'A Wilderness of Error' Preview: FX true-crime series dives into 50-year-old Jeffrey MacDonald murder case
Just half a century ago, the gruesome murders of the family of an army man shocked the United States. When Jeffrey MacDonald had called for help in the early hours of February 17, 1970, four responding military officers came upon a gruesome scene. MacDonald's pregnant wife was found lying on the floor in her bedroom. She had been repeatedly clubbed, with both her arms broken and stabbed 21 times with an ice pick and 16 times with a knife.
Their five-year-old daughter, Kimberly, was found in her bed, having been clubbed in the head and stabbed in the neck with a knife between eight and 10 times. 2-year-old Kristen was found in her own bed; she had been stabbed 33 times with a knife and 15 times with an ice pick. MacDonald blamed the murders on four intruders, including a blonde woman wearing a floppy hat and heels.
FX's latest miniseries dives into that 50-year-old case but instead of a traditional true-crime documentary, they are presenting a five-episode miniseries that would retell the crime with actors set to portray the people involved. The series is based on the best-selling book of the same name by Errol Morris.
Macdonald was convicted of the crime on August 29, 1979, and has been in prison since 1982. However, he may be innocent. The book covers the entire history of the case, arguing that mistakes made by investigators in the first hours after the call were compounded over the years by prosecutors, judges, and journalists while revealing the problems in the public perception of the case. It includes revelations about Helena Stoeckley, a young drug addict, who repeatedly confessed to committing the crime with several associates (although at other times claimed no memory of the events).
The first three episodes of the true-crime docu-drama will air on Friday, September 25 on FX. The final two episodes will air the following week. Actors John Morgan, Logan Stearns, and Paul Spriggs will play Jeffrey MacDonald. Gina Mazzara, Caitlyn Greene and Catherine Dawson will play Helena Stoeckley. Chris Cartusciello and Joe Gambino will play Freddie Kassab, Audrey Nita Bennett will play Mildred Kassab, and Kalyn Altmeyer will play Colette MacDonald.
However, the docuseries will also try to examine the case in-depth, featuring interviews, videos of the McDonald family, and news clips that had covered the murders in 1970. Will 'A Wilderness of Error' give viewers a definitive answer as to what happened that February night in 1970?
'A Wilderness of Error' premieres on FX on Friday, September 25th at 8/7c.