I was so angry. Murder on Middle Beach is a four-part documentary by director Madison Hamburg about the unsolved 2010 murder of his mother Barbara Hamburg. I have to do my best to preserve what I have in that investigation so that I can charge the person or persons with the murder, said Drumm. This issue warrants appellate scrutiny.. What if theres concerns about corruption or incompetence and now its five years, now its 10 years a reporter wants to know or a family member wants to know. On March 3, 2010, Barbara was found brutally murdered in the yard of their Connecticut home. Murder on Middle Beach Season 2 Release Date 'Murder on Middle Beach' season 1 premiered on November 15, 2020, on HBO, and concluded with its fourth and final episode - 'Reasonable Doubts' - on December 6, 2020. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. "We miss her dearly, and it is a great loss to not have her with us," she said at a 2011 vigil, the New Haven Register reported at the time. 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. Yeah, I can't get into details but I will say that after spending eight years just putting together fragments of memories about my mom or about the case or about a specific time period, the transparency and the accuracy of these facts that have been kept from me for so long has been extremely relieving. Here, we see how that leads him to investigate his own father, a pyramid scheme The Gifting Tables that his mother was involved in, his sister, and his aunt, Conway Beach. A list of additional records submitted to the court includes surveillance video, recordings of specific voicemails, non-police tape-recorded conversations and copies of items seized from Barbara Hamburgs bedroom safe. You can watch the trailer below. Emilia Otte covers health and education for the Connecticut Examiner. Beach also alleges that Ali killed Barbara, claiming that the then-high schooler acted bizarrely at the scene of the murder by declaring it a crime scene before any evidence of a crime was observed. Do you know if your dad has watched or is watching? On the morning of March 3, 2010, Beach Hamburgwas found dead in the front yard of her home by her sister, Conway Beach, and Ali. That was in 2016. 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. 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)? 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. "My parents told me that . Beach Hamburg's sister, Conway, and her great-aunt, Jill Platt, are featured prominently in "Murder on Middle Beach," as is her mother. Then, the public would never have any way of knowing whether [the police] were doing their job appropriately, said Schulz. It's really interesting. On the other hand, Dugas, the attorney for the Madison Police Department, argued the case was very much active. Jeffrey appears in Murder on Middle Beach where he repeatedly refuses to talk about Barbara's murder and insists that his ex-wife had dark secrets that he can't discuss. Barbara's husband Jeffrey Hamburg was the suspect in the case, though he was never charged with her murder, he was jailed for monetary frauds. So when she eventually got evicted, she moved to Florida, where she spent her days sleeping on park benches and just awaiting her death. The episodes also addressed skepticism about the police departments initial investigations and even included surreptitious recordings of Madison Hamburgs discussions with detectives at the department. Barbara Beach Hamburg, Madison's mother, was killed in 2010 in Madison, Connecticut. And as the docuseries comes to a close there are a growing number of theories about Barbara Hamburg's death. Sadly, her life was taken on March 3, 2010 in Madison, Connecticut. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. I've written before about the trend of "true criminal justice" documentaries and docuseries the kind wherein the narrative is less about solving a mystery and more about turning the magnifying glass on the legal proceedings that surrounded it are an opportunity for filmmakers to present a fuller picture of criminality and victimhood. So many people had the opportunity, the motive, the means. One of two masterminds to be jailed for their roles in the Gifting Tables, was Hamburg's aunt Jill Platt. The filmmakers appealed to the states Freedom of Information Commission, which reviews public records disputes. But it's also really challenging for both my aunts, my sister and my family, so we've had a lot of conversations. I wanted to give their stories justice and unfortunately that involves exploring these conflicts. We work on this case weekly, we have a states attorney assigned to us who works on this weekly. Alex Murdaugh Faces Life In Prison For Allegedly Killing His Wife & Son, Heres What Happened To Riley In 'The Last Of Us' Video Game, Twitter Is Losing It Over Succession Ending With Season 4, Everything To Know About 'And Just Like That' Season 2, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. Weeks of back-and-forth ensued as the show premiered on HBO. Due to Conway's addiction, she lost custody of her son to Barbara, after which Conway attempted to hire a hitman to kill Barbara because she "snapped. 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. It is difficult to understand how denying public access to criminal files in perpetuity serves the public interest in solving crimes and bringing perpetrators to justice, wrote Judge Daniel Klau in his decision. Murder on Middle Beach didn't decisively eliminate any other suspects. The following year, Beach was present at another vigil, where she called her . So in a sense, it feels like we as viewers are coming full circle, which raises the question: What actually makes for a satisfying end for a true crime series? 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. "Barbie, Barb, it's your sister." The call ends after about five minutes. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. [2] Even asking these questions, it's just surfacing stuff that we were gonna have to work through and if we didnt work through it, this could end unresolved and cause more destruction than there was when we started. I can't get into details, but it's been extremely illuminating. It's like crack, I can't stop going through and analyzing and its incredibly rewarding. The only way we can have oversight or accountability for law enforcement is to know what theyre doing.. 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. They've seen the documentary, we had family screenings before we even sent it out to press. But one thing that surprised meI remember the first message I got after the release of episode one. According to Schulz, the Madison Police Department took a completely inappropriate approach to deciding which documents to release. 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. Here are the facts: on March 3rd, 2010, Barbara Beach Hamburg was beaten to death in front of her modest house in Madison, Connecticut. Elizabeth Benton, communications director for the Attorney Generals Office, said the office was not involved in the case. Attorney David Schulz, a Yale Law professor and member of the schools Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic that has worked with Hamburg and Niemeyer on the records fight, called Klaus decision thorough and thoughtful. He agreed the eventual conclusion of this case could help set new precedent for how the public access old police case files across the state, which is an important tool for holding investigators accountable, he said. 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. The latest true crime series Murder on Middle Beach just hit HBO. "When my mom died, I didn't tell anybody," says Hamburg. Back in 2010, in Madison, Connecticut, a quiet town on the shoreline, on the serene Middle Beach West, a crime occurred that shook the community to its core - Barbara Hamburg's murder. As the series progresses, Madison gains new insight into his mother's life before her murder, including her troubled relationship with his father and Beach Hamburg's ex-husband, Jeffrey Hamburg. Barbara was said to be involved in "gifting. The horrific 2010 murder of 48-year-old single mom Barbara Hamburg in front of her Madison, Connecticut, home remains unsolved, but there have been plenty of theories as to who could have. Madison, now 29 years old, talked to Esquire before the finale of Murder on Middle Beach airs on HBO this Sunday. ------------------------------------------, details presented in "Murder on Middle Beach", killed by someone she had crossed through her participation in "The Gifting Tables,", "The Jinx," the shocking 2015 HBO docuseries, "true criminal justice" documentaries and docuseries. His second goal was to absolve his family members of the crime, which dovetails with the obvious goal of discovering who actually killed Barbara. . Schulz said that the plaintiffs would be thrilled if the police were able to solve the crime, but he said that this wasnt a reason to keep a case open forever. While Beach's husband (and Madison's father) Jeffrey was questioned early on about his ex-wife's murder, there . Hamburg, for his part, said Beach Hamburg was behind on mortgage payments for their property. An anonymous witness also revealed that she was scared of Conway as she had allegedly threatened her by leaving dead animals on her doorstep, implying that she had the guts and the motive to commit a murder. 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. She was a woman who was known to be head-strong. At the end of the series, Madison wins his case with the Freedom of Information Commission to receive case files relating to his mother's homicide investigation. But it's been tough watching this go week to week and having breaks in between where people on the internet can react to my family. She totally got it and they made us an offer. Then there's Conway Beach, Barbara's sister. 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. Madisons mother, Barbara Beach Hamburg, before her 2010 murder. But to date, no one has ever been charged with Barbara's murder. Madison Hamburg looks back after the finale of "Murder on Middle Beach," the docuseries about his search for his mother's killer. The Madison Police Department is appealing a court ruling upholing an order by the states Freedom of Information Commission that the department release all records except signed witness statements related to the unsolved murder of Barbara Beach Hamburg. Directed by Barbara's son, Madison Hamburg, the docuseries is a chronicle of Madison's return to his home as he is determined to understand . Madison Hamburg is in the unique position of being both the director of HBO's new documentary series, "Murder on Middle Beach," and the son of its subject, Barbara Beach Hamburg. I don't know. When my mom died, I took a year off from school. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. This theory does seem to make a lot of sense, except when you consider how Barbara was murdered. 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. Do we need a case to be closed, or at least a prime suspect in view, to feel like a narrative arc was actually achieved before the final end credits? But even if the. 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. They didnt make any efforts to review their files to see what could be released, because it was already known, for example, Schulz told CT Examiner. 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. A hearing was held in February 2020, where Detective Christopher Sudock testified on behalf of the department that the release could jeopardize a prospective law enforcement action, such as a search or arrest warrant, but could not identify any specific actions investigators had planned. 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. That's a question that I've asked myself a lot. The people in the States Attorneys office who oversee the cold case reviews agreed with them that there were no new leads to follow. I'll admit, on my first watch of the finale, I was a little frustrated by the lack of answers. The 48-year-old mother of two lived on Middle Beach Road in Madison, Connecticut. The medical examiner's office soon concluded that Hamburg died from "blunt and sharp force injuries." Madison Hamburg. While her murder and its aftermath are explored on the show, it also paints a vivid portrait of who Beach Hamburg was before her death, and how her family is managing to cope with their loss 10 years later. But Madison's. Many ancient pipes in CT aren't up to the task of draining storm water, yet officials just seem to shrug. In setting out to do this, I didn't have an expectation that we would solve my mom's case, but there are many goals I have had throughout this process and they sort of evolve. It found police had offered only speculation that the disclosure of records responsive to the complainants request would be used in a prospective law enforcement action arising out of the investigation into the death of Barbara Hamburg, according to the commissions decision. "I was so messed up, I didn't know what to do. It's something that I've been dealing with throughout this process since partnering with HBO last year, but the idea that this was going to be in the public eye and that these vulnerabilities that my family has trusted me with were going to be exposed didn't enter the equation until the stage was realized. The show is directed by Madison Hamburg, the 29-year-old son of Barbara Beach Hamburg, who was found dead outside of her Connecticut home in 2010. That is as it should be. And I was just desperately trying to understand how to take the next step with something so personal and not sacrifice anything. Conway remembers taking a bag of money to a Florida hotel to meet someone who presented themselves as a hitman. The department did turn over two full boxes of documents to Hamburg and Niemeyer in October 2020, but the filmmakers alerted investigators in early November that dozens of files were apparently missing from those records. Seeking a way out of making those payments or seeing the inside of a jail cell could allegedly have been a motive for Jeffrey to kill Barbara. Schulz said the department had provided two boxes of information about the case, but that they were still missing key documents, including witness statements, notes, computer records and telephone records. She suffered for years from alcoholism, addiction and physical and mental health issues as well as a palpable jealousy towards Barbara and Barbara's daughter, Ali. And I've been really careful not to have hunches and not to express any opinions about what I think happened cause I think that's the biggest challenge with any investigation. On March 3, 2010, Barbara Beach Hamburg was found murdered in the backyard of her Madison, Connecticut, home. 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. I hope at the end of this that they can see the adverse effects of that and that we're all human beings, you know? How did she contact them? November 30, 2020. Alaine Griffin, director of communications in the Office of the Chief States Attorney said that the department had no comment at this time. Conway presents the situation like she simply was scammed; she and Barbara eventually came to terms, and Conway moved in with her prior to the murder (though the docuseries alleges that there was tension between the two because Barbara had asked her to move out). The brutal crime was committed in 2010 when Madison was 19-years-old. The medical examiner later ruled her death a homicide, noting that she died as a result of "multiple blunt and sharp force injury.". Updated: 10:25 AM EDT October 19, 2022 MADISON, Conn. There are new developments in a Connecticut cold case that was the subject of the HBO documentary "Murder on Middle Beach." One of the. Dugas acknowledged the court was dealing with competing interests, one of which was the publics right to know. "There have been corroborating leads, correcting things, things that we didn't know about," Hamburg told Esquire. But even if the central question at the center of the case remains a mystery, Murder on Middle Beach solved at least one question that had long plagued the decade-old case. There was sort of shame attached to that, telling someone that with the connotations around murder and true crime. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Beach Hamburg and Hamburg married in 1989, but divorced in 2002. 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. To this day, the case that shocked a wealthy, idyllic seaside town has remained unsolved. The two had gone through a rough divorce and were not on good terms at the time of Barbara's death. So I was at film school when my mom died, in this doc class, and I told my immediate group. I was at a point in grief where I was trying to hold on to the memory of my mom and my greatest fear was losing my memory of the sound of her voice or how she smelled or how she looked, and I thought that taking advantage of the class to ask my family members about her could sort of memorialize her. In a statement ahead of the hearing, Hamburgs son, Madison Hamburg, who helped make an HBO documentary series about his mothers death called "Murder on Middle Beach," called for the records release. As made evident in the series, Conway Beach is just one of the few family members who hasnt been able to move on from Barbaras murder no matter how much time has passed by. In the height of his grief, he decided he could use his medium of choicefilmto memorialize her, and also explore who she really was, who might have wanted to hurt her, and why. Madison Hamburg and producer Anike Niemeyer had requested the files while filming the series and were summarily denied by the department. HBO. 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