Mord nach Plan

I'll admit, I haven't seen Blind Faith since it first aired on television 22 years ago and my memory of this 1990 movie is a little blurry. But it did impact me enough at age 15 so that to this day anytime I hear the song "Take the Long Way Home" I am reminded of a scene from the movie (still clear as day in my mind), where the 1979 Supertramp hit plays on the car radio while a bubbly Joanna Kerns drives one of her sons home. It's one of the sweetest scenes in the movie, which fans of Robert Ullrich, Ms. Kerns, true-crime stories, and New Jersey history should enjoy if they're in the mood for a vintage TV movie. The acting is top-notch, the characters likable and memorable, and the plot is intriguing (even gripping, given the fact that it's based on a true story). However, like most films of this genre—TV movies—it does require the right day and state of mind to fully appreciate and enjoy.

This is an excellent, heart wrenching film; I cry every time I see how devastated those children were with the murder of their loving mom and the trial of their father. This film, more than any other film depicting a true crime story, takes one through the tumultuous upheaval that a victim of a violent crime suffers(in this case, these boys are the victims of their mom's murder by their dad.) Other true crime story films depict the violence or the plight of the defendant. As a former prosecutor and prison counselor, I know first hand that the victims of crime are too often ignored by the criminal justice system. This film hits an emotional home run in telling the victims' stories. The relationship between Maria Marshall and her sons is the cornerstone of the film, and it makes one realize the depth of suffering one endures with so senseless a crime. Her beauty as a loving mother is contrasted with Robert Marshall's self absorbed obsession with himself and his needs. Caught in the middle are three innocent children, devoted sons to both parents, believing with "blind faith" in the innocence of their dad despite the overwhelming evidence unfolding before them. Despite its length (4 hours), the film and the book by Joe McGinnis are worth your time. The 20th anniversary of Maria's murder is September 7, 2004.

I grew up with the Marshall family. We went to elementary school, middle school, high school east and mass at St.Joe's every Sunday. I knew John pretty well and he was always a sweetie and really funny. My older siblings new the older boys better then I. The movie was good. I feel bad for John, Chris and Roby though. The father was a very mean man and Mrs. Marshall was never nice to us either. God rest her soul. I think Joanna Kerns is a great actress but I cannot remember Maria being so nice. She was very rude to my Mother on one occasion and my Mother cried for days. I will never forget that. I hope the boys do not read this but it is true. They where in fact the richest family in my school and back in the 70's and 80's they seemed to be very well off. I remember there home and it was beautiful. To bad the parents looked down on people that where not on there social status.

This mini-series is one of my personal favorites. It was one of the first to show New Jersey not as gang-related or as urban but suburban Ocean County in Toms River, New Jersey. Joanna Kerns does a beautiful job playing the mother and the late Robert Urich does an equally superb job playing the father. The boys were played exceptionally well in despite of the growing suspicion of the father's involvement and his obvious guilt. He is still on New Jersey's death row and will never get executed in the state. I remember when I first watched this mini-series on television and later I watched it on lifetime. The mini-series depicts the story of a family who should have had it all only to blow up in the face of Mr. Marshall who arranged his wife's murder to collect insurance money. You can't forget Dennis Farina as the prosecutor in the role, Doris Roberts who plays the loving blinded older woman who helps with the boys, and Robin Strasser does a superb job playing the mistress who finally helps bring down Marshall. I am not saying that she wasn't guilty but you know that you can't judge somebody.

When I was in ninth grade (1997-98), my spanish teacher told us about an incident in Bass River, New Jersey, in which a man set up the murder of his wife while en route to their home in Toms River, NJ after visiting Atlantic City. The man was having an affair with the Assistant Principal of a high school, and he arranged with her to make the killing of his wife possible. Now, I'll tell you how local this story really is. My former high school (graduated in 2001), Pinelands Regional High School, was where this principal worked. In 1984, she was arrested on school grounds for the killing of her lover's wife. Bass River Twp. (Burlington Co. border)is less than a mile from my house (southwest Ocean Co.), and I know the campground where she was killed (Bass River State Park). My Spanish teacher witnessed this woman getting arrested at my old school. The thing is, they changed the name of the school to protect it.

I just saw this movie on Sunday, and I realized how eerily local it was. The family lives in an affluent section of Toms River (I think North TR is the most affluent), and Robert Marshall is accused of having a hand in killing his wife, Maria. The movie is about the aftermath, and what the three Marshall boys, Chris, Robbie, and John Marshall go through.

What really amazes me is that this film is as local as it gets. I live about 35-40 minutes from Toms River, but I was only 2 when this incident happened, and not living in the area (I moved to Ocean County in 1985). The fact that this was centered around a principal at my own school was unbelievable, and the fact that my teacher told the story is beyond words.

While this movie was a typical movie of the week, the acting was decent, and the story was played out well. This was a famous story at my school, and I'm glad I knew about it before I saw this. If you catch this on Lifetime, I highly recommend it, especially to south Jerseyans like me, as it is local, and everyone knows almost nothing happens in south Jersey.