Compelling look back at murder trial of nanny Louise
IT’S been 25 years since the gripping, high-profile murder case of Louise Woodward – the 19-year-old British nanny accused of shaking a baby to death.
Nine-month-old Matthew Eappen was in Louise’s care while she was working as a nanny for a family in Massachusetts, America.
In a chilling 911 call in February 1997, we hear Louise panicking to police that she had found Matthew unresponsive and gasping for breath. He died days later in hospital.
The ensuing trial, with Louise accused of violently shaking Matthew, which she denied, was played out on TV screens on both sides of the Atlantic causing global protests. Experts for the prosecution and defence, as well as members of the public, ferociously disagreed and opinion was firmly split.
The outcome of the case itself was shocking as Louise was first found guilty of second-degree murder, but later had the ruling reduced by the judge to involuntary manslaughter.
This compelling documentary aims to find out if this case still divides medical and legal
opinion as strongly as it once did. It takes us through the entire case, from the arrest, to the trial, the evidence, the closing arguments, the verdict and the aftermath.
Experts from the trial are interviewed, recalling the evidence they gave, and journalists look back at the jeopardy of the case.
Mirror Chief Reporter Andy Lines, who covered the trial, recalls: “I was sitting directly behind Louise when the verdict was read.”
Liverpool Echo journalist Martin Dillon said: “There was mounting tension. We knew it was going to be a momentous decision, whatever happened.”