|
Court TV(R) Enlists The Masters of Crime Fiction for America's Crime Writers: Murder They Wrote(SM)
World-Renowned Authors Michael Connelly, James Ellroy, Faye Kellerman,
Jonathan Kellerman and Lisa Scottoline Reveal Stories with Personal Meaning
PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 11 -- In the world of literary
fiction, there is nothing more compelling than a mystery novel. Now, Court TV
is partnering with the best-known, best-selling authors of the genre to tell
some of the most compelling true crime stories of the recent past in Americas
Crime Writers: Murder They Wrote. Award-winning authors Michael Connelly,
James Ellroy, Faye Kellerman, Jonathan Kellerman and Lisa Scottoline have each
selected a case that has long captivated or touched them in some way, and in
each episode, the featured author will take viewers through the facts of that
case. Through interviews with key players and commentary from the authors
themselves, armchair detectives will have the opportunity to experience the
story through the author's thoughts and insights. And the network is
expanding on its relationship with leading bookseller Barnes & Noble with a
planned multi-platform co-promotion, anticipated to include on-air, online and
in-store elements.
MICHAEL CONNELLY
As a journalist in Ft. Lauderdale, Michael covered what began as the
disappearance of two models, but soon became a cross-country crime spree.
Clues in the investigation lead to Christopher Wilder, a Miami businessman and
race car driver, who was also a convicted sex offender. Wilder disappeared
before police could question him, and over the next six weeks, Connelly
reported the story as Wilder made his way across the country, sparking one of
the greatest manhunts of the century.
JAMES ELLROY
Crime touched Ellroy's life at an early age: he was ten years old when his
mother was murdered in L.A, her killer never found. Haunted by the unsolved
case for nearly four decades, Ellroy teamed up with a homicide detective in
1994 to search for clues to her death. In his episode, Ellroy revisits the
mystery, taking viewers on an emotional journey through the facts of the case
and the clues that never quite added up.
FAYE KELLERMAN
When attorney Cheryl Keeton was found bludgeoned to death in 1986, her ex-
husband Brad Cunningham was the prime suspect, but there was no evidence to
link him to the crime. It took eight years to bring Cunningham to justice,
and in the process, reveal the troubled, manipulative con man he was. When
the case became national news, in the early 1990s, Kellerman felt the players
were somehow familiar. And they were - years earlier, the Kellermans bought a
home in Seattle from the couple.
JONATHAN KELLERMAN
As an L.A. resident, Jonathan has long been intrigued by the 1988 "Just
Sweats" case - a tale of long-cons, insurance fraud and murder in Glendale,
CA. When Melvin Hanson, vice president of the "Just Sweats" clothing store
chain, was reported dead by a highly regarded neurologist who had been
treating him in his office, there were no questions asked. Hanson's body was
cremated and no further investigation was made. The catch? The body was not
Hanson, but a vagrant, disguised to look like him. In his episode, Kellerman
reveals how high-living businessmen planned murders for money before they were
finally caught and brought to justice.
LISA SCOTTOLINE
A longtime resident of the Philadelphia area, Scottoline will present a
compelling case from that city's infamous crime history. On June 25, 1979 the
naked corpse of schoolteacher Susan Reinert was found in her car in a hotel
parking lot near the elite Main Line community. Her two children had vanished.
The massive FBI and state police investigation that followed ultimately
focused on two men from the school where she taught: principal Dr. Jay Smith,
and William Bradfield, a charismatic English teacher. It wasn't long before
Smith was revealed as a sadist with a penchant for porno, drugs, and weapons,
while Bradfield was exposed as a womanizer, carrying on affairs with two other
women at the same time he was romancing Reinert. In her episode, Scottoline
examines the surprising twists of this real life tale of murder, betrayal,
greed, and deception.
For Court TV, Jessica Shreeve, Vice President Current Programming and
Specials, serves as Executive Producer. Ed Hersh is the Executive Vice
President, Current Programming and Specials.
Court TV(R) provides a window on the American system of justice through
distinctive programming that both informs and entertains. Court TV
Networks(SM) is comprised of Court TV News(SM), which provides live gavel-to-
gavel trial coverage in daytime; and Court TV: Seriously Entertaining(SM) in
primetime, featuring investigative drama, expert reality and relevant non-
fiction series. Court TV Networks is 50% owned by Time Warner, and 50% owned
by Liberty Media Corp, and is seen in 85 million homes. (http://www.courttv.com or
AOL Keyword: Court TV)
SOURCE Court TV
Web Site: http://www.courttv.com
|
