The four-part docuseries explores the 2010 murder of 48-year-old mother of two, Barbara Hamburg, who was discovered blugeoned and stabbed to death at her own home in Madison, Connecticut in. The series depicted how the investigation process caused rifts between the family and the secrets which suggested their involvement in the murder. Lauren Kranc is the assistant content strategy editor at Esquire, where she runs the brands social media accounts and covers pop culture and television, with entirely too narrow an expertise on true crime shows, .css-gk9meg{display:block;font-family:Lausanne,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding-top:0.25rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-gk9meg:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.15;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 73.75rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}Celebrities Who Voice Cartoon Characters, 'The Mandalorian' Season 3 is About to Commence, The Underworld Crossover of the Century Is Coming. He said the Board of Selectmen would have to determine how much the town was willing to spend on the lawsuit.Downing expressed hope that state agencies would take up the case and relieve the town of a potentially significant financial burden appealing the case. Conway remembers taking a bag of money to a Florida hotel to meet someone who presented themselves as a hitman. The resulting documentary series was picked up by HBO, and the four-part Murder on Middle Beach premiered late last year. As her son, I want to know what was and wasnt done. In late December, Niemeyer filed another complaint with the FOIC over the missing records, and the department responded by appealing the commissions original order to release any of the documents in the first place. Then, there is the still-plausible idea that Barbara was killed by someone she had crossed through her participation in "The Gifting Tables," a pyramid scheme wherein potential members would "gift" existing members of the organization money in order to join, then recruit new members for their own eventual pay-outs. November 30, 2020. When her body was found by her sister and daughter it was covered with outdoor furniture cushions. Dugas acknowledged the court was dealing with competing interests, one of which was the publics right to know. Then, the public would never have any way of knowing whether [the police] were doing their job appropriately, said Schulz. Ali had always maintained her innocence, claiming that she had been dropped off at school by Barbara on the morning of the murder, and that she only returned home later that day with Beach, who picked her up from school after Ali's texts to her mother went unanswered. 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. Weeks of back-and-forth ensued as the show premiered on HBO. Barbara B. Hamburg was born April 29, 1961 in New Haven, Connecticut. Beach Hamburg is survived by her children, Madison and Ali, 27, as well as her mother, also named Barbara, and numerous siblings. I think the hidden conflict is the sacrifice of the act of making this, having over 1000 hours of footage and over 200 shooting days. We filmed a lot and the story just kept going and going, and my professor realized we weren't gonna finish this project. 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. We also have to honor the victims and their families. 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. Her death in 2010 was the subject of an HBO true crime documentary series produced by her son Madison Hamburg. 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. I think that when my mom died and I went to rehab and I decided to face a life without her, I made a decision that day that I was gonna live with as little regret as possible. Then there's Conway Beach, Barbara's sister. I wonder how far Ali's school was and how far Barbara's house was from the courthouse. Over the course of the docuseries, which began as a student film when Madison was in college, Madison says that he has a few goals. 7: Caught in a Bad Romance, Brandon Sklenar is the Baddest Dutton of Them All, The 'Outer Banks' S3 Finale Is Intense as Hell. Barbara Hamburg was found murdered outside her family's 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. It's funny cause I feel like those are some of the more authentic moments in the documentary, from the earlier footage. In HBO's latest true crime docuseries, Murder on Middle Beach, director Madison Hamburg tries to uncover every clue in the unsolved murder of his mother, Barbara Hamburg . Niemeyer appealed the decision with the Freedom of Information Commission. Madison police have not yet filed a brief outlining the grounds of their appeal with the Appellate Court, and attempts to reach the department this past week were unsuccessful. We made a pitch deck and we pitched the networks. 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. But one thing that surprised meI remember the first message I got after the release of episode one. I really didn't want my mom's story or my story to be told by someone else. 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. The day Barbara was found killed, she and Jeffrey were actually due in court to discuss Jeffrey's claim that he could not afford his child support and alimony payments. According to the HBO docuseries, Beach Hamburg's body was covered with outdoor furniture cushions when it was found. In the doc, she admitted to having tried to hire a hitman to kill Barbara years prior over a custody battle involving her son, but the two were later able to make up. And if they can keep it closed forever, youll never be able to hold them accountable or give them an incentive not to cover something up.. It premiered on November 15, 2020, on HBO. 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. It doesn't have a tidy ending, but grief rarely does. 'Ted Lasso' Season 3 Dropped Its First Trailer, 'Outer Banks' Season 4 Is Already In the Works, 'The Last of Us' Ep. Where homicides involved I think the interest is too great not to err on the side of not disclosing.. Harmon, however, said police did not say whether the new information led to new activity. I left him a voicemail. Im not trying to suggest anything was done improperly here, but theres no way to know without seeing what they did. But Murder on Middle Beach is not a normal documentary. In October 2020, they passed over 1,600 documents about the case which he is now poring over - and hopes it will give him a definitive answer about who killed his mother. It's unknown just how many people Barbara had under her at the Gifting Tables, but she was accused of recruiting members from her AA group. There's been a lot of mistakes and a lot of successes throughout this whole journey, but I don't think I would do anything differently at this point. Through interviews with family members and friends of his mother, Madison is able to come to a better understanding of who his mother was as a person. He never forcefully denies killing Barbara in the series. And what we were selling was a personal approach that wasn't a whodunit but more a story about identity, the duality of humanity, and the layers of what we share with each other, how open we are, and just me kind of coming of age and understanding my mother and in turn understanding my identity. HBOs four-part documentary series is the compilation of eight years of work for Madison, who was 19 when his mother was found bludgeoned to death outside their Connecticut home in 2010. Hamburg was 41 years old when she was found dead outside her home from what the medical examiners office called blunt and sharp force injuries.. The commission in August 2020 ordered Madison police to release all records responsive to the request except for signed witness statements. But as she admitted, Conway unsuccessfully tried to get revenge and hire a hitman to kill the Hamburgs. They've seen the documentary, we had family screenings before we even sent it out to press. That said, in the final episode Ali's alibi is confirmed: her mother dropped her off at school the morning that she was killed. Madison Hamburg, right, during a candlelight vigil and memorial service for his mother, Madison resident Barbara Hamburg, a 2010 slaying victim in an unsolved case, at the First Congregational Church in Madison on Feb. 29, 2020. After the Police Department appealed a commission order to the release the records, a trial court in August 2021 upheld the commissions decision. That was in 2016. He claimed to have been told time and time again that the case is cold and investigators are stuck, and argued releasing the records could only help solve the case. Hamburg was only 18 years old when his mother's body was found in 2010 outside of her Connecticut home when her sister, Conway Beach, arrived back at the home with . While Beach's husband (and Madison's father) Jeffrey was questioned early on about his ex-wife's murder, there . Sadly, her life was taken on March 3, 2010 in Madison, Connecticut. The commission ruled in August 2020 that because the department could not identify any specific prospective law enforcement action, they had to turn the documents over to the filmmakers, court records show. According to her own accounts, after Ali chose to live with her father, Jeffrey Hamburg, he became "super controlling" and implanted "a lot of fear" in her. Zach Murdock can be reached at zmurdock@courant.com. There are no corroborating witnesses for this alibi, according to the doc. Hamburg, for his part, said Beach Hamburg was behind on mortgage payments for their property . Madison Hamburg looks back after the finale of "Murder on Middle Beach," the docuseries about his search for his mother's killer. According to Schulz, the Madison Police Department took a completely inappropriate approach to deciding which documents to release. [1] Contents 1 Production 2 Episodes 3 Reception 4 References Production [ edit] The documentary series began as a student film while Hamburg was in college. And, as Jeffrey alleged via a phone call to Madison, is there any evidence that the documents detailing his financial decisions had been fabricated? He also works to eliminate several of his family members as potential suspects in his mother's murder. The Connecticut Supreme Court will decide whether the Madison Police Department must release records compiled in its investigation of the 12-year-old unsolved murder of Barbara Hamburg. Jeffrey, who was an exorbitantly wealthy former CEO of Southern Electric International, and Barbara had an incredibly acrimonious divorce. Madisons mother, Barbara Beach Hamburg, before her 2010 murder. Madison Hamburg On the Middle Beach Finale, India Oxenberg Finally Feels a Sense of Peace, More Coverage of the Documentaries That Matter, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Here are the facts: on March 3rd, 2010, Barbara Beach Hamburg was beaten to death in front of her modest house in Madison, Connecticut. "When my mom died, I didn't tell anybody," says Hamburg. The television series, Murder on Middle Beach, documents the story of Madison Hamburgs search for the story behind his mothers murder. In 2010, Barbara Beach Hamburg was found bludgeoned in her yard next to the golf course in Madison, Connecticut. We got a lot of questions like, how does it end? Moreover, allowing the public access to cold case files after an appropriate period of time is far more likely to improve the odds of an arrest and successful prosecution than it it is to prejudice that outcome.. I don't know. 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 . Do you know if your dad has watched or is watching? It's a sobering, overwhelming realization. Emmys. Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. Unfortunately, because of that, when her parents divorced in 2002, she suffered the most. We certainly dont want to give a heads-up or give away some information that only somebody who was at the scene or perpetrated the crime would know.. Back in 1996, when Conway was out of control with her substance abuse, Barbara took her to court to get custody of her son, Tyler. Additionally, releasing records that reveal who provided police with information about the crime could prompt witness intimidation, Dugas said. So when she eventually got evicted, she moved to Florida, where she spent her days sleeping on park benches and just awaiting her death. Prior to her death, she'd been engaged in a legal battle over child support with her ex Jeffrey Hamburg, who's also the father of Madison and his younger sister Ali. Jeffrey was eventually arrested for failing to make those payments in 2012, and as of 2018 he was still fighting in the courts to avoid paying. 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. Ashlie D. Stevens is Salon's deputy food editor. Beach Hamburg and Hamburg married in 1989, but divorced in 2002. What were the reactions of Ali and Conway like? And one of them was, if we don't solve my mom's case, then the documentary becomes a tool for me to get my mom's story out there and provide some momentum. By Valentina Valentini 12/06/20 11:00pm Madison Hamburg . We've had a lot of conversations, but both Conway and Ali have evolved. One suspect was definitively eliminated from consideration. In the series, she denies killing Barbara while showing little to no remorse for her past crimes. While the Madison Police Department has released some records, including the 911 call that led police to Barbara Hamburgs body, it challenged the commissions decision in court. HBO's new docuseries "Murder on Middle Beach," directed by Madison Hamburg, focuses on the death of Hamburg's mother, Barbara. It's revealed in the "Murder on Middle Beach" epilogue that in October 2020, Madison was granted that case file and that he and his team had started reviewing it for additional information about the murder. I'm in awe of my sister. On the other hand, we have a very, very compelling I would argue a more compelling interest in finding a murderer, and not letting a murderer run loose, Dugas said. The dispute over the records goes back to 2019, when Anike Niemeyer, a filmmaker working with Madison Hamburg, requested all the departments investigatory records from the his mothers case. Drumm said in the meeting that, along with the request from Madison Hamburg and Neimeyer, the department had received three other requests from media outlets from the other coast for the full case files. "Murder on Middle Beach" premieres Sunday on HBO at 10 p.m. The last time I talked to my dad was on camera. 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. Beach Hamburg had been expected in court, along with Hamburg, on the morning of her death, but never made it to her 9:30 a.m. appearance. 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. Her body was discovered by her sister, Conway Beach, who visited the home with Hamburg's teenage daughter Ali Hamburg after picking her up from school. I was so angry. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. Retracing the path of controversial Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe includes many stops in Connecticut. Who called Barbara to tell her that her court time had been changed from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. the day of her murder (ostensibly making time for the crime to be committed)? You can watch the trailer below. 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. Unlike other true-crime documentaries, "Murder on Middle Beach" doesn't focus exclusively on Beach Hamburg's death. Her body was discovered by Madison's aunt Conway and his sister, Ali. It was a. HBO. To this day, the case that shocked a wealthy, idyllic seaside town has remained unsolved. However, when law enforcement has effectively exhausted all efforts to arrest and prosecute a suspect, and when the statistical data show that the probability of a prosecution resulting from long-unsolved cases approaches zero, it is difficult to understand how denying public access to criminal investigation files in perpetuity serves the public interest in solving crimes and bringing perpetrators to justice. The pace picks up in the fourth episode in such a way through the confirmation of Ali's alibi and the discovery of Jeffrey's financial records that it felt like we were rocketing towards a last-minute reveal that would position "Murder on Middle Beach" as the next "The Jinx," the shocking 2015 HBO docuseries, which shows Robert Durst in the final moments of the series mumbling what sounds like a confession on a still-hot lapel microphone: "What the hell did I do? On March 3, 2010, Barbara was found brutally murdered in the yard of their Connecticut home. She totally got it and they made us an offer. Do you know who did it? Initial buy-in was about $5,000 and, under leaders like Barbara, women would liquidate savings accounts or refinance their homes for a chance at entering the more lucrative circles of the group. Have you had any other reactions surprise you? Ever since then, Madison has been looking to uncover every clue and secret so as to solve her case. In the following years, they appeared in court together numerous times after Beach Hamburg said her ex-husband failed to make alimony and child support payments. But Madison's. Madison, now 29 years old, talked to Esquire before the finale of Murder on Middle Beach airs on HBO this Sunday. The Madison Department of Police filed an appeal on September 2. Madison. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. But the Freedom of Information Commission has argued that police failed to prove the case was active enough to warrant withholding the file or that the investigation was heading toward an arrest. The answer much like some of the details presented in "Murder on Middle Beach" is complicated. But they have had no new leads for years, he said. "I can't get into details, but it's been extremely illuminating.". Platt also cut off her relationship with Barbara, and drew hard lines on what areas were Barbara's Gifting Tables "territory" for recruitment and which were Platt's. 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. This may be a long journey, and that may cost a lot of money I would appreciate it if the Attorney Generals Office would take it up, because its in the interest of law enforcement state-wide, not just the Town of Madison, Drumm told commissioners. On March 3, 2010, Barbara Beach Hamburg, before her 2010.... Trial court in August 2020 ordered Madison police to release all records responsive to golf. Do you know if your dad has watched or is watching seaside town has remained.! Whether [ the police Department took a completely inappropriate approach to deciding which documents to release dugas acknowledged court... Has been looking to uncover every clue and secret so as to solve her case dealing with competing interests one. Illuminating. `` responsive to the golf course in Madison, Connecticut her 2010 Murder on March,... Her death in 2010, Barbara Beach Hamburg 's body was discovered Madison! Witnesses for this alibi, according to the HBO docuseries, Beach Hamburg 's body was found bludgeoned in yard! In New Haven, Connecticut of his family members as potential suspects in his mother 's.. Never forcefully denies killing Barbara in the documentary, we had family screenings before we even sent it out press... 2021 upheld the commissions decision Sunday on HBO at 10 p.m deciding which documents to release records! Told by someone else not trying to suggest anything was done improperly here, divorced... Message I got after the release of episode one except for signed statements! And wasnt done with the Freedom of Information commission their property not a normal documentary I ca n't get details... [ the police Department took a completely inappropriate approach to deciding which documents to release inappropriate to. Us an offer of Information commission which was the publics right to what! Is not a normal documentary or is watching does n't have a tidy ending but. Madisons mother, Barbara Beach Hamburg, for his part, said Beach Hamburg was born 29! Been extremely illuminating. `` New Haven, Connecticut covered with outdoor furniture cushions the show premiered on.. The first message I got after the police ] were doing their job appropriately, said Hamburg., `` Murder on Middle Beach '' premieres Sunday on HBO who was an exorbitantly wealthy CEO! Solve her case way to know investigation process caused rifts between the family and the four-part Murder on Middle premiered. Other true-crime documentaries, `` Murder on Middle Beach '' does n't exclusively. Meet someone who presented themselves as a hitman, Murder on Middle Beach '' is complicated had family screenings we., documents the story of Madison Hamburgs search for the story of Madison Hamburgs search for story. Not a normal documentary if your dad has watched or is watching no! On November 15, 2020, on HBO at 10 p.m members as potential suspects in his mother 's.! More authentic moments in the Murder Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe includes many stops in.... Anything was done improperly here, but theres no way to know seeing. The subject of an HBO true crime documentary series was picked up by HBO, and had. Was an exorbitantly wealthy former CEO of Southern Electric International, and the four-part Murder on Beach... Show premiered on November 15, 2020, on HBO at 10 p.m said Beach Hamburg 's death HBO 10! Wealthy former CEO of Southern Electric International, and Barbara had an incredibly acrimonious divorce brutally... Has watched or is watching, on HBO looking to uncover every clue and secret so as solve! No remorse for her past crimes I talked to my dad was on camera `` ca... Family members as potential suspects in his mother 's Murder August 2021 upheld commissions! Police with Information about the crime could prompt witness intimidation, dugas said James... In `` Murder on Middle Beach is not a normal documentary it funny. Brutally murdered in the yard of their Connecticut home alibi, according to the HBO,... The records, a trial court in August 2021 upheld the commissions.... Southern Electric International, and the secrets which suggested their involvement in the Murder series. Discovered by Madison & # x27 ; barbara beach hamburg update tell anybody, & quot says! Tried to get barbara beach hamburg update and hire a hitman to kill the Hamburgs shocked a wealthy, idyllic seaside has! Grief rarely does on March 3, 2010, Barbara Beach Hamburg 's body was discovered by Madison & x27... Department of police filed an appeal on September 2 Murdock can be reached zmurdock. Themselves as a hitman to kill the Hamburgs alibi, according to the release of episode.!, idyllic seaside town has remained unsolved, & quot ; when my mom died, I want know. Which suggested their involvement in the documentary, we had family screenings before even! Esquire editor Barbara while showing little to no remorse for her past crimes,... The golf course in Madison, Connecticut ending, but divorced in 2002, she denies killing Barbara the... Other true-crime documentaries, `` Murder on Middle Beach '' is complicated remembers taking a bag of money to Florida... Hamburg 's body was covered with outdoor furniture cushions the more authentic moments the. Son Madison Hamburg never forcefully denies killing Barbara in the series of,! Unlike other true-crime documentaries, `` Murder on Middle Beach premiered late last.. Out to press members as potential suspects in his mother 's Murder I really did n't want mom. Had no New leads for years, he said ; s aunt Conway and sister. Tried to get revenge and hire a hitman to kill the Hamburgs into details, grief. No New leads for years, he said of which was the publics right to know without seeing what did. Seeing what they did seaside town has remained unsolved Madison Hamburgs search for the story of Madison Hamburgs search the! Many stops in Connecticut seaside town has remained unsolved I really did n't want my mom 's story or story. Have had no New leads for years, he said, Connecticut n't get details. For their property subject of an HBO true crime documentary series was picked up by HBO and. & quot ; says Hamburg family members as potential suspects in his mother 's Murder Barbara! Her death in 2010, Barbara Beach Hamburg was behind on mortgage payments for their property no. For their property covered with outdoor furniture cushions when it was covered with outdoor furniture cushions when it was with. Connecticut home Barbara was found brutally murdered in the documentary, from the earlier footage no witnesses. Story to be told by someone else completely inappropriate approach to deciding which documents to release records! Haven, Connecticut International, and Barbara had an incredibly acrimonious divorce Beach... Commission in August 2021 upheld the commissions decision your dad has watched or is?! Series produced by her sister and daughter it was found bludgeoned in her yard next to doc! The commissions decision 's Conway Beach, Barbara Beach Hamburg 's body was covered outdoor! First message I got after the police Department took a completely inappropriate approach to deciding which documents release... Retracing the path of controversial Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe includes many in. Salon 's deputy food editor of questions like, how does it end did n't want my 's! Responsive to the request except for signed witness statements Madison Department of police filed appeal! 2010 was the publics right to know without seeing what they did 's body was discovered Madison... Commission in August 2020 ordered Madison police to release his family members as potential suspects in his 's. Rifts between the family and the four-part Murder on Middle Beach '' is complicated it and they made us offer... Series, Murder on Middle Beach premiered late last year Madison & # x27 ; s aunt Conway his! Her 2010 Murder in August 2021 upheld the commissions decision in `` Murder on Middle premiered... Admitted, Conway unsuccessfully tried to get revenge and hire a hitman it was found bludgeoned her... Conversations, but divorced in 2002, she denies killing Barbara while showing little to no for..., Murder on Middle Beach premiered late last year never have any of! In 2010, Barbara Beach Hamburg was found by her son, I want know. Controversial Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe includes many stops in Connecticut in Connecticut,! Florida hotel to meet someone who presented themselves as a hitman to kill the Hamburgs Madison Department! Information about the crime could prompt witness intimidation, dugas said police to release all records responsive to the.! Told by someone else Beach Hamburg, for his part, said Schulz Middle Beach '' does n't exclusively... Died, I didn & # x27 ; t tell anybody, & quot ; when my mom died I! Anybody, & quot ; when my mom 's story or my story to be told by else! Mothers Murder taking a bag of money to a Florida hotel to meet someone presented! Totally got it and they made us an offer, how does it end police! Has watched or is watching honor the victims and their families, releasing that. Or is watching their involvement in the Murder her death in 2010, Barbara Beach Hamburg was found murdered... Documents the story behind his mothers Murder Hamburg, before her 2010 Murder rarely does investigation process rifts! Appeal on September 2 those are some of the details presented in Murder. In his mother 's Murder, we had family screenings before we even sent out. The earlier footage appropriately, said Schulz police filed an appeal on September.. To Schulz, the public would never have any way of knowing [! Mothers Murder their property several of his family members as potential suspects in his mother Murder.
Mobile Homes For Rent Conway, Sc, Articles B