Who Killed Garrett Phillips? (HBO)
Garrett Phillips was twelve years old when he was murdered in 2011 in Potsdam, NY. Police focused
on one suspect and one suspect only: a Jamaican soccer coach, Oral “Nick” Hillary. This two-part HBO documentary follows his legal journey.
In fact, it focuses so hard on Hillary’s legal journey that the titular question is hardly addressed. It might be more aptly called “Did Nick Hillary Kill Garrett Phillips?”
I’ve been doing research on false confessions all week, so it was really refreshing to see someone who was so savvy when it came to dealing with the police. Hillary knew immediately that the police had called him in under false pretenses. The cops weren’t hiding it very well, yet they seemed shocked and suspicious when Hillary tried to call them on out on their tactics.
Refusing to speak to the police without an attorney present should never be seen as an indication of guilt. It is a human right. Especially when we have a corrupt system controlled by systemic racism. Since watching the documentary, I’ve read comments online where people interpret his refusal to talk as “uncooperative” and “suspicious.” People who feel that way need to do a little more research on how exactly police are trained to interrogate people and how those methods are often coercive.
As for who killed Garrett Phillips, I have no idea. Nick Hillary may very well be the perpetrator, but the prosecution failed to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. I’m not convinced either way. I just hope that this investigation is really still open and active, as claimed at the end by Potsdam officials, so we can find out what truly happened.
Rating: 4 Stars
I recommend this documentary if you enjoy courtroom docs.
Killer Ratings (Netflix)
Nothing could have prepared me for Killer Ratings. Everything about it was shocking beyond belief.
Killer Ratings follows the story of Wallace Souza, and the accusation that he was actually behind some of the murders covered by his television program, Canal Livre, in Manaus, Brazil.
Corruption seems to be lurking behind every corner in Brazil. That was evident from the first episode. Whether Wallace was a part of that corruption, I still don’t know. The evidence points all sorts of ways.
I’m writing about this series several weeks after watching it, and I am noticing that some things stick out in my memory more than others. The love and admiration his son obviously had for him. The way he seemed to die of a broken heart after his name was dragged through the mud. It made me feel empathy for the guy.
It is my personal belief that Souza was involved in a leadership position in some way, but by and large, his rule over the organized crime in Manaus kept out people who made things much, much worse. All I know is that everything seemed to go to hell after his death.
Rating: 4.5
I recommend this doc if you like docs about organized crime or crimes in other countries.
I Love You, Now Die (HBO)
Every time I saw her face come up on the internet, I thought, jeez, that is the face of a sociopath. The headlines seemed to confirm the suspicion. “Woman texts her suicidal boyfriend to ‘Drink Bleach.”’
There’s a lot more to the story though, and I recommend watching this if you want to understand all the little details. In summary, this documentary covers the suicide of Conrad Roy and the trial his girlfriend Michelle Carter went through after it was discovered she was sending him messages encouraging him to end his life.
First off: Is this immoral? Absolutely. It’s reprehensible. Is it illegal? That’s the real question, but I agree with the prosecution that her actions constituted neglect and a lack of regard for human life, making the manslaughter charge justifiable.
The trial was gripping. Watching girls from her high school testify on the stand that the only “pretended” to be her friend? It seemed like a nightmare. I was surprised that Carter’s attorney didn’t focus more heavily on what Conrad was doing to Michelle. Texting someone nearly every night, telling her that he was going to kill himself, only for her to wake up to texts from him the next morning? That’s an emotional roller coaster and it’s abusive.
I think the judge also thought her attorney should have focused on her as an abuse victim. I think he thought his verdict would be overturned on appeal due to ineffective counsel. That’s why he let her walk off instead of taking her into custody.
But that didn’t happen.
I don’t know if Carter belongs in jail. She is obviously a very sick person. From my armchair, it seems to me that she has a personality disorder not unlike Munchausen by proxy. She craves the specific attention that a widow gets. She saw how people treated Lea Michelle from Glee after her boyfriend Cory Monteith died, and she wanted to be treated the same way. I really think she belongs in a psychiatric institute. I hope she is getting counseling in prison.
Rating: 4 Stars
I recommend this documentary if you enjoy courtroom docs.
The Alcasser Murders (Netflix)
This was absolutely insane. I’m not even sure what to write about it. I’m not going to give any spoilers, but this documentary is really more about the aftermath of the murders than the murders themselves.
The series raises important issues: how involved should parents be in investigations surrounding their murdered children? Should they be allowed to make money off the press they receive? Are the donations given to foundations in the victims’ names there for the families to do with whatever they please?
Weeks after watching, I can only bring two real faces into mind when I try to remember the documentary: The victim Miriam’s father, and Juan Ignacio Blanco. They both behaved abhorrently, and because of what they’ve done, we’ll never really know anything about what happened.
Miriam’s father was grieving, so he gets a bit of a pass, but Juan Ignacio was a slimeball trying to make money off of someone else’s tragedy. What the hell was up with him arguing that Miriam was the “most attractive” of the victims? You’re talking about dead underage girls, dude. Gross.
I really wish we knew what happened to Miriam and her friends Desiree and Toñi. This is an injustice. It’s a tragedy, not a juicy story for a talk show. I can’t believe that’s what Miriam’s father let it become.
It’s interesting to watch this and Killer Ratings close together. It’s fascinating to see the strange talk shows about murder they have in both of these cultures. It’s very different from how Americans consume true crime.
Rating: 4.5
I recommend this doc if you like docs about crimes in other countries or just general messed-up behavior.
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