Life with Murder

Witnessing a family's pain as entertainment is a pretty ruthless appeal and possibly an insult to an audience, me included, that may have been just as riveted had the tv reporters invited some brilliant therapists, some mental health professionals to accompany and guide these sessions. Without that aspect of compassion that may have artfully demanded logic from the son instead of these ridiculous stories that ignore the room entirely, forget the elephant....where's the road through to healing? Where's the chance of resolution, solace or any comfort at all. Except that's none of our business except it's been made our business by airing and sharing lovely parents in an impossible situation doing the best they can. I just hope they're getting that support from those who might have advised them to skip the entertaining us but just as said near the end, how can we possibly judge what few could likely survive at all-the loss of both children under circumstances that are close to the worst. God bless them. Well done documentary for what it provokes ... a lot of questions.

Interesting but hard to watch crime documentary that starts out with the premise of Mason Jenkins's guilt. He's been convicted and is serving his time and whatever stories he's told over the years, the possibility of his innocence isn't really on the table here. Instead, the documentary is mostly focused on the aftermath of the crime and the relationship of this eviscerated family unit.

I felt somewhat uncomfortable watching this intimate footage of his families pain. From the police interview tapes from the time of the murder to the aunt who wants to support the parents but can't condone their frankly desperate support for their son. Its just hard to watch the two parents clinging to the idea of a family their son already effectively stole from them. The visits in the sad little prison house illustrate this perfectly; it's not a real home the relationships are a performance and murdered Jennifer is conspicuously absent. It's an interesting contrast that the prison guard who has no such emotional investment in Mason's innocence has no time for his lying.

As for the killer himself, I have to say he's frustratingly banal. Not very bright, not ready to take on the mantle of guilt but not able to lie convincingly either. He comes across as a big fat adult baby- childishly dependant on his parents yet frustrated by their enmeshment, narcissistically selfish like a toddler. I feel he can't admit to the murder because of the narcissistic blow that would be to his ego, he'd risk losing the support of his parents upon whose approval he seems dependant. They need him to be their child so they can cling to the family unit idea and he can't handle the withdrawal of their approval so they're all trapped and can only sneak up on the truth in tiny slow steps. The truth being that their son is a killer who feels no real love or respect for them. I can't help but wonder what signs might have been ignored during his upbringing that let him turn into such a monster.

Well done. A whodunit knowing whodunit. Reminded me of Jon Bennet. I think there might have been some things going on that he doesn't want to talk about. Creepy.

This was an interesting doc.

I gave it 8 stars for the parents and for the daughter they lost.

Nothing to say about Mason.

I googled the father and see he passed away in 2016.

Hope his wife is coping ok.

If you have a child/children, this film makes you ask a fundamental question: whether you agree with what the father & mother did in forgiving their son for what he did - and tried to do - would you be that kind of parent?