Coming to Investigation Discovery tonight, Tuesday, December 1:
THE WITMANS
Director:
David Petersen
World Premiere:
Philadelphia 2020
About:
A family contends with the loss of one son to murder and the other to the criminal justice system.
In October 1998, 13-year-old Gregory Witman was found brutally murdered in his family home. Police determined the prime suspect was his older brother, Zachary, 15, who, despite maintaining innocence and being a minor, was tried and convicted of the crime, and sentenced to life in prison without hope of parole. David Petersen’s film offers a thorough examination of the disturbing case and its unanswered questions, but ultimately focuses on parents Ron and Sue Witman’s defense of Zachary and their efforts to see him released from what they view as a wrongful conviction. While hewing closely to the true crime documentary subgenre, and featuring a distractingly heavy-handed score, the project is well handled and serves as a thought-provoking indictment of the flaws of the criminal justice system and how it handles minors.
what (not) to doc 