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The Son & The Reenactment


I really liked this documentary - interesting topic (especially from a journalism ethics perspective). My two lingering thoughts...

The Son: I would be very sensitive to the plight of someone who grew up with a murderous dad in prison. That was undoubtedly rough. So I began watching the scene of Bill and him talk with an open heart. However, I was absolutely repulsed the more that came out of his mouth. First off, he's more than willing to tarnish the reputation of the VICTIM with falsities in order to justify the vicious acts of his father. Secondly, he indicates (with aggression in his eyes) that his father committed acts x amount of years ago and almost seems combative about the fact that he should be set free as he talks to Bill. It's honestly terrifying that he is in a position of authority as a Reverend. He's diluted, insensitive and slanderous. What a discussion they could have had had he come with a more realistic attitude.

The reenactment: Watching this made me really awkward. I don't understand why that was necessary or how that was possibly helpful to him? With that said, I didn't gruesomely lose my sister so if he did need it to move on, who am I to judge? What do people think the purpose of that was?

Well done film. I wish everyone involved peace on the topic.

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I agree, the son seemed to be clearly deluded and in abject denial. Even if we were to believe that she was shouting racial epithets at him (which is obviously a fabrication), that would not justify murder. It also seemed totally bizarre that the son was unaware of the other murder (of a black woman) his father had committed. How is it that he has a relationship with his father, is aware of his father's parole details, yet unaware of the entirety of his father's criminal record?? Very weird. I did think it was kind of funny that he thought he might die and that Bill Genovese was like Don Corleone or something. haha

Even with the notices in the buildings, I was surprised that someone still didn't call the police! That reenactment of blood curdling. I guess it provided catharsis for Bill.

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http://www.wtae.com/article/overwhelming-emotions-as-woman-brings-water-to-iowa-officer/8101068

Check out this link on the son. Without informing the community, he's got a program for sex-offenders next to a day care center, and still manages to say that he's being unfairly targeted (again, because of race). He's got some kind of a whacked out victim mindset that he sees everything through. Making excuses for criminal people seems to be how he has ended up dealing with having a monstrous psychopathic father. Clearly, he has issues.

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The son full of excuses, plays the race card every chance he gets, and was simply there to coax sympathy for a possible parole. Absolute garbage like his dad.

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I had zero interest in the killer, or his family. None of them knew or had met Kitty prior to the murder. It was a random murder. He was originally sentenced to die in the electric chair at Sing Sing in 1964. Whatever your opinion is of capital punishment, if nothing else, it would have prevented his brief reign of terror in Buffalo, NY in 1968.
Not surprisingly, the son tried to manipulate Bill by blaming the victim.

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Truthfully as a family member of murder victim the lengths that many families of murderers will go to either negate the victim and the life they lost or justify it is truthfully. The man who murdered my uncle was a perpetual criminal yet his family sat there in court and berated my grandmother and our family for what WE did to them. There were threats against them as well as attempts to intimidate the witness they even went to jail for those crimes so his son doesn't surprise me. He basically blamed the victim and condemned what he called her racist actions and yet I guarantee he knew one of his father's victim who was African American but he feigned ignorance so his racism excuse could gain traction. He also seems to forget the first thing he did when he escaped was rape a woman no doubt he would have again if paroled since he seemed for indifferent then remorseful of his actions. As for him trying to paint his family as victims it is a direct slap in the fave to families like mine, your father was taken away from you because of his actions and the name calling while horrible is nothing compared to having a family member ripped from you in such a brutal way. There is always going to be a piece missing for them they will never see there brother again at least his son could.

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As a family member of a murder victim don't be surprised by the indifference of a murderers family it is often the norm. Despite a long criminal record his family blamed us for the position he was in. A few went to jail for trying to intimidate a witness and for threats against my grandmother. This man's ignorance to the crime he committed when he escaped and his African American victim were to justify his racism excuse and shift blame to the victim's. As for his claims of he is a victim to its a
slap to the face nothing he went through will ever come close to having a family member ripped away so violently creating a hole in my mother's family that they will have to live with forever.

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At first I thought the reenactment was to try to see how many people would hear the screams - - would 38 people hear them through their closed windows and such? But then he never went around to tabulate how many people heard them. If it was just to get a sense of what the sound would have been like, I agree, I don't see how that helped Bill.

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I think the re-enactment proved it was impossible not to have heard her screaming for help.

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