Reckless Indifference

Reckless Indifference is a technically crude but matchless documentary about the inequities of the American criminal justice system. Similar in many respects to Joe Berlinger's outstanding Paradise Lost films, it takes a look at the death of James Farris Jr., the son of a retired LAPD officer and the 'bodyguard' of suburban teen drug dealer Mike McLoren. The circumstances behind his death are clouded, but the end result is that four young men are now serving life sentences without the possibility of parole. The film presents a strong case that the LA County Attorney's Office, smarting from failures in the O.J. Simpson and Menendez cases, railroaded at least three of the teenagers who will now spend the rest of their lives behind bars. The old saying about the truth setting one free has yet to prove true for either the West Memphis Three or for Brandon Hein, Tony Miliotti, and Jason Holland. This film, though produced in 2000, now includes a 2004 epilogue with further evidence of extra-legal fixing by the prosecution.

This is a visually generic documentary - it could almost pass for a high school film project in that regard. But the subject matter is quite compelling, especially for a resident of the Los Angeles area.

It's the story of a murder investigation that took place in the Agoura Hills section of Los Angeles County, about fifty miles north of the city proper, a relatively upscale and crime-free neighborhood. Jimmy Farris and Mike McLoren were selling marijuana out of what even the teenagers called a "fort" in their backyard when they were accosted by the Holland brothers (Jason and Micah), Tony Miliotti, and Brandon Hein. What happened next is disputed. What just about everyone can agree on is that Jason Holland stabbed both McLoren and Farris with a pocketknife. McLoren was wounded and Farris died on the scene.

All four of the participants in the brawl were sentenced to life in prison, even though by the lone prosecution eyewitness McLoren's admittance, Miliotti and Hein mostly stood around watching. They, however, were prosecuted under a new law that made gang members responsible for one another's behavior. So one of the two central questions of the movie is based on that assumption: was this a gang killing?

The second question is whether these boys got a fair trial. The deceased's father, you see, was an LAPD officer, and the families of the accused felt that their sons got unduly railroaded because of it. In addition, the district attorney's office had just lost the OJ case, had failed to nail Michael Jackson, had just seen Erik Menendez nearly walk away because of a mistrial. They had something to prove. And justice may (or may not) have been thrown out the window in the process.

It's a provocative film that, at the very least, documents a police force, DA's office, and community in crisis. It underachieves technically, but don't let the crudeness fool you; the ideas here are solid. Definitely worth a look.

The truth does hurt and it is ashame that these boys where in fact railroaded. Everybody involved(in the film) was given the opportunity to speak and show(there side) and I feel the director did his share with offering the sides of the 4 people involved in the persecution of these boys. Let's see. One child stabbed the victim and yet all 4 get life sentences. Charles Manson did A lot more and did not get life without a chance of parole. It was truly unjust and I hope that they get a better and fairer trail in their appeal. I do feel for the family of the victim, but to portray him as an innocent by stander (I mean his good friend did sell drugs) while his family tore apart the parents of the other children. His father was a detective and his son was involved in drugs. The one child who stabbed (and admitted it) the victim should do time and there is no hesitation in that. However the other's did not deserve such harsh sentences. Just my opinion. I found this movie very invigorating and eye opening.

I did not feel sorry for these defendants when I watched this film. I felt very bad for the parents who lost their son. All the hand wringing over the aggressive prosecution ignores the fact that no court has ever sanctioned the prosecutors for misconduct. These young adults clearly got what they had coming to them. The biggest joke is seeing Dershowitz. He acts as if he's the moral conscience of the nation even though he worked hard to get O.J. acquitted. The conviction for felony murder turned on whether it was a robbery. What I would like to know if the defendants had any money when they arrived at the dealer's fort to buy the pot as they allege. If they had no money that certainly shows evidence of a robbery. If it was a robbery, they are all guilty of felony murder and should rot in jail.

"Reckless Indiference" is a documentary about the killing of a young man of a stab wound. James Farris Jr., who was dealing drugs, was also the son of a retired detective of the L.A.P.D. The director William Gazecki tries to present the case from all angles, but in a way, it takes the view that the condemned were given the wrong sentence.

It appears that life sentences for the young people involved is a high price to pay, taking into consideration that other offenders get off with less strict sentences. However, the technicality applied to these young men has to do with what applies to the violent gangs operating in Los Angeles.

The case is made that the prosecution went too far in the case by all the defense. This tragedy, unfortunately, touched all the people of the Agoura Hills community because nobody could have foreseen something like this could ever happen there.

This is a true American tragedy.