A Murder in the Park

A Murder in the Park is a 2014 American true crime documentary directed by Shawn Rech and Brandon Kimber.[1]

A Murder in the Park
Directed byShawn Rech and Brandon Kimber
Written byBrandon Kimber
Edited byBrandon Kimber
Release date
2014
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The documentary examines the controversial conviction of Alstory Simon,[2] who served 15+ years in an Illinois prison for double homicide following a false confession, which in 1999 freed a man already convicted of the killings.

Synopsis

In 1982, Jerry Hillard and Marilyn Green were murdered in Chicago's Washington Park. Anthony Porter was found guilty of the murders and sentenced to death in 1983. In 1998, just hours before his scheduled execution and after serving 17 years in prison, Anthony Porter's execution was stayed by the Illinois Supreme Court out of concern for Porter's low IQ.[3] Subsequently, led by David Protess, professor and founder of Northwestern University's Medill Innocence Project, a group of undergraduate journalism students executed a re-investigation of Porter's case.[4] They conducted a series of experiments to prove that Porter could not have been the killer.

The students claimed to have found the real killer, and through their efforts, Anthony Porter was released from prison and became the face of the anti-death penalty movement. They suspected another individual of committing the crime – Alstory Simon – whose ex-wife had claimed she was with Simon when he committed the murders. Members of the Medill Innocence Project, with the help of private investigator Paul Ciolino, came to Simon's apartment and told him the Chicago police were on their way to arrest him, and showed Simon a video of someone (later found to be an actor) saying they knew that he committed the murders. Allegedly through coercion, they produced a taped confession of Simon admitting to the murders.

Alstory Simon was convicted and sentenced to ​37 1⁄2 years in prison. His defense attorney, Jack Rimland, was a friend and colleague of Paul Ciolino, and encouraged Simon to accept a plea deal despite his innocence. Simon later recanted his confession. The intervention by Rimland was cited by prosecutor Anita Alvarez to vacate Simon's sentence. It was not until October 2013, and due in part to the investigation conducted for A Murder in the Park, that the Cook County State's Attorney's office reopened the case. Simon was freed in October 2014 after serving more than 15 years in prison.[5] The documentary addresses many questionable actions by members of the Medill Innocence Project, including the possibility that they neglected to interview eyewitnesses from Anthony Porter's original case, and instead relied on their own findings and experiments. Additionally, Alstory Simon's ex-wife later recanted her statement that she had been with Simon during the murders.[6]

Reception/Follow Up

A Murder in the Park made its world premiere at the DOC NYC Festival in New York City in 2014.[7][8] A Murder in the Park was screened theatrically to a positive reception, then aired on Showtime/The Movie Channel, followed by a run on Netflix.

A Murder in the Park was selected for Time magazine's list of “15 of the Most Fascinating True Crime Stories Ever Told” in 2016.[9] The film also has a 76% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[10]

Simon filed a $40 million lawsuit against Northwestern University, David Protess, and Paul Ciolino in 2015.[11] In 2018, the case resulted in a confidential settlement.[12] Ciolino sued various parties who appeared in the film, claiming defamation of character. The suit was dismissed but an appeal is pending.[13][14]

The state of Illinois abolished the death penalty in 2011. This followed the conviction and subsequent release of Anthony Porter, an action that “reignited” debate in Illinois about capital punishment.[15]

References
  1. "A Murder in the Park". IMDb. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  2. Rech, Shawn (June 26, 2015). "'A Murder in the Park': The Innocence Project That Wasn't". The Daily Beast. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  3. McIntyre, Michael (April 28, 2017). "Alstory Simon, freed from prison after wrongful conviction, spends his time in Greater Cleveland working to free others". Cleveland.com. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  4. Ethier, Beth (February 17, 2015). "Lawsuit Claims Innocence Project Professor Conspired to Frame Man for Double Murder". Slate. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  5. Possley, Maurice. "Alstory Simon". National Registry of Exonerations. University of California Irvine Newkirk Center for Science & Society, University of Michigan Law School & Michigan State University College of Law. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  6. McLaughlin, Michael (November 17, 2014). "Alstory Simon Talks About Life After Wrongful Conviction (EXCLUSIVE)". HuffPost. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  7. "'A Murder in the Park'". DOC NYC. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  8. Glass, Maggie. "Justice, Journalism and 'A Murder in the Park'". DOC NYC. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  9. Berman, Eliza (January 5, 2016). "15 of the Most Fascinating True Crime Stories Ever Told". Time. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  10. "'A Murder in the Park'". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  11. Jones, J. R. "'A Murder in the Park'". Chicago Reader. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  12. Meisner, Jason (June 1, 2018). "Settlement reached in wrongful conviction lawsuit against Northwestern and former professor". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  13. Tulsky, Rick. "Court: Investigator who aided high-profile exoneration can proceed with defamation case". InjusticeWatch. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  14. Charles, Sam (January 16, 2020). "Defamation suit stemming from Alstory Simon, Anthony Porter case should proceed: appeals court". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  15. "How the death penalty was abolished in Illinois". Chicago Tribune. May 15, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
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