
In 1992, David Wood was convicted of murdering young women and girls and burying them in the desert outside El Paso. He has been on death row ever since. “The Last 12 Weeks” takes you behind the scenes as a capital defense team races against the clock to stop an execution 30 years in the making.
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A
When the state of Texas sets an execution date for a man on death row, a countdown starts.
B
People are going to hear about me. They're going to hate me. I get it. I'm just a convict in prison saying I'm innocent. And they're going, yeah, right, you lying piece of crap.
A
Last year, I embedded with a team of Capitol defense lawyers. They had a brief window to convince the courts that their client, one of Texas most notorious serial killers, was actually innocent. I watched them chase down New ev.
C
Did your sister tell you a little bit about why we're reaching out?
A
Confront alternate suspects? I don't remember claiming killed people. I don't know. I need a lawyer. And try to convince a victim's mother that Texas had the wrong guy.
D
It's just that he said, well, I'm not guilty. Well done. I would say that too if I was facing the death penalties.
A
It wasn't that the lawyers didn't have a case to
E
make. I know two people fabricated testimony to get a guy executed.
A
It's just that they had so little time to make it. From Serial Productions, the Marshall Project, and the New York Times, an inside look at one of the most controversial parts of the criminal justice system. As the clock ticks down, it's incomprehensible to me that this is going to go down to the wire. The last 12 weeks. What's going on? A five part series on a deadline.
F
So we've got incredible news and crazy news
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coming June 18th. Listen, wherever you get your podcasts,
Podcast Summary: The Last 12 Weeks – Trailer
Produced by Serial Productions & The New York Times | Release Date: June 15, 2026
The trailer for “The Last 12 Weeks” introduces listeners to a gripping true crime documentary series centered around the impending execution of David Wood, dubbed the Desert Killer, in Texas. Over five episodes, host Maurice Chammah takes listeners inside the high-stakes world of capital defense law, where a small but relentless team of attorneys races against time to save Wood’s life. With unique behind-the-scenes access, the series exposes the intensity, emotional toll, and often bizarre tasks involved in trying to stop an execution that has been three decades in the making.
The trailer is intense, urgent, and emotionally charged, mirroring the high-stakes, morally complex terrain of death penalty litigation. The narration is candid and unvarnished, inviting listeners not just to observe but to feel the pressure and ethical dilemmas at the heart of the story.
“The Last 12 Weeks” promises a rare, humanizing, and suspenseful window into the last-ditch efforts of capital defense lawyers as they try to save a condemned man’s life. The trailer sets up a series that will explore the flaws and finality of the justice system, the emotional turmoil of all involved, and the impossible choices forced by the relentless ticking of the execution clock.
Listen to the five-part series beginning June 18th, wherever you get your podcasts.