Life And Death Row.

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Alucidnation

Original Poster:

16,810 posts

169 months

Friday 21st March 2014
quotequote all
Just watched this on BBC3 (albeit the last 30 mins but), and found it quite a powerful and moving documentary.

No narrator, but just follows members of both families.

Anyone else watch it?

MJK 24

5,648 posts

235 months

Saturday 22nd March 2014
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I watched it. Thought it was done well.

You may also like '14 Days in May' which you can probably find on YouTube. Makes last nights offering look positively lightweight.

GloverMart

11,773 posts

214 months

Saturday 22nd March 2014
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MJK 24 said:
I watched it. Thought it was done well.

You may also like '14 Days in May' which you can probably find on YouTube. Makes last nights offering look positively lightweight.
Remember watching '14 Days in May' when it first came on. Very emotional piece of television indeed.

MrMagoo

3,208 posts

161 months

Saturday 22nd March 2014
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MJK 24 said:
You may also like '14 Days in May' which you can probably find on YouTube. Makes last nights offering look positively lightweight.
Blimey that was a difficult watch.

Alucidnation

Original Poster:

16,810 posts

169 months

Saturday 22nd March 2014
quotequote all
I remember watching that when it was originally aired in the late 80s, and one could say that back then, it was groundbreaking television.

It was a difficult watch, indeed.

evilmunkey

1,377 posts

158 months

Saturday 22nd March 2014
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Sure i watched a later documentary about 14 days in may where they found out that the bloke executed was innocent. was indeed harrowing stuff.

Alucidnation

Original Poster:

16,810 posts

169 months

Saturday 22nd March 2014
quotequote all
The case itself was a little controversial..

http://murderpedia.org/male.J/j1/johnson-edward-ea...

viggyp

1,917 posts

134 months

Saturday 22nd March 2014
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Was "14 Days in May" the documentary where after the execution a witness came forward stating the inmate was innocent? It's all quite vague.

MJK 24

5,648 posts

235 months

Sunday 23rd March 2014
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viggyp said:
Was "14 Days in May" the documentary where after the execution a witness came forward stating the inmate was innocent? It's all quite vague.
Yes, Edward Earl Johnson was found to be innocent perhaps 4-6 weeks after his execution. Clive Stafford Smith was his lawyer who was a bit green at that time. He's later said if he had his time again, he wouldn't have bothered making appeal after appeal. He would have gone looking to prove Johnson's innocence.

It's a very good documentary and well worth watching. Some very moving scenes. They should show it in schools IMO.

Legacywr

12,016 posts

187 months

Sunday 23rd March 2014
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I can't hear this and not think of that programme!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTF97_ve118

MJK 24

5,648 posts

235 months

Sunday 23rd March 2014
quotequote all
Legacywr said:
I can't hear this and not think of that programme!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTF97_ve118
Me too. Iirc his family sang it when they met him for the last time frown

GloverMart

11,773 posts

214 months

Sunday 23rd March 2014
quotequote all
MJK 24 said:
viggyp said:
Was "14 Days in May" the documentary where after the execution a witness came forward stating the inmate was innocent? It's all quite vague.
Yes, Edward Earl Johnson was found to be innocent perhaps 4-6 weeks after his execution. Clive Stafford Smith was his lawyer who was a bit green at that time. He's later said if he had his time again, he wouldn't have bothered making appeal after appeal. He would have gone looking to prove Johnson's innocence.

It's a very good documentary and well worth watching. Some very moving scenes. They should show it in schools IMO.
IIRC, and I'm not 100% on this but I think Johnson was a devoutly religious man and on the night of the murder, he was with a prostitute but couldn't confess this as it would have brought shame on his family and the church?

Like I said, might be making it up but it rings a bell somewhere in my head.

DSLiverpool

14,670 posts

201 months

Wednesday 26th March 2014
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I cannot believe the lad was guilty, how do you kill 7 people in a caravan on your own without a gun - poor sod at least he wasn't executed.


Edited by DSLiverpool on Wednesday 26th March 04:24

Legacywr

12,016 posts

187 months

Wednesday 26th March 2014
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I was amazed too! Did we miss some evidence?

tleefox

1,110 posts

147 months

Wednesday 26th March 2014
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Strange one - IMO there is no way he could have killed all of those people on his own, and from memory, the crime scene investigators said as much from the blood splatters up the walls.

But at the same time there was compelling evidence (blood stains on his boxers) that he was in some way invoked.

My opinion is that he was involved in it, but with someone else.

anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 26th March 2014
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The prosecution alleged that he committed the murders, the defence argued that it couldn't all have been done by one person. I actually came away from it thinking that both were correct.

Morningside

24,110 posts

228 months

Thursday 27th March 2014
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I thought it was very interesting. But why was it stuck on the backwater of BBC3?

Lost soul

8,712 posts

181 months

Thursday 27th March 2014
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Symbolica said:
The prosecution alleged that he committed the murders, the defence argued that it couldn't all have been done by one person. I actually came away from it thinking that both were correct.
It was a tough one to make a call on , but there were some strange points , the shotgun , and that he said to the police they had been beaten to death when the police on the scene thought they had been shot ,,,,,

NerveAgent

3,293 posts

219 months

Thursday 27th March 2014
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It all seemed very vague, if the documentary gave us all the facts I cant believe a guilty verdict can be had like that. Quite scary!

The fact that the Jury were stuck at 9-3 surely means at least 2 of them weren't 100% sure of his guilt, even if they did then suddenly change their minds. Also what was the problem with the jury member who was removed? perhaps they wouldn't comply due to their view on the death penalty?

Good program though, I notice all the pro-death penalty types also seem to mention god at some point in the program.

Lost soul

8,712 posts

181 months

Thursday 27th March 2014
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NerveAgent said:
Also what was the problem with the jury member who was removed? perhaps they wouldn't comply due to their view on the death penalty?

.
They said he was intimidating other members of the jury and causing problems , not sure which way he was leaning