are not close. And he said, I couldn't believe that you went through that. Cause he saw the. He was watching the news, and he was blown away because he never knew. And I tell people all the time, everybody got a story. I don't want nobody to have my story of a sibling being killed. But everybody has a story.

[Jake Halpern]

For the Wood family, this ordeal, which had shaped their lives for almost two decades, was maybe, just maybe, coming to a close. Both sides made their closing arguments. Then at last, it was time for the jury to deliberate. It would be up to them to pass judgment and render a verdict. Turns out, things got pretty heated in that jury room. The whole process was fraught. But in the end, they did reach a verdict. It just wasn't the verdict that anyone, either the defense or the prosecution, ever expected. I'm Jake Halpern, and this is Deep Cover. Season four, the Nameless Man, Episode six the Verdict, Our season finale.

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[Jake Halpern]

There's almost nothing in the public record about what the jurors discussed during their deliberations. Some of them took notes, but they had to hand them over at the end of the trial. One juror talked to a newspaper reporter when it was all over, but that was it. So their whole decision making process, it's remained a mystery to this day. I knew it'd be tricky tracking down the jurors in this case. Well, for starters, I wasn't even sure how many of them were still alive. I mean, it had been over 15 years since the trial. But eventually I connected with several of the jurors and interviewed two of them, starting with this guy.

[Bob]

Okay, my name is Bob. I'm a Philadelphian, and I was selected to serve on the jury that heard the case of Thomas Gibson.

[Jake Halpern]

To protect his privacy, I'm not going to use Bob's last name. But I can tell you Bob is a science nerd and that informs his outlook on life.

[Bob]

Being trained as a scientist, I would say, yeah, logic was a big part, or at least seriously questioning things. And you know, what's proof and what's not proof? You know, where is there doubt? What degree of doubt is there in things?

[Jake Halpern]

So in many ways, Bob is kind of an ideal juror. He's been selected to sit on six juries for this trial. Mike Farrell, the defense lawyer questioned potential jurors about their sense of fairness. He asked Bob point blank if he could set aside whatever biases he might have about someone being a skinhead?

[Bob]

And my response was, I wouldn't make any presumption on that. I would listen to the, you know, the testimony and I would decide according to this specific facts of the specific case.

[Jake Halpern]

Bob was selected to be on the jury in this case along with 11 others. Four of them were black, eight of them were white. Tom Gibisson was facing four charges. A weapon charge, conspiracy to commit murder, murder in the first degree, and finally, ethnic intimidation. That last one is basically what Pennsylvania calls a hate crime as I see it. There were two fundamental questions that the jury was facing. Number one, did it really happen? In other words, do you believe that years ago, Tom Gibson murdered a black man in Philadelphia? Then there was the second question. Was there enough evidence to convict Tom specifically for the murder of a Ron Wood? The first question, did it really happen? Hinged on the testimony of the prosecution's three star witnesses. There were the two ex girlfriends, both of whom claimed that Tom had confessed to them. And then there was Craig Peterson, who said that he was the accomplice. Bob listened to the witnesses testimonies with rapt attention. He found the ex girlfriends believable.

[Bob]

I don't remember anything specifically about their testimony that I thought that that doesn't ring true, or I really have doubts about that. I thought they made credible witnesses.

[Jake Halpern]

And he felt the same way about Craig, thought he seemed credible. But here's the thing, says Bob.

[Bob]

Somebody can be credible about something that happened 20 years ago and not remember it completely correctly.

[Jake Halpern]

Bob said, case in point was the very conversation that he and I were having.

[Bob]

Now I'm trying to remember 15 years ago what I experienced on a trial. I can't remember a lot of it.

[Jake Halpern]

Bob told me some things he remembered very well. Specific moments in the trial, feelings he had, parts of conversations that took place, but other details escaped him. Or maybe he recalled them hazily, not in a way that he could trust. And this right here was the problem for Bob. He told me it was entirely possible that Craig was telling the truth, but that Craig's memory was imperfect. And that's a big thing, because Craig's confession, with all of its specific details, is what connected Tom Gibson to the murder of Iron Wood.

[Bob]

I definitely did have some doubts. Yeah, absolutely. But I wanted to discuss them. I wanted to hear what other people had to say because they might alleviate my doubts.

[Jake Halpern]

So when the jury gathered behind closed doors, Bob expressed His doubts. He just laid them all out.

[Bob]

They might have even killed someone, but it might not have been on that day and at that time because there was, you know, there were possible recollection issues and that I thought that the location description, the date, and the date and time that they came to the city were wobbly and the description of how they got where they got.

[Jake Halpern]

When you start voicing your doubts to your fellow jurors, what do they say back?

[Bob]

Various jurors are quiet. Some of them just take it in. A couple of other people started to say the same thing. Is this timeline something we can rely on? The location something we can rely on? Do we really know that that's where they wound up and that they killed a Ron Wood? I don't know.

[Jake Halpern]

Back in 2006, when the Philly PD first started searching for a potential victim, they looked at all the unsolved murders from January through May of 1989. There were 37 of them. Then they narrowed down the pool of possibilities by considering several key details that Craig remembered. These details included the general location of the crime, the type of weapon, and the nature of the wound. A single shot to the head. They found just one match, a Ron Wood. But this is the thing about reasonable doubt. All it takes is a juror questioning a single fact. Like, for example, what if Tom fired his gun twice, not once. Because there was, in fact, another cold case victim from the spring of 89 who died of two gunshot wounds. The defense brought this other victim up during the trial. So if you find Craig credible, like so many of the jurors did, it seems very reasonable to assume that he'd correctly remember how many times Tom's gun went off. Craig had been consistent about this. But the key is you've got to have faith in Craig's memory, enough faith that reasonable doubt doesn't creep in. Bob says as he continued to think it through, he became increasingly convinced that, at the very least, Tom and Craig had conspired to commit murder. He was just having his doubts about the particulars of whom they might have killed. And so too were some of his fellow jurors, says Bob. So they decided to send a note to the judge with a question. They actually did this a few times. And here's what Bob was really struggling with.

[Bob]

If we convict somebody of murder, do we have to convict them of murdering a specific person? Now, that sounds like a weird question to ask, right? But that's where we got to in the discussions. Like we even believe they came here to kill somebody and they Might have killed somebody. We're just not convinced that's who they killed, if they did kill somebody.

[Jake Halpern]

And what did the judge say?

[Bob]

The judge essentially, you know, stated the law as the law. But the bottom line was you. If you convict someone of a murder, it must be a specific person that they killed that you have to convict them of.

[Jake Halpern]

Let me ask you a question. If the judge had come back and told you you can. You can make a murder conviction even if you don't think it was wood.

[Bob]

Yes.

[Jake Halpern]

How would you.

[Bob]

Would I have voted? Yeah, I believe I would have voted guilty on that.

[Jake Halpern]

By the third day of deliberations, the mood in the jury room was tense.

[Bob]

I was tired. I was thinking about this all the time, even. Even when I wasn't in there. It's difficult to be put in this situation, to know there was a victim. Even the idea that, you know, the family, you know, might be looking for closure on this and want somebody that's, you know, guilty of it, but I haven't been given the evidence to be able to do that.

[Jake Halpern]

Bob says from the start of the trial, he was determined to hear all the evidence, all the testimony, and keep an open mind, to focus on the facts, to avoid making leaps of logic and when necessary, to question his own thinking. And now his doubts took hold.

[Bob]

I teared up when I was talking to the other jurors. I was, you know, we were kind of wrung out.

[Jake Halpern]

He kept asking himself, am I seeing.

[Bob]

It the right way? Is there something I'm missing? Is it a moral failing of mine that I'm not willing to make the jump because I think it's shaky? Or am I on the right moral side of the question because I actually have doubts in a series of doubts, and I, you know, I can't make the leap. Is that. Does that make me weak? I don't know. All I can do is be true to myself. I'm getting emotional now.

[Jake Halpern]

Well, all these years later, it's still.

[Bob]

Yeah, it was really hard.

[Jake Halpern]

As deliberations wore on, it seemed like the jury was starting to unravel. If there was any hope of a resolution, it fell upon this person.

[Nick]

I'd like to think of myself as even keeled. And I think that's probably why I took a lead role on the jury.

[Jake Halpern]

This is the jury's foreman. I'm not using his real name. We decided to call him Nick in our interview as foreman, Nick was the guy who had to read the verdict. But the foreman, he's also like a team manager. And at this Point three days in, it seemed like the team had hit a brick wall.

[Nick]

Pressure was growing within the group to come to a conclusion. There was a feeling of, we don't have more to go on at this point.

[Jake Halpern]

They'd been over the testimony again and again. They'd asked for guidance from the judge, and now they had to start making choices. Based on my conversations with the jurors and news coverage from the time, it seems like the jury divided into three camps. First, there was the guilty camp. They were convinced by the prosecution's argument and were basically ready to convict Tom Gibson on all counts, including the murder of Ron Wood. According to Nick, the foreman, this camp included the majority of jurors, including himself. Then there was what I call the on the fence camp, which included Bob. They thought there'd probably been a murder, but had doubts that the victim was Aaron Wood. And finally there was the holdout. He was a camp unto himself. One guy. And apparently he wanted to acquit Tom Gibson on all counts. He made this plain from the very start. And after making his case, he refused to discuss the matter any further, just stopped talking. And now, three days into deliberations, patience was wearing thin.

[Nick]

There was a sense Tuesday morning that we were out of time. Essentially. There was no more persuasion to happen. We'd all made our cases based on notes, based on recollection, based on feelings, and the holdout was not budging.

[Jake Halpern]

How do you navigate out of that situation?

[Nick]

So we negotiated.

[Jake Halpern]

Just to be clear here, when he says they negotiated, he's talking about the charges brought against Tom. Like, could they reach a compromise? As the foreman of the jury, Nick was in a tricky spot because he thought what the prosecution argued was in fact, true. He found Craig believable. He found Craig's detailed memories credible. But as foreman, he was also trying to build consensus and avoid a hung jury. It's a tough situation, right, because if you come back with a hung jury, there's a chance that this guy ends up serving no time at all if the case is not retried.

[Nick]

Yeah, that's exactly what the conversation was. And I think enough people felt strongly that he should go to prison for some of this.

[Jake Halpern]

Ultimately, after three days of deliberations, the jury sent word they were done. All that was left to do was file back into the courtroom and tell everyone what they'd decided. That's after the break.

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[Amy Brown]

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[Jake Halpern]

Mike Farrell, the defense lawyer, remembers getting the call that the jury had reached a verdict.

[Mike Farrell]

In the life of a trial lawyer, there is no time that in any way comes close to the apprehension when you know the jury has a verdict but you haven't heard it yet.

[Jake Halpern]

With growing anticipation, he made his way back to the courtroom.

[Mike Farrell]

I remember distinctly having to get on an elevator and ride up an elevator.

[Jake Halpern]

Multiple floors in the courtroom. Everyone was there. The prosecutor, Roger King, members of Iron woods family, the jury, the press, and of course, Tom Gibson. The judge called the room to attention. Nick, the foreman of the jury, rose to his feet and prepared to read the verdict.

[Nick]

It was incredibly surreal standing in a room with someone who's being accused of, you know, cold blooded murder, you know, believing that he did it. Being convinced, I should say that, that he was the one who did these.

[Bob]

Things.

[Nick]

And knowing that he's going to look me directly in the eye. It was just incredibly surreal. And I just took a breath and reminded myself this was real life. And then read the. Read the results.

[Jake Halpern]

The charges were read aloud one final time before the jury delivered their verdict.

[Mike Farrell]

The court officer then reads the charge. To the first charge, the murder of Aaron Wood, how do you find the defendant? And the jury says, not guilty. And that not is a, you know, a glorious moment in the, in the life of a trial lawyer.

[Jake Halpern]

What goes through your mind at that.

[Mike Farrell]

Moment when you hear that justice has been done?

[Jake Halpern]

The jury acquitted him of first degree murder and of ethnic intimidation, too. But there was more to the verdict. The jury did find Tom Gibson guilty on the two lesser charges, conspiracy to commit murder and carrying a firearm without a license, crimes that could land Tom in prison for years. That was the compromise, the deal the jury had struck. When this hit the papers, the Philadelphia Daily News called it a bizarre split verdict. The reporter described the scene in the courtroom after the verdict was announced. Quote, a tense Gibisson appeared angry, his hands tightly clenched on the desk. His attorney, Mike Farrell, acknowledged the partial win by playfully poking Gibisson in the bicep above the Hitler and swastika tattoo hidden by his white long sleeve shirt. For the members of the Wood family, several of whom were present, the verdict made no sense.

[Tyrone Wood]

We were in the courtroom. The first word, I guess, come to mind is what my uncle said, because I was basically speechless. He said, travesty.

[Jake Halpern]

That's Tyrone Wood, Iran's youngest brother. Much like Nick, the foreman of the jury, Tyrone believed Craig's testimony, believed in the integrity of his memory, and felt that there should have been a murder conviction.

[Tyrone Wood]

Murder is murder. The guy that drove him testified that he done it. He did it. We drove. I drove him there. He shot the black man.

[Jake Halpern]

At some point, according to a press account, Roger King, the prosecutor, gathered members of the Wood family into a side room and told them, don't try to make any sense out of it. Now there's an impossible task. It had been almost 20 years since Iran Wood had died. And during this time, this is what the Wood family had tried to do, make sense out of it, understand how and why Iran had died, and hope for closure. Roger King told the family that the verdict was likely a compromise within the jury, which of course, was true. Nick, the foreman had tried to build consensus.

[Nick]

I thought it was the best we could do, and that did not feel great. There was no way to feel 100% about it when you were. You're negotiating on something you believe to be true.

[Jake Halpern]

Does that mean that you feel that basically, like, he got off, he got away with murder in the sense that he got off on a murder charge that you felt he deserved to be convicted of?

[Nick]

That's correct.

[Jake Halpern]

Long after I talked with Nick, his words lingered in my mind. You're negotiating on something that you believe to be true, but how do you barter with the truth? Because at the end of the day, the truth is supposed to be singular, non negotiable. But it seemed like in this case, perhaps the truth and justice, or at least the justice that was possible, were two separate things. And so a deal was struck, a compromise. But the cost for Nick and the other members of the jury, too, was a claim to the truth as they saw it. This moment had been years in the making. The whole investigation began back in 2004 when two federal agents, Scott Duffy and Terry Mortimer, set out to solve this case. For them, this was a divine quest to find a nameless man, the victim, and they believed they'd found him. For the Wood family, this was a quest for another nameless man, the murderer, and they believed they'd found him. But in the end, some on the jury didn't see it that way. And this left everyone wondering, what did it all mean for those involved, the agents, the jurors, and especially the Wood family, The question lingered, and they each, in their own way, searched for an answer. Scott Duffy, the FBI agent, remained unshaken in his belief that they had solved this crime.

[Scott Duffy]

I felt so strongly that we had the right person and the right victim connected, but that's what happens in a case where I have to accept whatever the jury delivers. It doesn't tell me if I did enough or didn't do enough. I don't go down that rabbit hole. I can't. I can. What if everything to death?

[Jake Halpern]

Scott says that he felt a sense of relief when it was all over, a sense of vindication that justice was in fact served because Tom had been found guilty on some counts and he'd been sent to prison. I asked Scott how he felt now about Craig Peterson and whether he thinks Craig got the justice he deserved. I mean, he may not have pulled the trigger, but if he is to be believed, he conspired to murder an innocent man and he walked away scot free. How do you process that?

[Scott Duffy]

I process it in a way that what's the alternative? If we did not give Craig what I think was required of us, there'd be nothing. There would be no justice to the family. There would be no investigation. It would have stopped, it would have closed. And I'd be left just wondering, did we do enough?

[Jake Halpern]

I hear you saying that this was a kind of a necessary compromise to make this thing work, but it is a necessary compromise that sits well with you.

[Scott Duffy]

When it is your only option, yes. When it's your only option, it is something that has to sit. Not comfortable, but it is something you must accept as part of our justice system.

[Jake Halpern]

Scott's partner, Terry Mortimer, told me that he felt proud of the work that he and Scott had done. But he also noted that when the verdict came out, this bizarre split verdict, as the papers called it, he got grief for it, even from his own colleagues.

[Mike Farrell]

I remember talking to a superior who seemed a little upset that we didn't get the full homicide conviction and kind of like, yeah, but you only got a conspiracy, man. What. What happened? Like, what happened to you guys? I'm like, hey, man, we did the best we could. I mean, it's. We're not. We weren't on the jury.

[Jake Halpern]

Terry says that before the verdict came down, his boss wanted to issue a press release, make a big deal out of the whole thing. But that never happened.

[Mike Farrell]

It seemed disappointed. It was like the case was never mentioned again. It was like. Like it was like almost like it didn't happen.

[Jake Halpern]

And then there's the Wood family. When I spoke with them, I could see how Iran's death had shaped their lives in so many ways. It almost pulled them under not once but twice. First back in 1989 when Iran was murdered, and then again in 2008. At the trial, Michael, the middle brother, told me that the trial forced him to come to terms with what he'd been grappling with for years.

[Tyrone Wood]

Now you facing you. You really facing your enemy. That this person that killed your brother, do you really forgive this person? I've learned to forgive this person that killed my brother. I said, now that I'm facing deceit of who this person is, I forgave them already. There's nothing really I can do about it. You.

[Jake Halpern]

In the end, both Michael and Tyrone say they found the closure they were looking for. But there were moments, still are moments, when the past resurfaces. Tom Gibson was released from prison in 2015, which was earlier than expected. Tom was originally given 12 and a half to 25 years on the conspiracy and gun charges. But it turns out the judge in the case had used the wrong sentencing. Guidelines given him too much time. Tom was later re sentenced and ultimately served roughly eight years. By the way. We did reach out to Tom for this story, but we never heard back. When Tom was released, nobody informed the Wood family. They didn't get so much as a heads up from the authorities. Not a call, not a letter, nothing.

[Tyrone Wood]

I had to find out on the Internet looking for his name and I did it on the humbug. I was just on the. I just punch in his name and said, oh, he's released. I felt that they let us down and that's why I guess in a sense I have some faith in the justice system. But don't let him out without letting us know.

[Jake Halpern]

There are other moments when memories of the trial reemerge. Tyrone told me about a trip he took to rural Pennsylvania with his then wife and how he felt really out of place realizing that they were the only black couple around and kind of having a moment of anxiety.

[Tyrone Wood]

And then I said, no, stop, stop, stop. You letting, letting this world change you. That's not who you are. And if I go and give them to those fears, Thomas won and you're not going to win. I don't care if you out. I don't get know if you alive. I don't know what's going on with you, but I'm not going to let you win. I'm 60, so I try not to let anyone change me because I think that's given anybody too much power. Yeah. So I don't want to change the person I am.

[Jake Halpern]

As he said this, Tyrone gestured at his brother Michael and his niece Michelle.

[Tyrone Wood]

They'll tell you I'm, I'm just as silly as they come. I play around. I'm a hugger. I hug them every time I see them. And what I say, oh, I love y'all, cuz that's what my mother always say. Love you, God bless you. And then we will leave. That was like the thing that I remember y'all said since, you know, Uncle Ron passed. And she always said, make sure you say, you know, I love you. Yeah, before you, you know, you leave. So we do that now. Like I see my brother and I don't care who looking, I'mma hug my brother and tell him I love you man. Cause we're family.

[Jake Halpern]

Always make sure to say it. That was Dorothy Wood's wisdom. It's a sweet sentiment, but to me it also speaks to the way that loss and grief stay with us, whispering in our ears. When I think back to the way that everything played out with the trial. There's something fundamentally unsatisfying. Yeah, sure, we know that prosecutors bargain passes are given, jurors strike deals. And in many ways, the whole justice system is a series of compromises. Most defendants don't even go to trial. They just make pleas. And yet many of us, myself included, hold on to the perhaps naive hope of pure justice and clean endings where the good guys win and righteousness prevails. And anything short of that leaves us a bit unsettled and secretly deflated. Before saying goodbye to the Wood family, I did what I always do at the end of an interview. I threw out my Hail Mary question. Anything that we didn't cover that you think is important for us to know?

[Tyrone Wood]

I think that just about covering it covered every pretty everything. I want to say that I'm grateful that my grandma's prayers was answered. I feel like that her praying put that conviction in them FBI agents to chase this cold case and drew them in and, you know, this will help, you know, bring closure to this for her.

[Jake Halpern]

As Michelle sees it, her grandmother sent out a prayer and someone heard it. Two guys, actually, Scott and Terry. And ultimately their investigation brought her peace. Michelle never met Scott or Terry, never talked to them, never even knew their names. And yet her take dovetails almost perfectly with theirs. The way they talked about being drawn in almost mystically, as if summoned. I have to say, I'm not exactly sure it's the ending I'd write, but then again, this isn't my story. Not really. Deep Cover is produced by Amy Gaines, McQuaid and Jacob Smith. It's edited by Karen Shakurji, mastering by Jake Gorski. Our show art was designed by Sean Carney, original scoring and our theme was composed by Luis Guerra. Fact checking by Arthur Gomperts. Our story consultant was James Foreman Jr. Special thanks to Daphne Chen, Izzy Carter, Eric Sandler, Kira Posey, Jordan McMillan, Anna Scrabots, Alexandra Garriton, Lydia Jean Cott, Greta Cohn, Sarah Nix, Jake Flanagan and Carey Brody. Additional thanks to Jerry Williams, Jill Gillette, Travis Dunlap, Elizabeth Wachtel, Greta Weber, Isaac Gaines, and Kasia Sebastian and Lucian. I'm Jake Halpern. If you enjoyed this season and are in search of more investigations like ours, well, I've got a few recommendations for you. Don't forget your Pushkin. Plus membership grants you access to exclusive ad free binges of shows like Lost Hills, Dark Canyon, which investigates the dark side of Malibu, California. In season four, host Dana Goodyear investigates the death of a 24 year old black woman who who went missing in 2009 after being detained and released from the Malibu Lost Hills Sheriff's Station. New episodes launch June 12th. Another recommendation I have for you is Where's Dia? Coming July 9th in the beautiful mountain town of Idyllwild, a millionaire widow who is in the middle of a messy legal battle with her estranged children suddenly vanishes, leaving behind her beloved horse and and idyllic ranch. A man who claims to be her fiance launches a very public campaign to find her. But when another woman dies at the same ranch, it appears that there's more to the story than meets the eye. Where's Dia? Begins on July 9, and if you want to listen to something right now, I recommend you check out Death of an Artist Krasner and Pollock. You've probably heard of Jackson Pollock, but you may never heard of Lee Krasner, an artist, Pollock's wife, and the woman who made him famous and in so doing changed everything about the landscape of modern art. This is a story of love, power, alcoholism, brutality and ill timed death. You can listen to Death of an Artist Krasner and Pollock wherever you get your podcasts and to binge the entirety of these shows on launch day early and ad free, you can subscribe to Pushkin plus on their Apple Podcast show page or at Pushkin FM plus.

[Amy Brown]

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[Tyrone Wood]

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[Amy Brown]

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[Jake Halpern]

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[Tyrone Wood]

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[Tyrone Wood]

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[Scott Duffy]

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