Review of A Murder in the Park (2015) by Michael L — 29 Jun 2015

Well made documentary that does more than tell a story, it turns over stones and exposes the worms underneath. Rech and Kimber chose a compelling story to focus in on and get right into the middle of those involved, interviewing key witnesses and the detectives involved. It is a gripping presentation that makes you forget that you're watching a documentary about a real event that actually happened in a lot of ways. I found myself choosing sides, rooting for the protagonist (Simon) and hating the villain (Protess) who seems possibly even more despicable than the murderer (Porter) he helped free.

More than anything this documentary makes you question the fairness of the justice system and pray to God you never find yourself in the middle of a world where two sides (defense and prosecuting attorneys) are fighting more for profit and personal notoriety than for your best interests. Protess made a fool of everyone involved, his students, the detectives (who had to face undue scrutiny for years after seemingly putting an innocent man on death row), the media, and the government, all for building a bigger name for himself, garnering book deals and movie opportunities. It is enough to make you wish Protess himself had to serve the kind of sentence he pushed onto Simon.

While I couldn't help but find the irony in the documentary almost serving the same role for Simon as Protess' Innocence Project did for Porter, it also stands out in stark contrast as the right way of journalism (hard facts put under a microscope, multiple witnesses, etc.) versus Protess' way of speculation, deception, and manufacturing evidence. This film is thought provoking and should be shown in any journalism or law class.