'Murder on Middle Beach' Finale Preview: Madison continues to uncover evidence in his mother's death
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.
The third episode saw the documentary take yet another direction, with both Barbara's daughter, Ali Hamburg, and her sister, Conway Beach coming under the radar. While Conway strongly suspects Ali -- who was just 16 years old at the time of her mother's death --, Madison and the rest of the family disagrees. We also shockingly find out that Conway once tried to hire a hitman to kill her sister and her sister's family.
This Sunday, the final episode of 'Murder on Middle Beach' will air. An hour-and-a-half long, the episode serves as the conclusion for Madison Hamburg's docuseries. The synopsis states: "With the 10-year anniversary of Barbara’s death approaching, he will leave no stones unturned in his quest for truth. As he said, he’s coming for the perpetrator, and he won’t stop until he sees some justice be served. Despite concerns that his ways and his documentary will somehow do more harm than good, with this episode being the last one, Madison will continue to uncover evidence that will shock him and his entire family to their core."
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. The series finale airs on Sunday, December 6.
