So many people had the opportunity, the motive, the means. Madison Hamburg looks back after the finale of "Murder on Middle Beach," the docuseries about his search for his mother's killer. There was no stone they had left unturned.. But the court has no doubt that this decision is not the last word on this issue, nor should it be, Klau wrote in his conclusion. Murder on Middle Beach calls a handful of suspects into question. I was a drug addict at the time, and really fell into my addiction and hit my rock bottom. On March 3, 2010, Barbara was found brutally murdered in the yard of their Connecticut home. We now know they have that information, which led them to ask additional questions of us of information that we had not shared with the general public, Drumm told commissioners, adding that the department needed to retain the information to complete its investigation. "I can't get into details, but it's been extremely illuminating.". However, Jeffrey did have a very solid alibi of being in court at the time of Barbara's murder, which seems to make it physically impossible for him to have committed the crime personally. According to Schulz, the Madison Police Department took a completely inappropriate approach to deciding which documents to release. My sister and my aunt are the closest thing I have to my mom, like they're the closest in DNA, and what they sound like. So when she eventually got evicted, she moved to Florida, where she spent her days sleeping on park benches and just awaiting her death. It was she who recruited Barbara into the tables, but the latter's ambition eventually caused problems for Platt. But even if the. What were the reactions of Ali and Conway like? She blacks out and wakes up the next morning upstairs on a bed, naked and cashless. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. As for where she is now, Conway appears to be residing in Connecticut, where she spends most of her free time with her family, especially her mother, son, and toddler grandson. Reproduction of material from any Salon pages without written permission is strictly prohibited. But it's been tough watching this go week to week and having breaks in between where people on the internet can react to my family. "I was so messed up, I didn't know what to do. "My parents told me that . Beach had also moved in with Barbara prior to the murder while she was recovering from brain surgery, and the documentary alleges that Barbara wanted her to move out. But Madison's. Her body was discovered by Madison's aunt Conway and his sister, Ali; his father . It is more than a reasonable possibility, pun intended, that the Connecticut Appellate or Supreme Court will review this decision. In 2016, he began to film a project reviewing the circumstances around his mothers death, interviewing family members and pursuing information from the Madison Police Department about its investigation. But first here are the facts: According to the doc, Barbara Hamburg was a 48-year-old single mother who was bludgeoned and stabbed to death in the front yard of her Madison, CT home on the morning of March 3, 2010. I wanted to give their stories justice and unfortunately that involves exploring these conflicts. Barbara's sister, Conway Beach, makes a number of accusations in the series accusing Ali of murdering her mother, believing she did so before going to school on that day. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. The medical examiner later ruled her death a homicide, noting that she died as a result of "multiple blunt and sharp force injury.". Drumm told commissioners that a number of agencies, including the Madison Police Department, had already released information about the case, and that releasing further evidence could compromise the ongoing investigation. In 2019, Madison Hamburg and Niemeyer requested the departments investigative files under the states public records law, but the department refused, claiming the case remains an open and ongoing investigation. "Murder on Middle Beach" is currently streaming on HBO Max. HBO. The case raises questions about exactly when a cold case is considered cold enough to release the investigative files publicly and likely is destined for much further debate by both the judiciary and general assembly, Klau reasoned. Sadly, her life was taken on March 3, 2010 in Madison, Connecticut. It's terrifying, and I think that something that was really important for me was naming and identifying the adverse effects of doing something like this in the documentary itself, because I just think that's one of the unique aspects of the point of view. Many ancient pipes in CT aren't up to the task of draining storm water, yet officials just seem to shrug. In past cases in which the exemption was upheld, police showed the commission they were interviewing witnesses, in the final stages of an investigation or working on it weekly, according to Harmon. Years before she was murdered, Madison Hamburg 's mother Barbara Hamburg gave him a gift that would shape his life forever. Conway remembers taking a bag of money to a Florida hotel to meet someone who presented themselves as a hitman. Attorney David Schulz, a Yale Law professor and member of the schools Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic that has worked with Hamburg and Niemeyer on the records fight, called Klaus decision thorough and thoughtful. He agreed the eventual conclusion of this case could help set new precedent for how the public access old police case files across the state, which is an important tool for holding investigators accountable, he said. Drumm told CT Examiner that the Police Department had gone through all the files relevant to the case. Every Theory About Barbara Hamburg's Murder Murder on Middle Beach calls a handful of suspects into question. There are strong public policy reasons for denying the general public unfettered access to investigation files, while the police are actively investigating a crime and continuing to collect new evidence and pursue new leads, Klau wrote in his decision. 7: Caught in a Bad Romance, Brandon Sklenar is the Baddest Dutton of Them All, The 'Outer Banks' S3 Finale Is Intense as Hell. We work on this case weekly, we have a states attorney assigned to us who works on this weekly. After the Police Department appealed a commission order to the release the records, a trial court in August 2021 upheld the commissions decision. Beach theorizes that Barbara was killed by Ali while on her way out of the house, rather than after returning home from dropping Ali off at school as the investigation suggests. June 3, 2021 8:00AM. When my mom died I really was kind of orphaned and Savannah became like a home, and I turned to faculty, people I worked with, people in the community as surrogate parents in a way, and so I kept in touch. On March 3, 2010, Barbara was found brutally murdered in the yard of their Connecticut home. Schulz said that the plaintiffs would be thrilled if the police were able to solve the crime, but he said that this wasnt a reason to keep a case open forever. To allow police to say that because an investigation is active without any insurmountable obstacle to prosecution, the public must defer to their judgment, Ecker said, and does not take public concerns into account. Theyve done multiple cold case reviews. "Murder on Middle Beach" adds to the genre as well. Retracing the path of controversial Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe includes many stops in Connecticut. The theorists point out that Jeffrey had the most obvious motive while also having an alibi that was almost too perfect. We also have to honor the victims and their families. Where homicides involved I think the interest is too great not to err on the side of not disclosing.. Barbara was found dead on the morning of March 3, 2010, in the yard of her rental house on Middle Beach Road in Madison, Conn. Police responded at 11:25 a.m. to a 911 call reporting an injured . And, as Jeffrey alleged via a phone call to Madison, is there any evidence that the documents detailing his financial decisions had been fabricated? But after watching the entire series through again on Monday morning, I realized that's obviously the point one that I had lost sight of while tuning in week-to-week for the last month, eager to see how the case concluded. I'm also so close to this, and I've seen it a thousand times over the past eight years that I don't have perspective as to what is objectively good or bad. HBO. SALON is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC. I moved to Austin after school and found out there was this alumni artist residency that the president of SCAD was funding personally, and so I reached out to them about it. CT DOT faces criticism following overnight tree-cutting, Haar: Payouts at fading CT trash agency offer lessons in a crisis, State nursing homes could face fine due to too many empty beds, CT legislators revive debate over firefighters' cancer benefits. The department did turn over two full boxes of documents to Hamburg and Niemeyer in October 2020, but the filmmakers alerted investigators in early November that dozens of files were apparently missing from those records. This was actually where the four-part series began, as first-time filmmaker Madison Hamburg set out to investigate the events surrounding the murder of his mother, Barbara Beach Hamburg, who was found stabbed and bludgeoned to death outside her home in an affluent Connecticut suburb in 2010. [2] That's a question that I've asked myself a lot. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. If a department cannot show there is a prospective law enforcement action and that disclosure of the records would be prejudicial to such an action, then the publics right to access the records wins out, Harmon said, arguing the Madison Police Department failed to meet its burden of proof in this case. I know what I've set out to do and tried like hell to fulfill that, to challenge the conventions of true crime and the way that we tell the story, and just to hear people think it's goodjust to think that people were watching and telling other people about it and it was a part of the conversation outside of the people in my immediate circle was just, I don't know, maybe it's silly, but it's something that is really gratifying. Upon hearing this new information, Beach alters her opinion of Ali as the murderer. Do we need a case to be closed, or at least a prime suspect in view, to feel like a narrative arc was actually achieved before the final end credits? In the series, she denies killing Barbara while showing little to no remorse for her past crimes. The last time I talked to my dad was on camera. . Beach Hamburg is survived by her children, Madison and Ali, 27, as well as her mother, also named Barbara, and numerous siblings. An anonymous witness also revealed that she was scared of Conway as she had allegedly threatened her by leaving dead animals on her doorstep, implying that she had the guts and the motive to commit a murder. She cites the fact that the teenager had a rocky relationship with her mother, which was only intensified by Ali's struggles with borderline personality disorder. She remained in class until Conway picked her up. In 2022 Otte was awarded "Rookie of the Year," by the New England Newspaper & Press Association. If Barbara dropped Ali off at 7:47 am and the court hearing was at 9:30 am, perhaps the father had enough time to commit the murder. Because of the case's mysterious nature, the Internet is full of theories pondering who killed Barbara Hamburg. What details, if any, does Conway remember about the person she planned to hire to kill Barbara? Due to Conway's addiction, she lost custody of her son to Barbara, after which Conway attempted to hire a hitman to kill Barbara because she "snapped. Madison's's father, Jeffrey Hamburg, was presented as a main person of interest throughout the series. I know the case is still open. I'll admit, on my first watch of the finale, I was a little frustrated by the lack of answers. Beach also alleges that Ali killed Barbara, claiming that the then-high schooler acted bizarrely at the scene of the murder by declaring it a crime scene before any evidence of a crime was observed. The series examined the Hamburg familys relationships in the wake of Barbaras death and focused on suspicions both the police and family had about her husband and Madisons father, Jeffrey Hamburg. We still don't know who killed Barbara Hamburg, but with the renewed attention paid to the case thanks to Murder on Middle Beach, we could one day find out. It really was a rollercoaster, especially because it is such a personal story, so trying to sell it was pretty interesting. But one thing that surprised meI remember the first message I got after the release of episode one. The people in the States Attorneys office who oversee the cold case reviews agreed with them that there were no new leads to follow. But they're in a really good spot now. I can't get into details, but it's been extremely illuminating. Seeking a way out of making those payments or seeing the inside of a jail cell could allegedly have been a motive for Jeffrey to kill Barbara. Hamburg, for his part, said Beach Hamburg was behind on mortgage payments for their property. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. As made evident in the series, Conway Beach is just one of the few family members who hasnt been able to move on from Barbaras murder no matter how much time has passed by. And I've been really careful not to have hunches and not to express any opinions about what I think happened cause I think that's the biggest challenge with any investigation. Madison Hamburg has been transparent in interviews about wanting to produce "a different take on true crime. But they have had no new leads for years, he said. I assume he has, but I'm not sure. "We miss her dearly, and it is a great loss to not have her with us," she said at a 2011 vigil, the New Haven Register reported at the time. That is unbelievably gratifying, so I don't know, there's a lot of mixed things swirling around in how I feel right now. She also suffered numerous stab wounds to her face, chest, and hands. Conways Facebook page includes recent photos with them all, implying that despite her rocky past, she currently has a good and healthy relationship with them. Those screenings were the most difficult family screenings. Throughout these four episodes, Madison Hamburg, and us, learned the truth about the life Barbara Hamburg really lived - that she was a recovering alcoholic who, at the . In setting out to do this, I didn't have an expectation that we would solve my mom's case, but there are many goals I have had throughout this process and they sort of evolve. I have to do my best to preserve what I have in that investigation so that I can charge the person or persons with the murder, said Drumm. It's a shocking twist and, just when viewers need things to be put into context, the details become murky. In a meeting of the towns Board of Police Commissioners on Thursday evening, Police Chief John Drumm said that if the courts ultimately ruled in favor of releasing the records, it could create a precedent that would affect police investigations across the state. It's a sobering, overwhelming realization. The show follows director Madison Hamburg as he investigates his mother's murder, and talks to his family members about how they were affected. According to the doc, Jeffrey allegedly owed Barbara and their two children hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the two were due to appear in court together on the day Barbara was murdered to sort it out. The police department initially provided two boxes of materials to the filmmakers late last year which the pair said were incomplete before the department reversed course and appealed the commissions decision in Superior Court. Murder on Middle Beach didn't decisively eliminate any other suspects. Do you know if your dad has watched or is watching? In a statement ahead of the hearing, Hamburgs son, Madison Hamburg, who helped make an HBO documentary series about his mothers death called "Murder on Middle Beach," called for the records release. Madison Hamburg, who was a teenager when his mother died, went on to study documentary filmmaking. Barbara Hamburg was found murdered outside her familys Middle Beach Road home on March 3, 2010, but the case went cold and no one has ever been charged in connection with her death. Just doing that over and over. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The series depicted how the investigation process caused rifts between the family and the secrets which suggested their involvement in the murder. But even if the central question at the center of the case remains a mystery, Murder on Middle Beach solved at least one question that had long plagued the decade-old case. 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