'Murder on Middle Beach': Was Jeffrey Hamburg scapegoat? Here's what happened between him and Southern Electric
'Murder on Middle Beach' is HBO's latest docuseries. Directed by Madison Hamburg, the four-part docuseries 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. If the names seem coincidental — it is not. Madison is Barbara's son — he was just a teenager when Barbara was found in the yard at her rented home on the day she was set to appear in court to argue against her husband, Jeffrey Hamburg's claims that he could not afford to pay child support and alimony. As such, 'Murder on Middle Beach' brings in a more personal look at true-crime than most other docuseries and documentaries. Madison sets out to understand his mother's life and to truly understand what happened.
A part of understanding that is Madison trying to uncover the truth about his parents' marriage and what went wrong. While Jeffrey and Barbara seemed happily married at one point, the pair got divorced in 2002. Nearly a decade of issues followed when it was discovered that Jeffrey was allegedly stealing money from their children's accounts. Police said he left the accounts depleted. Jeffrey Hamburg stole nearly $100,000 from his children's trust accounts from 2008 to early 2010, taking the last $400 out of his daughter's funds just 14 days before Barbara's tragic death.
According to the New Haven Register, a source informed them that a few years before her death, Barbara told the police that Jeffrey acquired at least $100 million in an international money-laundering scheme. Since Barbara's death, however, Jeffrey has been embroiled in financial court cases regarding nearly $1 million he owes his ex-wife's estate, the pair's two children in child support, and other funds.
However, as we learn from the first episode of 'Murder on Middle Beach', this was not always the case for the Hamburg family. As Madison speaks to his family, he understands that when he was younger, the Hamburgs lived a very privileged life. Jeffrey was a multi-millionaire as he worked for Southern Electric as the president of its international division. However, in 1991, Jeffrey was sacked by Southern Electric International for “alleged unethical business practices" connected with an SE1 bid for a Portuguese power plant, according to an archived report from The Times. Jeffrey then filed a defamation lawsuit against Southern Electric for $20million, arguing that he was a scapegoat in the company’s attempt to "prove that it was whiter than white". It is worth noting that since the late 1980s, the company had been charged with several ethical and tax violations that had attracted the scrutiny of the taxmen and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Jeffrey ended up winning the case, winning $2.7 million in damages. However, according to Barbara's family, being fired from Southern Electric affected him deeply and may have contributed to the Hamburgs' marriage ending. While Jeffrey seems reluctant to speak about Barbara and himself, Madison is determined to find out what happened to them.
'Murder on Middle Beach' airs on HBO on Sunday nights at 10/9c.