Reasonable Doubt Season 2 Finale Clip Finds A Bad Signature

The American Justice system begins each case with a presumption of innocence. The lawyers who defend the accused seek to keep that presumption clear, while prosecutors try to lock away criminals for as long a period as they can win. On Wednesday, August 22, true-crime channel Investigation Discovery will reinvestigate the conviction of Patricia Wright for the murder of Jerome Scott in Encino, California, on an all-new episode that closes out Reasonable Doubt season 2. The season opened when Detective Sergeant Chris Anderson paired with a new parner, attorney Fatima Silvainale.

The body of Jerome Scott was found in his motor home in downtown Los Angeles in 1981. He had been stabbed 17 times. The police took an interest in the Scott’s ex-wife Patricia Wright within days of the murder. Because of a lack of evidence, the case went cold for 16 years. The first major break came when Patricia’s brother cut a deal and testified, implicating Patricia and a family friend. Now, Patricia’s daughter and sister want to prove the conviction was a miscarriage of justice.

The preview clip takes a look at one of the official statements that put Wright away. You can see it here:

“In a justice system that’s not always so just, families can be tormented by the question of guilt or innocence of their convicted loved ones,” reads the press statement. All-new episodes will re-explore “murder cases where the perpetrators convicted of the crime maintain their innocence.”

Fatima Silva is a practicing criminal defense, immigration and personal injury attorney in the Bay Area of California, who has represented clients on both the plaintiff and defense side. Now retired, Detective Sergeant Chris Anderson spent 17 years as an homicide detective for the City of Birmingham Police Dept. During his 21-year tenure, he investigated more than 300 Homicide cases in one of America’s most dangerous metropolitan cities. Anderson also spent several years as a fugitive unit supervisor, where he and his team were responsible for hunting down and apprehending only the most violent fugitives.

Anderson and Silva “pore through evidence, interview witnesses and consult experts previously overlooked by police or barred by the court.” Each episode end after the investigators evaluate their findings and either offer the convicted’s family hope for an appeal, or clarity to accept the guilty verdict.

The leading crime and justice network on television understands we have a justice system “that’s not always so just,” according to ID’s press statement. Families can be tormented by the question of guilt or innocence of their convicted loved ones.”

“In our judicial system, ‘justice denied for one is truly justice denied for all’,” Henry Schleiff, Group President, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, American Heroes Channel and Destination America, said in a statement. “Reasonable Doubt is a series that will, hopefully, provide peace and closure to some families, or hope and resources for others.”

The series is produced for Investigation Discovery by Painless Productions and RPR Media.

Reasonable Doubt‘s season 2 finale airs Wednesday, August 22, on Investigation Discovery at 10 p.m.

 

Culture Editor Tony Sokol cut his teeth on the wire services and also wrote and produced New York City’s Vampyr Theatre and the rock opera AssassiNation: We Killed JFK. Read more of his work here or find him on Twitter @tsokol.