Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, and Reckoning | |
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Directed by | Jason Hehir |
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Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 3 |
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Running time | 50-54 minutes |
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Original release | |
Network | HBO |
Release | December 4 – December 18, 2023 |
Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage and Reckoning is a 2023 television documentary series directed and produced by Jason Hehir. It follows the Murder of Carol Stuart, and the investigation that followed, igniting racial tensions and targeting.
It premiered on December 4, 2023, on HBO.
The series explores the Murder of Carol Stuart, and the investigation that followed, which ignited racial tensions and targeting, becoming a media firestorm. [1] Ron Bell, Dart Adams, David Ropeik, Adrian Walker, Louis Elisa, Howard Bryant, Michelle Caruso, Ted Landsmark, William Bratton, Brian McGrory, Neil Sullivan, Tito Jackson, Jeffrey Brown, Kevin Patterson, and Nancy Gertner appear in the series. [2]
No. | Title | Directed by | Original air date |
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1 | "Roots" | Jason Hehir | December 4, 2023 |
2 | "Rampage" | Jason Hehir | December 11, 2023 |
3 | "Reckoning" | Jason Hehir | December 18, 2023 |
As a teenager, Jason Hehir had heard about the Murder of Carol Stuart daily, between reading about it, watching it on television and overhearing people talking about the case in public, eventually wanting to make a documentary about it, exploring Boston's racial history, through the lens of the case. [3] [4] Carol's family declined to participate in the series, while the Bennett family was initially skeptical and reluctant to trust Hehir, eventually doing so. [5] Hehir spent time with the family, and let them know he would portray their story accurately and honestly. [6]
The Boston Globe co-produced the series, additionally producing a companion podcast based upon extensive reporting. [7]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 100% of 5 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.00/10. [8] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable". [9]
Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Gives voice to the people who were unjustly victimized by law enforcement and examines the legacy of a painful, racist rush to judgment." [10] John Anderson of The Wall Street Journal wrote: "A captivating crime story, a socio-political treatise and even evidence that life can get better." [11]
Carol Ann Stuart was murdered on October 23, 1989, by her husband, Charles Michael "Chuck" Stuart Jr., who said a black man had carjacked their car in Boston and shot both his pregnant wife and himself. His statement to police set off a months-long manhunt by the Boston Police Department for a black assailant that lasted until Charles' brother, Matthew, confessed that Carol was killed by Charles to collect her life insurance payout. Soon afterwards Charles committed suicide.
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Jason Hehir is an American film director and producer. Hehir has directed André the Giant (2018), The Last Dance (2020), Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space (2021), and Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, and Reckoning (2023).