A Wilderness of Error — Season 1
Find the truth. Hide the lies.
About this season
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.
Episodes (5)
1. Girl in a Floppy Hat
Aired 25 September 2020 • 45 min
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
Aired 25 September 2020 • 45 min
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...
Aired 25 September 2020 • 45 min
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
Aired 2 October 2020 • 45 min
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
Aired 2 October 2020 • 45 min
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.