‘Abuse of Power’ makes debut

The Oxygen network was working on a true crime show last fall called “Abuse of Power” focused on cases where powerful men take advantage of others, frequently with deadly results. It happened to coincide with revelations of sexual harassment by movie producer mogul Harvey Weinstein that helped spawn the #MeToo movement.

“We are seeing something happening culturally where victims of people who abuse power are gaining courage and strength and speaking out and making them accountable for their actions,” said “Abuse of Power” executive producer Kim Woodard.

Two of the six episodes this first season happen to be out of Atlanta: the Fred Tokars murder case from 1992 and the 2000 Sidney Dorsey-directed murder of DeKalb County Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown.

The premiere tonight focuses on Tokars, a highprofile Marietta attorney who hired a hit man to kill his wife, Sara, in front of their two young sons in the early 1990s. Why? Tokars was worried his wife would reveal his double life as a man who represented drug dealers and helped them incorporate businesses that hid their earnings.

“Abuse of Power” talked to his now adult sons, who are no longer in touch with him. “It was really about honoring their mother,” Woodard said. “The last thing she did was take steps to speak up and confront her husband. She did this to protect them. She could have gone along and turned a blind eye.”

The final episode will focus on Dorsey’s murder-for-hire of Brown, his political rival trying to clean up corruption in the DeKalb County’s sheriff ’s office. “We follow this case through the eyes of Derwin Brown’s daughter, Brandy,” Woodard said. “It’s such a moving interview. I don’t know if she has ever shared her story like this before.”

Dorsey at first denied he had anything to do with it, but eventually admitted his involvement in the crime.

The host of the show, Lauren Sivan, who has been an actress and broadcast anchor, was selected in part because she was one of Weinstein‘s accusers.

“When I was approached, it was right in the middle of this #MeToo maelstrom,” Sivan said. “I leapt at the chance. It’s so important to talk about abuse of power. It happens in all walks of life, not just Hollywood. The show highlights doctors, lawyers, a religious leader, a sheriff. In each case, there is some justice that is finally won for many of the victims though sometimes it takes decades. It’s a fantastic topic to look at through the prism of true crime.”