The Killer's Trail

The Sam Sheppard murder case, which inspired The Fugitive (TV series and movies), has long been a favorite of true crime aficionados and mystery lovers. In this excellent NOVA entry, the viewpoint is that of Sam Reese Sheppard, son of both the victim and the man convicted of killing her. Marilyn and Sam Sheppard were chic, young and comfortably well off in 1954. Their idyllic existences (not to mention their son's) went horribly awry when Marilyn was brutally murdered. Sam's story was that he walked in on the attacker, was himself beaten, then chased the intruder before collapsing. At his trial the media had its now legendary feeding frenzy and Sam Sheppard was convicted of killing his wife. Those are the basic facts. Sheppard the younger, having vowed to clear his father's name, followed leads that were either ignored or mishandled, and here presents evidence contrary to the prosecution's version of events, creating a much fuller picture of the crime and its alleged perpetrator. Is the ultimate answer to Sheppard's guilt found beyond a reasonable doubt? Nothing but the shameful behavior of the media and the judge who--in mid-re-election campaign--refused to control them is proven beyond a reasonable doubt, but this is a dandy example of superb investigative narrative on a topic that has held public interest for nearly half a century. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (M. Tribby)