'Murder on Middle Beach' Episode 3: Focus turns on Barbara Hamburg's sister and daughter as Madison investigates
HBO's four-part docuseries, 'Murder on Middle Beach', delves into the gruesome murder of Barbara Hamburg, a 48-year-old woman, who was found bludgeoned to death outside her home on Middle Beach Road. 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 the life of the mother he had lost and to uncover the truth about her death. The family's troubled history is explored and Madison questions whether learning the truth will provide closure or just more grief.
In the first episode of the miniseries, we see Madison explore the possibility of his father, Jeffrey Hamburg -- Barbara's ex-husband -- being a potential suspect for the murder. On the day that Barbara was found dead, she was scheduled to appear in court to discuss ex-husband Jeffrey's claim that he could not afford to pay child support and alimony. The pair had divorced in 2002. When Barbara failed to show up in court, her lawyer called the Madison police to check her address when they found her body in the yard. However, Jeffrey had a strong alibi and was not charged.
In the second episode, Madison finds out more about his mother's involvement with the Gifting Tables pyramid scheme where, in order to join the scheme which was marketed as a sisterhood, women had to pay large sums of money to existing members and then they would recruit others so that they themselves could eventually receive their own "gifts." A new member would enter into a four-level pyramid with tiers named 'Appetizers', 'Soups and Salads', 'Entrees' and 'Dessert', according to the Department of Justice. Madison explores the possibility that one of Barbara's victims may have killed her.
In the third episode, however, Madison's circle of investigation comes back to his family, with the two women closest to his mother being under the lens. One is Conway Beach, who was once the closest to Barbara among her sisters. However, Conway's alcoholism drove a wedge between them and certain events led to Conway even planning at one point to get rid of her sister. Conway speaks to Madison in the third episode about her relationship with Barbara and what led her to want her sister dead and what brought them back together.
On the other hand, there is also the possibility of Madison's sister, Ali Hamburg being the one responsible for Barbara's death. While no one else blames or even suspects Ali, Conway strongly believes her niece to be the real killer of Barbara. This week's episode also features her telling Madison why she thinks so, and whether Ali could have really been the one to murder her own mother.
As Madison's investigation continues, he discovers that the rift he noticed in his family after his mother's death, may have been there from long before. He also realizes that his mother may not have been as he remembers and gets his family's accounts of who his mother really was.
'Murder on Middle Beach' airs on HBO on Sunday nights at 10/9c.
