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The enthusiastic response to last week’s Movie of the Week column inspired me to plant myself in front of the Lifetime Movie Network for a few days armed with a bowl of popcorn and a pen poised over a notebook. (The never-ending rigors of this job boggle the mind.) My favorite made-for-TVers are those based on true stories, especially true stories involving jealous friends or spouses who go on sleazy killing rampages. Here are 5 classics, along with the real stories behind the films:
1. Death of a Cheerleader
THE STORY: Tori Spelling stars as Stacey Lockwood, the “It” girl of Santa Mira high school. Stacey has everything: looks, personality, wealthy parents, and a pack of snooty, sycophantic friends at school. Kellie Martin is Angela, who just transferred To Santa Mira from a nearby Catholic school and longs to be part of Stacey’s “in” crowd. However, although she is certainly intelligent and studious, Angela is awkward in all her attempts to befriend Stacey, who enjoys making scathing remarks about Angela’s thrift shop wardrobe and rusted-out Pinto. One night while hanging out with Stacey, Angie makes an embarrassing plea for friendship. Stacey cuts her down viciously with the ultimate high school threat: “I’m going to tell everyone at school that you’re weird!” Angie whips out a butcher knife in a panic and stabs Stacey to death.
THE TRUTH: The movie remained pretty true to the details of the actual case, only the names were changed to protect…someone, I suppose. Kirsten Costas was the cheerleader in question; she was also a star on the varsity swim team at Miramonte High School in Orinda, California. Her attacker was Bernadette Protti; both girls were 15 years old when the murder took place in 1984. It took police six months to determine that Protti was the killer, and one of her first questions after confessing was “Do I have to go back to Miramonte? I can’t live if it is known. I would rather die.” Bernadette was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced as a juvenile. She was released from prison in 1992 at the age of 23, when she promptly changed her name and left California.
2. 83 Hours Till Dawn
THE STORY: Robert Urich portrays wealthy land developer Bradley Burdock, whose idyllic life is turned upside down when his college coed daughter, Julie, is abducted and held for ransom. Not only has she been kidnapped; she is being held in an underground capsule with a limited amount of battery power to provide her air and light. Kidnapper Peter Strauss is very proud of his carefully constructed Fiberglas and plywood tomb, which is equipped with every conceivable necessity: food, water, bed pan and feminine hygiene products. His ransom demand of $500,000 is ultimately met after a series of mishaps, and he phones the FBI to alert them of Julie’s location while he attempts to leave the U.S. via motorboat. When Julie is rescued, she is dehydrated and 10 pounds lighter after spending four days underground. Several days later, her kidnapper is arrested and brought to justice.
THE TRUTH: This movie was based on a book of the same name which was written by the kidnapping victim herself, Barbara Jane Mackle. Her abductor was Gary Steven Krist, who was assisted by his girlfriend, Ruth Eisemann-Schier. Barbara passed the interminable hours underground by alternately singing aloud and praying. When she was finally rescued from her coffin-like prison by the FBI, her first words were “How are my parents?” Ruth Eisemann-Shier served five years in prison and then was deported to her native Honduras. Gary Steven Krist escaped the death penalty when Barbara testified on the stand that she was grateful to him for telling the FBI how to locate her. He was sentenced to life in prison, which at that time (1968) meant he would be eligible for parole after seven years. Krist served 10 years, then fled to Haiti, where he eventually earned a medical degree at a Caribbean university. He worked as a physician in rural Indiana until his license was revoked. In 2007 he was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison for trafficking cocaine. As for Barbara, she married her college sweetheart, had two children, and prefers not to dwell on the whole kidnapping “thing.”
3. A Killer Among Friends
THE STORY: Tiffani-Amber Thiessen portrayed Jenny Monroe, the beautiful, perky and perfect daughter of Jean, played by TV movie über-mom Patty Duke. Jenny went off with her best friend Ellen one afternoon and never came home. Her body was found three days later in a creek, face down with a 100 lb. log across her back. Ellen was as heartbroken and enraged as Jean over Jenny’s death, and proceeded to not only personally try to track down the killer, but also move into Jenny’s old bedroom and wear her clothes and try to take her place (only to make Jean feel better, of course). Three years later, another girl with a heavy conscience contacted the police; she’d been in the woods with Ellen and Jenny and another girl named Carla that day, and the two brutalized Jenny, slapped her, chopped off pieces of her hair and finally drowned her. Their justification was that Jenny had slept with their boyfriends, but it later came out at trial that the overweight and somewhat plain Ellen had long been jealous of Jenny’s beauty and popularity and longed to “be” her. Ellen and Carla were convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
THE TRUTH: The movie is based on the 1985 murder of Michele “Missy” Avila of Arleta, California, who drove off with her best friend, Karen Severson, and another friend, Laura Doyle, and never returned. Karen had always been overweight, shy and awkward, whereas Missy was petite and outgoing; when the two first met at age eight, they clicked because Karen was lonely and Missy was the only girl in her family and longed for a sister. Over the years, it became obvious to many observers that Karen was deeply jealous of Missy’s looks and popularity. No one knew exactly how deep her envy festered, though, until her arrest in 1989. Both Karen and Laura are still in prison as of this writing; Karen Severson was recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and is hoping to get a compassionate release in the near future.
4. When He Didn’t Come Home
THE STORY: Patty Duke is once again a concerned mother (“Faye Dolan”) who hasn’t heard from her 20-something son, Timmy, for several weeks. He worked as an independent contractor and was on the road a lot, but he usually called his mom once a week. She was particularly worried because Tim had recently become engaged to an up-and-coming Yuppie real estate developer (“Carolyn,” played by The O.C.’s Kelly Rowan) who had a violent temper. Faye had seen Carolyn punch and slap Timmy during a visit to their apartment. Of course, since Tim was an adult, it took forever for the police to consider him a missing person. Eventually, via a sting operation, Carolyn confessed to a friend that she’d stabbed Tim during an argument. She then hysterically ran to her parents’ home and cried for help. Her dad and brother returned to her apartment and found Timmy still breathing. They smothered him, then rolled him in a carpet and carted his body out onto Lake Michigan and threw it overboard.
THE TRUTH: David Richmond of Oviedo, Florida, was the real body rolled in that carpet back in 1992. The TV movie was correct on some facts, and way off base on others. Michele Roger was the object of David’s affection, and while the pair lived together, they were never formally engaged. Michele was not a Yuppie entrepreneur; she worked as a topless dancer, which was a bone of contention between her and David. There is no question that Michele used to slap David around (many of his co-workers testified about his black eyes and broken ribs), but Michele’s attorney stated that she only struck out in self-defense. Her family did assist in disposing of David’s body (in a far more gruesome way than alluded to in the film), and Michele was ultimately found guilty of second degree murder and was sentenced to 17 years in prison. She was granted clemency in 1999 by an outgoing governor on the grounds that she had been a battered woman.
5. Love’s Deadly Triangle: The Texas Cadet Murder
THE STORY: Diane Zamora and David Graham (played by Holly Marie Combs and David Lipper) started dating as high school seniors in 1995 and became engaged to get married shortly afterward. The pair were unusually serious and focused for their age; both were in the National Honor Society as well as the Civil Air Patrol, and had military careers mapped out for themselves. Zamora had been accepted into the Naval Academy, while Graham was headed for the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs after graduation. One evening, after a track meet, David gave his teammate Adrianne Jones a ride home. The two allegedly stopped along the way for a “quickie,” and Graham, wracked with guilt afterward, confessed his transgression to Zamora. She insisted that the only way to keep their love “pure” was to kill Adrianne. They made a pact, lured Jones out of her house late at night, and first bludgeoned her then shot her twice in the head. The crime may well have remained unsolved had Zamora not gotten chatty during a dorm room bull session at Annapolis. She bragged to her roommates that her boyfriend had killed for her to prove his love. The roommates, bound by the school’s Honor Code, later reported the conversation to the Navy Chaplain, and Zamora and Graham were ultimately arrested.
THE TRUTH: This movie was based on David Graham’s typed confession and was filmed before the couple went to trial. Not surprisingly, in the months leading up to their trial, the love bond between them vanished and each blamed the other for both the planning and the execution of the crime. Adrianne Jones’ mother asked the prosecution not to pursue the death penalty, as she didn’t want two other mothers to lose their children. It was revealed during the trial that David had never had sex with Adrianne; he’d made up the story to make Diane jealous. The two were sentenced to life in prison and each will be eligible for parole in 2036. In 2003 Zamora married (by proxy) a fellow Texas inmate named Steven Mora, whom she’d never met but knew via correspondence. They have since divorced.
So, while I’m in an investigative mood, are there any TV movies you’ve wondered about in terms of the real-life outcome? Suggestions are welcome – you may get your questions answered in a future column!
* * * * *
Shhh…super secret special for blog readers.
I knew watching Lifetime movies would come in handy one day!
posted by Jenny on 6-26-2008 at 9:46 am
not sure of the name of the film, but former Facts of Lifer nancy Mckeon starred in it as a battered woman who the police wouldn’t help, and they watched her husband beat the living crap out of her in her own driveway.
posted by QT314159265 on 6-26-2008 at 10:07 am
I had a roommate who watched Lifetime movies, and I ultimately found myself disgusted by them. For a channel that advertises itself as friendly to women, it sure does a lot to promote the “women are victims” image. No thank you.
reCAPTCHA: principles depth Two things I generally don’t find on channels like Lifetime.
posted by Joanna on 6-26-2008 at 10:38 am
i remember the movie with nancy mckeon. thurman law was established because of the incident which called for arrests being made in spousal abuse cases.
lifetime also made a movie about a guy in the military who was murdered because he was gay. also based on a true story. i agree with jenny. gotta love those lifetime movies
posted by beth on 6-26-2008 at 10:39 am
Does it have to be a Lifetime movie? I was always fascinated by the one about the little girl murdered in the pencil factory. I can’t remember the name, but the song that played over the opening–sung by little kids–was creeeeepy.
posted by holly on 6-26-2008 at 10:43 am
No, it doesn’t have to be a Lifetime movie; any based-on-a-true-story film fascinates me! The one you’re referring to, I believe, is “The Murder of Mary Phagen.” I’ll add it to my list.
posted by Kara on 6-26-2008 at 10:52 am
Yes! That’s it. Awesome–thanks!
posted by holly on 6-26-2008 at 11:00 am
Lifetime movie hell.
The Betty Broderick Story comes to mind.
posted by Hannah on 6-26-2008 at 11:05 am
The murder of Mary Phagan was also turned into a musical - “Parade”, one of the best in recent memory, IMO.
I remember a TV movie starring Tracy Gold that had something to do with an abusive husband, but I can’t for the life of me remember the name.
posted by Laura R. on 6-26-2008 at 11:16 am
I have few…I used to love watching these with my mom when I was younger. I think they are all from the 90s.
It may have been called Texas Cheerleader Murder or something like that. It was about a mother who hired a hitman to murder the head cheerleader on her daughters team after the daughter was disqualified from the election.
I also remember one where a couple is having trouble coneiving so they decide on a surrogate mom. The surrogate later decides that she wants to keep the twins.
Finally, another one where two girls are switched at birth, only one die in early childhood. The second family discovers that their daughter is not their daughter and the story begins to unfold. Ultimately the question is whether to switch the daughters, giving the one family their daughter back, and leaving the other family mourning the death of a daughter they never knew.
posted by Cassandra on 6-26-2008 at 11:19 am
I just checked IMDB and the Nancy McKeon movie is called ‘A Cry for Help: The Tracey Thurman Story’.
Actually, I think he stabbed her multiple times in her driveway.
posted by AMY on 6-26-2008 at 11:23 am
I LOVE the old Lifetime movies!!!
Sometimes I watch TV to escape principles and depth..
posted by mrs.djs on 6-26-2008 at 11:29 am
Terence Malick’s Badlands - based on the Starkweather murders. His partner in crime, Carill Fugate, has been released from prison and has since disappeared off the map… wonder what’s she’s up to? I think it’s easier for women to hide in the general population, witness Anne Perry!
posted by Mare on 6-26-2008 at 11:32 am
Not a Lifetime movie but isn’t “Last House on the Left” based on a true story? I’d be curious as to the facts behind that one- that’s definitely near the top of creepiest movies ever.
posted by Caitlin on 6-26-2008 at 11:54 am
In Lifetime’s defense, when they run a “woman-as-victim” movie, they usually follow it by running the number for the helpline at the National Center for Victims of Crime. (I worked there as an intern, so this is true as of 2001, at least.) The helpline volunteers would man the “Lifetime” shift after one of the movies was supposed to air, and there were always a barrage of phone calls seeking assistance because “the same thing happened to me.” I’m certain there were some phoneys calling in, but if a few women who really needed the help got it because of the partnership, then Lifetime’s ok in my book.
posted by terri on 6-26-2008 at 12:39 pm
“No one would tell” - It was with Candace Cameron, with Fred Savage as the popular boyfriend who gets very obsessive, and kills her in a jealous rage. It was based on a true story too. I remember watching these in college when trying to avoid work…lol…
I have to admit that I forgot the name of it and had to look it up, but remembered being so entertained by the fact that these two darlings of sitcoms tried to break out like that.
posted by Sue on 6-26-2008 at 12:41 pm
The best Lifetime movie (best title ever, too) was “Audrey Marie Hilley: Wife, Mother, Murderer” starring, of course, Judith Light. I’ve seen it on tv a few times over the years. If I see it’s on, I immediately have to stop what I’m doing and watch Judith Light go nuts.
posted by Snap on 6-26-2008 at 12:51 pm
I think my favorite made for tv movie was our mother’s murder. It starred Holly marie combs and sarah chalke. I was always interested in how close to the real thing it was.
posted by kc on 6-26-2008 at 1:12 pm
I don’t think it was a Lifetime movie, but they play it a lot, it’s called something like “I Know My First Name is Steven”. It’s one of my favorites, It’s about Steven Stengel who was kidnapped at a young age and then after many years returned to his family. It’s based on a book (which I think he wrote). Little did we know that his brother, Casey Stengel, would make headlines himself for killing campers at Yellow Stone National Park.
Also really liked the Pamela Smart story that featured Helen Hunt. She gained the trust of the kids who killed her husband by displaying her mutual affinity for cheesy 80s hair metal? Hilarious!
posted by Leah on 6-26-2008 at 2:09 pm
Jim Gaffigan does a great joke about Lifetime.
“If it’s programming for women, why is it every time you turn it on there’s a woman getting beaten?”
Or something to that effect. Good Stuff.
posted by Beth on 6-26-2008 at 2:37 pm
Beth: That’s precisely why I don’t like it. I’m all for women getting help and getting out an abusive situation, but it seems like that’s all. they. show. That, and women going crazy. Where are the normal people with normal husbands/boyfriends who have struggles but basically positive lives? I know too many girls who acted like drama queens and had unhealthy relationships because they though Lifetime movies were the rule, not the exception.
posted by Joanna on 6-26-2008 at 4:38 pm
Co-ed Call Girl, starring Tori Spelling.
posted by smells like kristin on 6-26-2008 at 10:09 pm
“Mother May I Sleep With Danger,”
also starring Tori Spelling. Man, she had quite the streak there, didn’t she?
Also “For the Love of Nancy” with Tracy Gold. I know she had eating issues, but I never knew if that was based on her personal experiences or not.
There is one where the girl who was the pink power ranger is a bulimic gymnast that we always had to watch during health class…
posted by jzimm on 6-26-2008 at 11:10 pm
Interesting stuff. But the title of this page is ‘Horrific Murders’ and as far as I can tell, no one was murdered in the 83 Hours til Dawn Story.
Also, I love how you can always tell what happens in a Lifetime movie from the title.
posted by Noah on 6-27-2008 at 9:29 am
Laura Prepon from That 70’s Show did a movie called “Karla” about the Paul Bernardo killings in the 1990’s in Canada.
That one got swept under the rug pretty quick!
posted by Martin on 6-27-2008 at 1:05 pm
The story I’m curious about was a documentary on CourtTV then made into a Lifetime movie. A young girl named Stephanie Crowe was murdered and her brother Michael was coerced into confessing, though he didn’t actually do it. The CourtTV show was very interesting but I haven’t actually seen the Lifetime version.
posted by Reggie on 6-27-2008 at 9:14 pm
I really like these movies too… Some people are just INSANE.
posted by GTT on 6-30-2008 at 12:21 pm
While going through old boxes with my grandmother, we came across these old newspaper cut-outs for her cousin, Leonard Fagot. I became immediately interested and she told me that he killed his sons-in-law for insurance money, and there was a true crime novel about it. I ordered the book “Deadly Relations” on Amazon, and shortly after found an imdb site for a tv-movie of the same name. Sure enough…Robert Urich played Leonard, and Gwyneth Paltrow played his daughter. About 2 weeks later, it just happened to come on Lifetime, so I got to DVR it. Fun fun fun.
posted by jamie on 6-30-2008 at 1:30 pm
Little do people know that when “Death of a Cheerleader” first aired it was called “A Friend to Die For”–I still have the VHS I taped it on in high school.
posted by Brea on 7-2-2008 at 9:03 am
Umm… you realize your title is 5 Horrific Murders, but number 2 on your list isn’t a murder, just a kidnapping that could have turned to murder. I know, I know… details, details.
posted by barb on 7-2-2008 at 9:16 am
While watching the film Longford about the British Minister of something who converted to Catholicism and visited people in prison to help them rehabilitate I learned about murderer Myra Hendly. She along with Aileen Wournos are the only two women serial killers that I know of. This particular film was more about Myra’s time in prison than the actual killings.
An interesting thing about the Pamela Smart movie with Helen Hunt: the entire soundtrack of Metal music was provided by the group The Cycle Sluts from Hell!
Before Monster came out there was a made for TV movie about Aileen Wournos starring Jean Smart but it swept the whole “lesbian” aspect completely under the rug (or perhaps it was edited out for TV reasons?) but Jean Smart captured the decent into madness and the penchant for biker bars rather well I thought.
posted by Theresa on 7-7-2008 at 6:59 am
What about “In Cold Blood” ?
posted by Mike on 7-11-2008 at 3:30 pm
No. 2 is not a murder.
posted by Ray on 7-12-2008 at 7:17 am
My favourite real life murder move is Torso: The Evelyn Dick Story.
I’ve got a personal link with the sotry too.
The kids who found the husband’s torso asked my dad to go along with them that day, but he said no.
posted by zale on 7-17-2008 at 9:37 pm
“It may have been called Texas Cheerleader Murder or something like that. It was about a mother who hired a hitman to murder the head cheerleader on her daughters team after the daughter was disqualified from the election.”
Not to be picky, but it was, “The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom” and it was on HBO. Great movie, BTW. Luckily no one was killed, so they played it as a comedy.
-Ralphie
posted by Ralphie on 9-2-2008 at 12:06 pm