A documentary about how the people sworn to uphold the law don't always do the right thing. In 2000, a tourist in Florida was shot and killed at point blank range by a perpetrator that was black, according to the victim's husband. The police picked up the first black person they saw and the victim's husband identified him as the killer. 15 year old Brenton Butler, who was on his way to pick up a job application at Blockbuster, was charged with murder and spent 6 months in prison while awaiting trial before being found not guilty.
I love documentaries and this was a great one. The amount of access the video crew had made it even more fascinating... and eye opening. It's hard to imagine that "detectives" can do such a poor job investigating, but still have the power to put an innocent kid in jail. It also sheds light on the fact that eye witness testimony isn't always correct. From start to finish, the public defenders pulled apart the prosecution and left little doubt about the innocence of the defendant. The follow-up news report brings closure to the case.
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: Yes
Starring: Brenton Butler, Pat McGuinness
I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.
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