ABC to Premiere New Series FINAL WITNESS, 6/27

By: May. 30, 2012
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The voices of the dead come to life in the true-crime limited series FINAL WITNESS, which offers a unique look at some of the nation's most shocking murders. The seven-episode series premieres WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. Each episode will examine one case from start to finish, taking viewers inside the murder from the victim's point of view. A compelling hybrid of documentary and drama, "Final Witness" features interviews with real-life witnesses, prosecutors, law enforcement, family and friends, along with riveting dramatization that thrusts viewers into the heart of each crime. Shot around the world at the actual locations with cinematic style and infused with an indie-band soundtrack, "Final Witness" creates an unforgettable look at the human psyche at its darkest.

In the series premiere, "The Kids Aren't Alright," the program revisits the cold-blooded murders of almost every member of the Caffey family in rural East Texas. At 3:00 a.m. on March 1, 2008, Terry Caffey, 41, and his wife Penny, 37, were shot as they slept, and their two young sons, Bubba, 13, and Tyler, 8, were brutally killed by the same perpetrators. Despite being shot multiple times and with 5 bullets in him, Terry survived the attack. After the house had been ransacked and set ablaze by the killers, Terry was able to escape through a bathroom window and dragged himself through the woods for about 400 yards to the closest neighbors for safety. Fortunately, Terry was able to identify one of the shooters, but the road to justice would contain shattering revelations when he learned who was implicated in the murder.

Told from the imagined vantage point of slain wife and mother Penny Caffey, "Final Witness" interweaves scripted scenes with actual crime scene interrogation video and real-life first-person interviews with Terry Caffey, Texas Ranger John Vance, Prosecutor Lisa Tanner and others who knew the victims and the perpetrators, to tell the story of this horrific crime in indelible fashion. The haunting soundtrack includes singles by indie artists and bands including The Antlers, Marissa Nadler, Mr. Gnome, Jana Hunteer and Sam Amidon. More information on the music on this episode can be found at ABC Music Lounge, http://abc.go.com/music-lounge.

"The Kids Aren't Alright" originally aired as a backdoor pilot on September 14, 2010 and, based on its success, was greenlit to series. "Final Witness" is produced for ABC by Lincoln Square Productions. Executive producers are Rudy Bednar and Christine Connor; senior producer is Adam Feinstein; series producer is Lee Beckett; series production manager is Alex Friedman.



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