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Film Tue Jul 07 2015
Investigating the Investigators: A Murder in the Park Makes Chicago Premier
For those living in Illinois at the time, it was unforgettable. In 1999, just hours before his scheduled execution, convicted killer Anthony Porter's life was saved by a journalism class from Northwestern University, led by renowned Innocence Project pioneer, Prof. David Protess. The class seemingly found the real killer, Alstory Simon. And this discovery not only got Porter released, but he became the poster boy of the anti-death penalty movement which culminated in then-Gov. George Ryan to abolished the death penalty in Illinois.
But that was only the beginning of the true story. Filmmakers Shawn Rech and Brandon Kimber have made the harrowing and compelling documentary A Murder in the Park, which compiles all the evidence and walks us step by step through the case as told by all parties involved. This re-examination of the facts (and fictions) in these events, the initial investigation, and subsequent investigative tactics by the Northwestern team led to the Cook County State's Attorney's office reopening this case in October 2013.
The film is finally getting its Chicago premiere at the Gene Siskel Film Center beginning this Friday, July 10, and the run includes a Saturday, July 11, panel with the filmmakers and several experts and participants in the case, which I will be moderating. Tickets are $11, $6 for Film Center members.
Here's an exclusive clip from A Murder in the Park, as well as the film's full-length trailer:
Read my exclusive interview with A Murder in the Park co-director Shawn Rech on Ain't It Cool News.
