SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 42:00 Min.
Retired Shreveport, LA homicide detective Rodney L. “Rod” Demery hosts this TV series revisiting cases he had investigated earlier in his law enforcement career.
Demery’s on-screen narration is supplemented by interviews with fellow law enforcement personnel and journalists familiar with the case in question. The episode, otherwise, consists of dramatic reenactments (with actor John Nicholson portraying Demery). First airing on Investigation Discovery on May 27, 2019, “Trapped in Place” examines a fatal domestic incident that occurred in Shreveport on or about Christmas Eve in 2008.
At a rent-controlled Shreveport housing complex, an adult male suffers a broken neck causing full-body paralysis. The victim’s girlfriend states that he had fallen and fatally hit his head during a night of drinking with her and two of her adult relatives. Within a matter of days, as the victim is unable to either move or speak, he dies in intensive care. Prior to his death, the victim makes one faint nod that ominously hints towards what had really happened to him.
With the police’s assigned investigator deeming the matter an alcohol-related mishap, the victim’s suspicious sister contacts Demery for help. Skeptical of the initial investigator’s laziness, Demery’s interviews with law enforcement and medical personnel indicate that the victim’s severe injuries weren’t likely accidental. Inconsistent answers from the victim’s girlfriend about his tragic fall has Demery pivoting back towards her and the two others he was partying with. Specifically, Demery senses that there has been a cover-up leading to the victim’s homicide.
This episode includes corroborating interviews with former Shreveport police detective Shannon Mack; local TV news journalist Keristen Holmes; prosecutor Dhu Thompson; and coroner’s investigator Erin Deutsch.
Note: The reenactment’s cast is left uncredited.
REVIEW:
Aside from excellent production values (including the real Rod Demery’s convincing narrative), this episode doesn’t hold any surprises. Per the case’s eventual outcome, it’s a disappointing reflection of how the American criminal justice system sometimes works in securing some degree of justice. Though slickly produced, the storytelling of “Trapped in Place” may still give viewers pause for thought.
One: Despite playing up rising tensions with the initial investigator on-screen, nothing remotely critical of Demery’s own investigation is presented. Hence, is this episode’s depiction of Demery’s case fair and accurate, as none of the interviewed guests contradict him? Without sufficient independent research, there’s no way to know, to what degree, Murder Chose Me has packaged its storytelling for this particular case.
Two: is this episode (or really the series itself) exploitative and/or self-serving to satisfy fans of sensationalized ‘true crime’ entertainment? Given how Murder Chose Me hypes itself (i.e. eye-rolling close-ups teasing potential suspects before or after scenes), the show’s credibility loses some momentum – in spite of Demery’s no-nonsense demeanor.
If deemed an educational (and teen-friendly) alternative to Hollywood’s take on TV cops-and-robbers, then Murder Chose Me works as is. Despite muddling entertainment with real-world crime, “Trapped in Place” presents solid one-time viewing.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars
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