Massachusetts mans estate paid millions for wrongful conviction. Betty anne waters shares her experience watching her life story being made into a film. She put herself through college and law school, all with the goal of exonerating her brother. Oct 24, 2019 betty anne waters said that kenny was a big party man and concedes he was a troublemaker. Kenneth waters was convicted in 1983 for the 1980 murder and robbery of katherina row, a woman who regularly visited the diner where waters worked in ayer. Betty anne waters was a single mom who put herself through college and law school while bar tending at night in order to represent her brother kenny, whom she believed was wrongfully convicted of murder. Conviction filmmakers struggled with tragic ending to their.
Hilary swank plays betty anne waters, an unemployed single mother who spends a decade earning a law degree so she could represent her brother in court. A long wait for my short career as an extra in the betty. Like i said, im a quiet private person but the innocence project means so much to me and they helped me. The big short 6 jared vennetts pitch to front point partners jenga blocks scene duration. Betty anne waters is still walking the earth, so it was a huge responsibility for me to do justice to her story. He was sentenced to life in prison based on the testimony of two former girlfriends who claimed he admitted to the crime. Betty anne waters, the remarkable reallife crusader at the heart of the wellmade biopic conviction, is a worthy addition to the sisterhood. Jan 15, 2011 conviction is a film which imitates life, but the reality behind it is more compelling than any screenplay. Conviction, an account of how betty anne waters sprang her wrongly imprisoned brother kenny, and secretariat, the tale of the legendary racehorse, are the most engrossing and emotionally engaging of the recent crop of releases. Nov 18, 2019 bettyanne has 2,146 books on goodreads, and recently added the kissing list by stephanie reents, the replacement wife by eileen goudge, of poseidon by a. Hilary swank, sam rockwell, juliette lewis, peter gallagher, karen young, thomas d. After waters conviction, his sister, betty anne waters, sought to prove his innocence. Convicted in 1983 of firstdegree murder, kenny was serving a.
Then a massachusetts court sentenced her brother kenny to life imprisonment for a brutal murder he claimed he hadnt committed. I wont say any more, except that the ending is really sad. How wrongful convictions impact family and society. Hilary swank stars as betty anne waters, a single mother of two who spends 18 years becoming a lawyer in order to.
Betty anne waters, a server who went to law school to free her brother from. So betty anne waters, a secondary school dropout, enrolled in law school and turned into her siblings lawyer. When her older brother kenny sam rockwell is convicted of murder and sentenced to life in 1983, betty anne waters hilary swank vows to get. Her story has been captured on the silver screen in the movie, conviction, starring hilary swank and sam rockwell. Thats the reallife story thats told in conviction, in which swank plays betty anne waters, a single mother who put herself through law school to help her brother. After the murder, kenny is initially brought in for questioning by sergeant nancy taylor, but released. Betty anne waters saw her brother kenny unlawfully sent to prison for the murder and. For those who dont know her, shes simply a woman who runs a bristol, r. A working mother puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother, who has been wrongfully convicted of murder and has exhausted his chances to appeal his conviction through public defenders. Sarah waters has 28 books on goodreads with 640141 ratings. Betty anne waters is about to be one of the most famous lawyers in america thanks to conviction, the new movie about her quest to free her wrongly convicted brother, kenny. Her story began almost 30 years ago, after the brutal murder of a 48yearold massachusetts woman.
Tony goldwyn, hilary swank, sam rockwell, juliette lewis. This on the record dual biography tells the stories of two women who fought for justice. Betty anne waters life revolves around her brother, who is now in jail for murder. Jun, 20 the difference, however, is that this story is completely true. Betty anne pretty much puts her life on hold for years hoping that when she finishes law school she can help prove her brother is innocent. They had a negligent mother and went from one foster house to another. The story of betty macdonald, author of the egg and i. In recent decades all criticism islam is instantly met with labels of racism or hate, sabotaging dialogue and silencing concerned citizens. Subsequently, no one has been charged with katharina brows murder. His sister, betty anne waters, put herself through college and law school for the sole purpose of helping her brother. Contrarily to many children, betty anne watters and her brother kenneth waters did not have an insouciant and happy childhood.
In 2001, however, waters was freed from prison after his sister, betty anne waters, uncovered dma evidence which proved her brother wasnt the killer. Two of this seasons movies, both based on true stories, remind us of the underrated pleasures of conventional filmmaking. Today we remember kenny waters on his 18th exoneration. Oct 28, 2010 bringing conviction to the big screen was a yearslong challenge for producer and star hilary swank, but it paled in comparison to the 18year ordeal betty anne waters went through to clear. Kenny with betty anne kenny before his wrongful conviction. A long wait for my short career as an extra in the betty anne. Jul 15, 2009 kenneth waters, who died in 2001, served 18 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. In any case, in her heart, she realized he was not an executioner. Betty anne waters swank is a high school dropout who spent nearly two decades working as a single mother while putting herself through law school, tirelessly trying to beat the system and overturn her brothers rockwell unjust murder conviction. Waters s devoted sister, betty anne, gave nearly two decades to the cause, getting a college degree and struggling through law school while raising two sons in order to represent her brother. Conviction filmmakers struggled with tragic ending to.
In the process, betty anne learns that nancy taylor was fired from the police department for fabricating evidence in another case, which deepens betty anne s suspicions about kennys conviction and the evidence presented at trial. Myrlie evers pushed for the conviction of the man who killed her civil rights activist husband while betty anne waters put herself through law school to clear her brothers name. Massachusetts mans estate paid millions for wrongful. Conviction is a film which imitates life, but the reality behind it is more compelling than any screenplay. Hilary swank, sam rockwell, minnie driver, melissa mayo. Betty anne waters really is a parttime pub waitress, who really did put herself through law school and singlehandedly proved her brothers innocence, along the way sacrificing her. Tony goldwyns conviction the main characters unflagging determination is built right into the title is all about this trait. When her brother kenny was sentenced to life without parole for the 1983 murder of katharina brow, betty anne waters was a single mother of. Despite kennys knack for getting in trouble, they have always been close.
Kenneth waters, who died in 2001, served 18 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. But for thousands of others, betty ann waters is a hero, reports cbs news correspondent russ mitchell her story. Conviction, a 2010 film about the life of betty anne waters. For more than three years, betty anne waters had watched helplessly as her older brother kenny languished in a massachusetts prison. Hilary swank plays betty anne waters and sam rockwell plays kenneth waters. And her dogged tenacity pays off in the end with kenny being cleared of all charges. On may 12, 1983, kenneth waters was wrongfully convicted of firstdegree murder for the death of an ayer, massachusetts woman. His sister, betty ann waters right, earned a law degree and fought for his release. The main suspect was kenny waters, betty anns younger brother. Betty anne waters really is a parttime pub waitress, who really did put herself through law school and singlehandedly proved her brothers innocence, along the way sacrificing her marriage and. In 2001, however, waters was freed from prison after his sister, betty anne waters, uncovered dma evidence which proved her brother wasnt.
Conviction patterson novel, a 2004 novel by american author richard north patterson. View a slideshow of waters family photos and pictures from the day kenny was freed. Conviction arrives in theaters october 15 and is the true story of betty anne waters hilary swank and her struggle to win her brothers freedom. But he was released after his sister, betty anne waters, brought to light dna evidence that proved his innocence. Watch a 3minute video on the story behind conviction, featuring betty anne waters, kenny waters and innocence project codirector barry scheck. She was a young woman with two children, working in a bar at the time of kennys conviction. Betty anne waters once believed everyone in prison was guilty. Do you think you would make a good lawyer in real life. This set waters on a remarkable path, which is the subject of a new movie, conviction, which opens this weekend. When her brother was convicted of murder, betty anne waters swapped waitressing for law school to prove his innocence. The only extra is a conversation with tony goldwyn and betty anne waters 10. In 1999, she located the blood evidence collected from the scene of the crime and obtained a court order to preserve the evidence for possible dna testing. They learned to lean on each other and developed a strong connection. Conviction is based on the true story of betty anne waters twodecade battle to right the travesty of justice that condemned her brother to life in prison.
Betty anne waters hilary swank, sam rockwell trailer deutsch. Nov, 2016 on this segment of our voice, show host, rebecca evans interviews betty anne waters. Film tells of truelife wrongful conviction drama the current. She is told that the evidence has been moved to the courthouse but after 10 years it was destroyed. Nov 05, 2010 betty anne waters swank is a high school dropout who spent nearly two decades working as a single mother while putting herself through law school, tirelessly trying to beat the system and overturn her brothers rockwell unjust murder conviction. Oct 14, 2010 when her brother kenny was sentenced to life without parole for the 1983 murder of katharina brow, betty anne waters was a single mother of two, living handtomouth as a parttime bar waitress. As children, betty anne waters hilary swank and her brother, kenny sam rockwell, survived bad parenting and poverty by leaning on each other for support. Conviction is a 2010 biographical legal drama film directed by tony goldwyn, written by. Its the story of betty anne waters who decides to go to law school to help free her brother kenny who has been convicted of a murder he insists he didnt commit.
Bringing conviction to the big screen was a yearslong challenge for producer and star hilary swank, but it paled in comparison to the 18year ordeal betty anne waters went through to clear. Conviction, the fifth game in the splinter cell series. Oct, 2010 betty anne waters, a server who went to law school to free her brother from prison, is the subject of conviction, starring hilary swank. Betty anne waters, who freed her brother from prison. Betty anne waters, a server who went to law school to free her brother from prison, is the subject of conviction, starring hilary swank. Betty anne waters said that she never had a minute when she would like to. The upcoming film conviction, tells the story of betty anne waters twodecade struggle to free her brother kenneth after he was convicted in massachusetts of a murder he didnt commit. Betty anne waters was a young mother in 1982 when her older brother was arrested and charged in the brutal slaying and robbery of his neighbor, katharina brow, in. I first saw betty anne waters from a distance, waiting her turn at a podium at the innocence projects fundraising dinner in the cavernous luxury. They play betty anne and kenny waters, who are extremely close siblings torn apart by a corrupt legal system that cost kenny 18 years of his life after being wrongly convicted of the may 1980. She likes living just a few blocks from aidans, where she keeps the books in a. Betty anne waters really is a parttime pub waitress, who really did put herself through law school and singlehandedly proved her brothers innocence, along the way sacrificing her marriage and even, at one point, life with her two young sons. She was able to find dna evidence that proved kenny waters.
The waters siblings at their mothers house in 1964. Beyond terror by anne marie waters this book is controversial but the time for it is now. Both the film and the true story are accounts of incredible loyalty, courage, and determination. Betty anne waters s story enroll law college, save brother. A server at an irish pub with a ged, waters realized that nobody was going to fight like she would fight to get her wrongly. With hilary swank, sam rockwell, melissa leo, thomas d. Conviction and hilary swank draw fire from slain womans. Betty anne waters free public records publicrecords360. I assume it was a great honor for hillary swank to meet betty anne. The difference, however, is that this story is completely true.
Betty anne waters become lawyer tryed to free her brother. Conviction and the case of kenny waters innocence project. As an attorney betty anne waters has a 100 percent success rate. It highlights both my own personal experience of the political left, opposing islamic extremism, as well as an analysis of the broad impact of islamism on the democratic principles of gender equality in law and freedom of speech. Conviction tells the reallife story of a single mother named betty ann waters, who tended bar while acquiring her ged, bachelors degree, and then her law degree, all so that she could represent her brother kenny, wrongly convicted of murder. The story of betty macdonald, author of the egg and i wellman, anne on. Conviction tells the true story of betty anne waters swank and her 18year fight to free her brother kenny rockwell, who was convicted of murder. Betty anne and kennys story, the subject of a movie out now called conviction, starring hilary swank, begins in rural 1960s massachusetts, where they were two of. Betty anne waters is the true story of a woman who went to law school to free her brother from prison after his conviction for a 1980 murder she was convinced he did not commit. Dec 10, 2010 betty anne waters really is a parttime pub waitress, who really did put herself through law school and singlehandedly proved her brothers innocence, along the way sacrificing her marriage and. Conviction is about the innocence project and its work on the case of kenneth waters in america.
Conviction by tony goldwyn hilary swank, sam rockwell. Kenneths sister, betty anne waters, puts herself through law school and becomes an attorney all in the name of proving kenneths innocence. In speaking out on this topic anne marie waters, a british politician has done the unthinkable. Qualifizierte bestellungen werden kostenlos geliefert. Oct 15, 2010 for those who dont know her, shes simply a woman who runs a bristol, r. But for thousands of others, betty ann waters is a hero, reports cbs news correspondent russ mitchell. Betty anne waters, reallife heroine of conviction the. Watch the trailer below and learn more about the story behind the film. Betty anne waters shares her experience watching her life story.
Oct 26, 2010 i first saw betty anne waters from a distance, waiting her turn at a podium at the innocence projects fundraising dinner in the cavernous luxury eatery cipriani wall street in manhattan. When kenny waters was convicted of a murder he didnt commit, his sister betty anne waters promised to help overturn his conviction and set. Betty anne pretty much puts her life on hold for years hoping that when she finishes law school she can help prove her brother is. Betty anne waters, a server who went to law school to free her. I first saw betty anne waters from a distance, waiting her turn at a podium at the innocence projects fundraising dinner in the cavernous luxury eatery cipriani wall. Movies arent getting greenlit unless youre a comic book. Waters discusses the events portrayed in the film and praises the main actors, while goldwyn reveals the difficulties he faced before shooting the film. Nov 29, 2010 anthony kustura interviewed the famous lawyer.
117 1399 1129 1121 79 235 650 1113 806 843 73 390 1048 795 741 1341 1183 313 897 1059 999 488 938 1180 728 1171 1291 525 1334 1170 1430 220 755 1445 711 508 292 623 248 563 1185 916 1189 182 1065 345 577 473 1256