Murder On a Sunday Morning
Jean-Xavier de Lestrade
Open iTunes to preview, buy, and download this movie.
Plot Summary
Beating out some of the most poignant and powerful films of the last decade, this gripping, edge-of-your-seat whodunit catapulted to the top of "must see" lists everywhere when it emerged to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. A mesmerizing thrill ride, Murder on a Sunday Morning is invigorating and heart-wrenching at the same time--the stuff suspense novelists only dream of writing. Jacksonville, Florida, May 2000. Mary Ann Stephens is shot in the head at point blank range in front of her husband. Two hours later, Brenton Butler, a 15 year old black male, is arrested walking down a nearby street. Mr. Stephens identifies him. Butler signs a confession. Everyone involved with the case, from investigators to journalists, is ready to condemn Butler, except his lawyer, Patrick McGuiness. A dazzling and magnetic presence of Hollywood proportions, McGuiness reopens the inquiry, and in a dramatic and absolutely spine-tingling sequence of events, he and his team discover a slew of shocking and troubling elements about the case. Did Brenton write his own confession? Where is the concrete evidence? And most importantly, can the police be lying?
Customer Reviews
an excellent film!
I first saw his film during an eight month leadership class for police sergeants. This film documents the total failure of investigators (I won't deign to call them "detectives") to run an honest, complete, and proceduraly sound homicide investigation. They lacked integrity, objectivity, critical thinking skills, perpesctive, and they were basically lazy (why follow accepted investigation techniques when all you have to do is pick a suspect and forcea confession? They did not seem concerned that their failure to properly investigate and prosecute a case left a stone cold killer on the street looking for other victims. It is too easy to say that they were racists or that the criminal justice system is racially biased. This is not only inaccurate (one of the investigator was black and the son of the sheriff) it completely misdiagnoses the real problems that need addressing: the lack of oversight of the investigation, of the investigators, and of the prosecution. If the system was racist then why was Brenton found 'not guilty'? Even Pat McGuinnes at first believed that Brenton Butler was just another poor black kid that committed a murder. It was only when he engaged his critical thinking skills that he realized the case was very weak. Why did the prosecution not see the flaws in the case as well? Like cops everywhere, they are also trained to evaluate their cases with an eye for potential defenses. Hopefully, the DA's office and the Sheriif Department reviewed each and every case that these investigators and prosecutors worked on.
A Justice System Classic
This movie is incredible in every way: story, passion, intellect, insight. And it's all true! Required viewing for anyone interested in how our Justice System really works. An indispensable movie.
A MUST SEE MOVIE!
Story plot is thrilling, intriguing and TRUE. Ann Finnell and Patrick McGuinness were the attorneys. They play themselves in a real courtroom thriller. You will laugh and cry. An innocent african-american young boy is framed by the cops, including a fake confession. These are the best attorneys you will ever see! They sincerely care about their work and their clients!! I know them personally and they are fantastic people, attorneys and actress/actor. They were Assistant Public Defenders at the time of filming several years back. Now there is a newly elected Public Defender who made the decision to "lay" off these fantastic attorneys "due to Florida's budget crisis." True to form, they bounced back with their own law firm, "Finnell, McGuinness & Nezami." The movie features Ann and Pat investigating the case, discovering the coverups and lies and dealing with their client and his family. The action starts pounding during the actual trial with cross-examinations and closing arguments. A real tear jerker. It will make you think twice before deciding the accused is always guilty!!
Viewers Also Bought
- Into the Abyss
- Werner Herzog
- View In iTunes
- Crazy Love
- Dan Klores
- View In iTunes
- Billionaire
- Alexis Manya Spraic
- View In iTunes
- Following Sean
- Ralph Arlyck
- View In iTunes
- Jupiter's Wife
- Michel Negroponte
- View In iTunes
- $5.99
- Genre: Documentary
- Released: 2003
- © 2001 Maha Productions, Pathé Archives, France 2