A Wilderness of Error

6.1

2020•45m

When Army surgeon Jeffrey MacDonald is sent to prison for killing his family, a storm of swirling narratives challenges our very ability to find the truth all the while overshadowing a chilling possibility: MacDonald may be an innocent man. Based on the best-selling book by Errol Morris.

Production

Seasons

5 Episodes • Premiered 2020

1. Girl in a Floppy Hat

Famed filmmaker Errol Morris is obsessed with one of America's most popularized true crimes: the murder of a pregnant wife and two young daughters on an Army base in 1970. Green Beret doctor Jeffrey MacDonald said a band of drugged-crazed hippies attacked his family, led by a girl in a floppy hat. Army investigators said MacDonald committed the murders.

2. A Time of Suspicion

After an Army hearing frees Green Beret Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald, his father-in-law demands a reinvestigation. But when he sees all the evidence, he's shocked by where it leads.

3. Should the Jury Find...

Nine years after the murders of his pregnant wife and two young daughters, the guilt of Green Beret Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald is put to a civilian jury. The defense calls a surprise witness: The Girl in a Floppy Hat.

4. When a Narrative Becomes Reality

Joe McGinniss' book, "Fatal Vision" paints a not-so-flattering picture of Jeffrey MacDonald, but new evidence may prove that MacDonald is innocent.

5. A Wilderness of Error

Jeffrey MacDonald served more than 30 years in prison when a federal judge finally agrees to hear the new evidence in his case. Errol Morris heads to North Carolina believing the truth will finally come out.