Category Archives: Joe Berlinger

A Look Inside An Arizona Jury Room During a Death Penalty Deliberation

27 Saturday Apr 2013

Posted by in Joe Berlinger, News

≈ 90 Comments

jodifingerAs we all sit around waiting for Wednesday to roll around again and the main part of the Jodi Arias trial to finally come to a rest, it’s interesting to wonder what the jury is going through. Should they come back with a first degree conviction, their work is really just beginning. In 2005, Juan Martinez successfully prosecuted the case of Wendi Andriano and she was ultimately sentenced to death. In a very relevant and interesting article, Jim Walsh of The Arizona Republic interviewed several members of the jury in 2005 in order to understand the thought process behind their decisions. The article also walks us through the process of deliberations after the aggravating factors part of the case to see if Jodi meets the death penalty requirements. And, what happens if that burden is met in the defense’s presentation of the mitigating factors they hope will sway the jury to save her life. It’s a lengthy but fascinating read that you can find here:

Deciding Life, Death Takes Toll on Jurors
Jim Walsh The Arizona Republic Jan. 24, 2005 12:00 AM

One juror felt his knees shaking as he sat down to decide if an Ahwatukee  Foothills woman should live or die. Continue reading »

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Teresa Giudice’s Blog: Reading Between the Lines

25 Saturday Aug 2012

Posted by in Joe Berlinger, Real Housewives of New Jersey, RHONJ, Teresa Giudice

≈ 14 Comments

In general, I don’t read the Bravo blogs.  Mostly this is because so many are written by ghost writers. Some of course are not, Carole Radziwill’s blog, for example, is excellent because she is a writer by trade and an excellent one at that. Her blogs express exactly what she is thinking with a humorous slant.  Caroline Manzo is another whose blog seems to be written by her. But for the less educated housewife, ghost writers are used. This of course skews the message and leaves me wondering how much of what is said was really said by the housewife whose name is attached to the words. This is never more of an issue than when it comes to Teresa Giudice.  Teresa has a great ghost writer for her blogs; I would not be surprised if her ghostwriter is the same one that writes Marlo Hampton’s blogs on her website.  But how often does Teresa actually talk to her ghostwriter? How much input does Teresa have on what goes up on the Bravo site with her name on it?  I’ve never wondered about that more than this week when a reader asked me for thoughts on Teresa’s latest blog.  Let’s take a look at what “Teresa” had to say.

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The West Memphis 3 Attend the Oscars

27 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by in Bruce Sinofsky, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, Jessie Misskelley, Joe Berlinger, Oscars

≈ 1 Comment

Director Joe Berlinger and Jason Baldwin

One of the Oscar nominations for Best Documentary, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, that tells the story of three teenage boys who many believe were wrongly convicted of the murders of Michael Moore, Stevie Branch and Christopher Byers in Arkansas eighteen years ago, generated some controversy. Shortly after the film was nominated, the parents of Michael Moore as well as the father and step-father of Stevie Branch asked that the Academy exclude the film from the nominations list because they felt  is glorified the accused killers, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, collectively called the Memphis 3 by the press. Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky directed the series of films that investigated the murders and presented considerable evidence to support the conclusion that the Memphis 3 were innocent. In part because of this series of documentaries, the public was made aware of a miscarriage of justice and the media and many prominent celebrities got behind the cause to free the Memphis 3. In large part due to the movie uncovering new evidence, last August, the three men were release in a bizarre legal proceeding the three men.

The Academy did not remove the film and on Sunday, Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, Jr. and Jason Baldwin all arrived on the red carpet with Director Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky.  CNN’s The Marquee Blog interviewed Jason at the awards.  Jason told CNN, “Every day I wake up and I thank God for the community that came together, everybody came together and made it possible for us to be free now.” Speaking on his feelings about being on the red carpet, Jason said, “I just told Bruce [Sinofsky], do not pinch me because I don’t want to wake up.”

The Oscar went to Undefeated a documentary out of Memphis, Tennessee about a volunteer football coach who worked with inner city athletes.