The Harrowing Tale of the Harlem Park Three

In 2019, the Conviction Integrity Unit in Baltimore received withheld evidence related to a high-profile murder case. The evidence was so exonerating, the unit's director prioritized the case, leading to the release of the men who had been sentenced as teenagers for a crime they never committed. These three men were known as the Harlem Park Three, after the school where the murder took place. They had been incarcerated for 36 years.

A compelling documentary, built upon a New Yorker article, examines this gross miscarriage of justice, the journey to its resolution, and the enduring wounds of those involved. This includes the freed men, the witnesses manipulated by the police to support a manufactured narrative, and the community where they felt safe until the tragic events of 1983.

Ransom Watkins, Andrew Stewart, and Alfred Chestnut, the Harlem Park Three, provide moving narratives throughout the film, along with Ron Bishop, whose false testimony against them tormented him for years. The film uses various devices to recreate events such as black-and-white illustrations and news reports.

Watkins, Stewart, and Chestnut were in Harlem Park Junior High when DeWitt Duckett, a ninth-grader, was killed for his jacket. The murder sparked fear and suspicion within the community and led to a hasty investigation, resulting in the questioning of teenagers without their parents or an attorney present, and a rush to convict them.

The documentary explores the depositions from the Harlem Park Three's lawsuit against the Baltimore Police Department, which resulted in a significant settlement. The deposition videos uncover evasive answers from the lead investigator, Donald Kincaid, who remains tight-lipped about why he pegged Watkins, Stewart, and Chestnut for Duckett's murder.

Despite overwhelming evidence narrated by Bishop and Capers (their classmates), the jury convicted the Harlem Park Three in less than three hours. None of them ever conceded their innocence, despite the plea for parole predicated on remorse. Eventually, after 36 years, their determination to expose the truth paid off with the reversal of their convictions.

The documentary closes with a tense encounter between the Harlem Park Three and Bishop. There's no resolution or reconciliation, but it highlights the deep-seated impacts of the case's long-lasting injustice.