THE TRIAL OF LOUISE WOODWARD
STV, 9pm
IT HAS been 25 years since the gripping, high-profile murder case of Louise Woodward – the 19-year-old British nanny who was 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 in the US.
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 a few days later in hospital.
The ensuing trial, with Louise accused of violently shaking Matthew, which she denied, was played out on television screens on both sides of the Atlantic and caused 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 whether the case still divides medical and legal opinion as strongly as it once did.
It takes us through the entire case, examining the arrest, evidence, trial, the closing arguments, verdict and aftermath.
Experts involved in court proceedings are interviewed, recalling the evidence they gave, and journalists reveal what they saw.
Journalist Andy Lines, who covered the trial at the time, recalls: “I was sitting directly behind Louise when the verdict was read.”
Another journalist, Martin Dillon, added: “There was mounting tension. We knew it was going to be a momentous decision, whatever happened.”