Murder Ordained

This is a pretty good TV true-crime murder show. Emporia, Kansas minister Tom Bird takes up an affair with his floozy secretary, played by JoBeth Williams. They pray that God will let them be together by getting rid of their spouses for them. When God doesn't cooperate, they decide to give God some help and murder their spouses.

Keith Carradine is state trooper John Rule who investigates the auto "accident" in which Mrs. Bird is killed. He's not a homicide investigator but he knows accidents and is certain that this was no accident. Rule pushes and pushes his investigation and runs into bureaucratic stone walls. His superiors only get interested in re-opening the case when Williams' husband is murdered along a highway.

The acting in this picture is pretty good and look out particularly for John Goodman, who plays a sheriff investigating the second murder, and future Oscar winner Kathy Bates as a reporter. Carradine plays Trooper Rule with a very plain Kansas doggedness---think of perhaps Sheriff Andy Taylor doing a murder investigation but without any humor or bumbling deputy tagging along.

I've looked up info about the real-life case and the movie. The two killers, Anderson and Bird, served very extended prison sentences but were eventually paroled and then released from any parole restrictions. Both were married and Bird is, weirdly enough, a marriage counselor now. Anderson still insists that it was Bird who killed her husband even though he got acquitted of that murder. Even stranger, Anderson's children are very reconciled to her despite her involvement in the murder of their father.

The movie seems to have been as controversial in Emporia as the murders themselves. The movie came out before Bird's trial in the Martin Anderson murder and the investigators in that case didn't want to participate in any movie lest they ruin their case. So the filmmakers pumped up the role and involvement of Trooper Rule to make him a far bigger hero than he was in the real investigation. The town paper's journalist (the Kathy Bates character) later became mayor of Emporia and she said that Rule's role was extremely overblown and that it was actually a confidential informant who got the insider story to the press, not Rule. Over 25 years later, there still seemed to be a lot of resentment about how the movie portrayed the story. A weird side-note, the then Governor of Kansas appeared in the movie but as an extra, someone walking in at the newspaper office.

None of the Emporia churches wanted anything to do with the movie so the exterior and interior scenes of the church were shot in Lawrence, Kansas. The movie does do an excellent job of picking up and depicting the rhythms of small-town Kansas life. Filmed entirely in Kansas locations, Kansas itself becomes a character in the story in much the same way that the character of the state was the back drop of the earlier true-crime movie, "In Cold Blood". Both movies depict cruel murders being committed by sociopaths and being confronted by the virtuous, pious, quietly hard-working small town Kansans.

I'm originally from Council Grove which is in between where Sandy Bird was murdered and Martin Anderson was murdered. I've heard about both cases all of my life and my parents know a lot of the people that were involved. I've been doing research on this story for sometime now and I'm currently doing an article for Emporia State's newspaper. I work with one of the extras in the movie too. I've been out to the bridge a few times and each time I get weird feelings while there. I don't think enough people know the actual story of what happened either. In fact most of the people I know in Emporia say they have heard of the bridge and the ghost stories but as far as knowing what actually happened many have no idea.

One of the best TV movies ever made, this riveting film tells the true-life story of the murder of a preacher's wife in rural Kansas in the early 1980s.

In one long flashback that covers the year before the wife's death in a presumed accidental traffic mishap, the script meticulously evolves the sordid relations leading up to the tragedy and the suspicion of one highway patrolman that this was no accident. In time, an ongoing tangle of lurid involvement between the preacher and his attractive church secretary leads others to the same conclusion.

As the truth of a conspiracy starts to emerge and with law enforcement closing in, the confidently smug pastor, Tom Bird (Terry Kinney) reassures his panicky co-conspirator, Lorna (JoBeth Williams) that everything will be okay. "Endureth all things, Lorna ... didn't God test Abraham in the same way?" Of course, his naïve parishioners stand by their man, no matter what.

On-location filming in Kansas adds to the realism, as does court transcripts of some dialogue. Cinematography, production design, casting, and acting are all high quality. Editing is especially impressive. Yes, it's a long film, but the complex story involves conspiracy, murder, hit men, adultery, and possible incompetence in public office.

The subject matter is unusual in that we don't normally think of a preacher as a murderer. That only happens in fictional stories. Yet the unbelievable is precisely what makes this film so mesmerizing. The events really happened. For that reason alone "Murder Ordained" is worth watching.

I went to college at Emporia State and actually had classes with someone involved with the case. After watching the movie it made it seem more real and close to home. I would recommend it to those who think all religious people are perfect. This one goes to show even the mighty can fall. The city still has not gotten over the popularity and close knit ties that are still there in Emporia. The movie was a sore spot to a lot of people and to mention anything about the case will draw a lot of undue attention. The places are real and accurate except for the offices where the Sheriff Dept is. I would recommend this movie because it is accurate to a point and very real and really happened.

Let me start out by saying, this movie was a wonderfully made movie. As said before, there is a bit of overacting, but in all it is a good movie.

My grandfather, Vern Humphrey, worked on this case a great deal.. much more than the movie portrays. When the writers of this movie interviewed the detectives and officers that worked on the case they interviewed Vern Humphrey, and then John Rule. John Rule told the correct events; however, he did not tell the correct people that worked on the case, hence him being the key 'trooper' in this movie. It is sad that the wrong people were credited in this movie, but there is not much anyone can do now.

I wish this movie was more true to life. So many believe that this movie is spot on. A good movie, good actors/actresses, sets. I am pleased with the quality of this movie and encourage those who know nothing about the murder story to watch it. Just be aware of the errors.