Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. Before joining the Register, she worked on an independent journalism project about migration in Berlin, Germany. The HBO series Murder on Middle Beach has captivated audiences everywhere as filmmaker Madison Hamburg attempts to uncover the truth about what happened to his mother so many years ago. It found police had offered only speculation that the disclosure of records responsive to the complainants request would be used in a prospective law enforcement action arising out of the investigation into the death of Barbara Hamburg, according to the commissions decision. As long as an investigation is active without any impediments to prosecution, Dugas argued, the exemption should apply. [2] To allow police to say that because an investigation is active without any insurmountable obstacle to prosecution, the public must defer to their judgment, Ecker said, and does not take public concerns into account. The medical examiner's office soon concluded that Hamburg died from "blunt and sharp force injuries." Madison Hamburg. The two had gone through a rough divorce and were not on good terms at the time of Barbara's death. I know what I've set out to do and tried like hell to fulfill that, to challenge the conventions of true crime and the way that we tell the story, and just to hear people think it's goodjust to think that people were watching and telling other people about it and it was a part of the conversation outside of the people in my immediate circle was just, I don't know, maybe it's silly, but it's something that is really gratifying. There are strong public policy reasons for denying the general public unfettered access to investigation files, while the police are actively investigating a crime and continuing to collect new evidence and pursue new leads, Klau wrote in his decision. Do we need a case to be closed, or at least a prime suspect in view, to feel like a narrative arc was actually achieved before the final end credits? This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Did she ever try to contact them again? A list of additional records submitted to the court includes surveillance video, recordings of specific voicemails, non-police tape-recorded conversations and copies of items seized from Barbara Hamburgs bedroom safe. On March 3, 2010, Barbara Beach Hamburg was found murdered in the backyard of her Madison, Connecticut, home. The Connecticut Supreme Court will decide whether the Madison Police Department must release records compiled in its investigation of the 12-year-old unsolved murder of Barbara Hamburg. While Beach's husband (and Madison's father) Jeffrey was questioned early on about his ex-wife's murder, there have still been no arrests made in the case. When her body was found by her sister and daughter it was covered with outdoor furniture cushions. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Weeks of back-and-forth ensued as the show premiered on HBO. Schulz said that the plaintiffs would be thrilled if the police were able to solve the crime, but he said that this wasnt a reason to keep a case open forever. His second goal was to absolve his family members of the crime, which dovetails with the obvious goal of discovering who actually killed Barbara. We now know they have that information, which led them to ask additional questions of us of information that we had not shared with the general public, Drumm told commissioners, adding that the department needed to retain the information to complete its investigation. 5 On the other hand, Dugas, the attorney for the Madison Police Department, argued the case was very much active. And, as Jeffrey alleged via a phone call to Madison, is there any evidence that the documents detailing his financial decisions had been fabricated? Associated Press articles: Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. And as the docuseries comes to a close there are a growing number of theories about Barbara Hamburg's death. HBO's new true-crime docuseries "Murder on Middle Beach" premieres Sunday, November 15. Would you do anything different now that it's aired? According to David Schulz, a lawyer representing the plaintiff, the department was only withholding the information on the off chance that new information about the case should come to light, and that there really was not an ongoing investigation. The people in the States Attorneys office who oversee the cold case reviews agreed with them that there were no new leads to follow. Beach had also moved in with Barbara prior to the murder while she was recovering from brain surgery, and the documentary alleges that Barbara wanted her to move out. Murder on Middle Beach didn't decisively eliminate any other suspects. The HBO true crime documentary series Murder on Middle Beach has reached its conclusion, without any grand reveal regarding who killed Barbara Hamburg. Drumm also said that he hoped the Chief States Attorneys Office and that Attorney General William Tongs Office would file amicus briefs on their behalf. There's already inherent bias from my point of view. Madison Hamburg, right, during a candlelight vigil and memorial service for his mother, Madison resident Barbara Hamburg, a 2010 slaying victim in an unsolved case, at the First Congregational Church in Madison on Feb. 29, 2020. On March 3, 2010, Barbara was found brutally murdered in the yard of their Connecticut home. Retracing the path of controversial Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe includes many stops in Connecticut. It is more than a reasonable possibility, pun intended, that the Connecticut Appellate or Supreme Court will review this decision. The series makes other allegations relating to Beach and her sister's involvement in a pyramid scheme known as the Gifting Tables. I have to do my best to preserve what I have in that investigation so that I can charge the person or persons with the murder, said Drumm. So I was at film school when my mom died, in this doc class, and I told my immediate group. "When my mom died, I didn't tell anybody," says Hamburg. In 2012, according to the New Haven Register, Conway called Barbara loving, kind, giving, thoughtful, caring, a wonderful mother, a wonderful sister.. Through interviews with and secret recordings of his immediate family and the police, Madison and his crew tell the story of Barbara Beach Hamburg's full life and tragic death. I was living in Austin at the time with my girlfriend and we both moved to New York and just gave up everything in our lives to facilitate me doing this. Madison Hamburg and producer Anike Niemeyer had requested the files while filming the series and were summarily denied by the department. And sort of realizing that what I wanted as a character in the story and as a person is to know what happened to my mom, but I think what I need, and my sister said so beautifully as the beginning of the last episode, is peace. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. It was a huge learning process, balancing those two roles of family member and investigative documentarian. Through Madison's eyes and camera lens, we watch as his relationship with his father crumbles, as he has to inform Ali that Conway believed she was capable of killing her own mother, as he has to badger his local police department again and again (before finally escalating to a formal Freedom of Information Act appeal) for a 1,600-page case file with details about their investigation into Barbara's death. The director of HBO's true crime docuseries discusses the emotions of investigating his own mother's murder. He updated us on his relationship with his father at present, his familys reaction to the series, as well as the status of his mother Barbaras open case today. I wanted to give their stories justice and unfortunately that involves exploring these conflicts. ", "It wasn't a story about a murder, it's a story about identity and about my mom and that's a really hard sell," he told the Connecticut Insider. Would you do it? The court has attempted to resolve a long unsettled question about the degree of certainty concerning a prospective law enforcement action that is required to withhold records. I know the case is still open. Barbara Alexandra Hamburg, who now goes by Ali, is the youngest member of the Hamburg family. She's convinced, however, that she knows who the killer is: Ali, Madison's sister who was still in high school at the time. Madison Hamburg is in the unique position of being both the director of HBO's new documentary series, "Murder on Middle Beach," and the son of its subject, Barbara Beach Hamburg. Dugas acknowledged the court was dealing with competing interests, one of which was the publics right to know. And they just thanked me for releasing this story, and it's really gratifying as someone who's gone through something so traumatic to hear that someone else can watch this and feel a little less alone. There have been corroborating leads, correcting things, things that we didn't know about. November 30, 2020. "I can't get into details, but it's been extremely illuminating.". According to Schulz, the Madison Police Department took a completely inappropriate approach to deciding which documents to release. I've written before about the trend of "true criminal justice" documentaries and docuseries the kind wherein the narrative is less about solving a mystery and more about turning the magnifying glass on the legal proceedings that surrounded it are an opportunity for filmmakers to present a fuller picture of criminality and victimhood. Where homicides involved I think the interest is too great not to err on the side of not disclosing.. The Madison Police Department is appealing a state judges order that it must turn over its investigative files on Hamburgs 2010 murder to a pair of documentary filmmakers, including Hamburgs son, who examined the investigation in the hit HBO miniseries Murder on Middle Beach.. It was she who recruited Barbara into the tables, but the latter's ambition eventually caused problems for Platt. Harmon, however, said police did not say whether the new information led to new activity. He said it was also important to preserve the rights of victims and family members, who he said he didnt believe would want information released while police officers were still working on their case. At a Freedom of Information hearing in February 2020, Madison police Detective Christopher Sudock said he regularly reviewed the case and that the agency had received a phone call about it the week before. But it's also really challenging for both my aunts, my sister and my family, so we've had a lot of conversations. Madison, now 29 years old, talked to Esquire before the finale of Murder on Middle Beach airs on HBO this Sunday. So many people had the opportunity, the motive, the means. If a department cannot show there is a prospective law enforcement action and that disclosure of the records would be prejudicial to such an action, then the publics right to access the records wins out, Harmon said, arguing the Madison Police Department failed to meet its burden of proof in this case. Madison Hamburg has been transparent in interviews about wanting to produce "a different take on true crime. How has it been for you with it finally out in the world after all those years working on it? It is difficult to understand how denying public access to criminal files in perpetuity serves the public interest in solving crimes and bringing perpetrators to justice, wrote Judge Daniel Klau in his decision. In one example, Justice Steven Ecker asked Dugas about the competing interest of uncovering police corruption or incompetence. She welcomes feedback and story ideas from readers. Directed by Barbara's son, Madison Hamburg, the docuseries is a chronicle of Madison's return to his home as he is determined to understand . It really was a rollercoaster, especially because it is such a personal story, so trying to sell it was pretty interesting. What details, if any, does Conway remember about the person she planned to hire to kill Barbara? Throughout these four episodes, Madison Hamburg, and us, learned the truth about the life Barbara Hamburg really lived - that she was a recovering alcoholic who, at the . I assume he has, but I'm not sure. When she's not reporting, you can find her hiking Shoreline trails and eating her way through New Haven. In the series, she denies killing Barbara while showing little to no remorse for her past crimes. The last time I talked to my dad was on camera. We may earn a commission from these links. In 2022 Otte was awarded "Rookie of the Year," by the New England Newspaper & Press Association. Instead, he draws just as much suspense and intrigue by looking hard at his family history and asking his loved ones tough questions, even when they dont necessarily want to answer them. NOW WATCH: We break down 'Chernolbyl's' Emmy win, the new 'Rambo,' and what we know about 'Birds of Prey' so far, Visit Insider's homepage for more stories, ruled her death a homicide, noting that she died as a result of "multiple blunt and sharp force injury. It would compromise the case investigation. he said. HBO. Stay up to date with what you want to know. 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