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“The 12th Victim”: Showtime Documentary Films Announces New Series
SHOWTIME Documentary Films has announced THE 12th VICTIM, a four-part docuseries that provides fresh insight into the notorious 1958 murder case of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, a teenage couple who were charged with and convicted of randomly killing 11 people.
THE 12TH VICTIM is a stylistic mashup of archival and recreated footage that questions the media’s and the legal system’s handling of Fugate, who was 14 at the time of the crimes but maintains her innocence, despite the fact that she was found guilty.
Featuring an executive production team that includes Academy Award winner Morgan Neville, the series premieres on SHOWTIME on Friday, February 17 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and will continue to air on Fridays at the same time each week. On February 17th, SHOWTIME subscribers will be able to watch all four episodes on demand and via streaming services.
In 1958, Starkweather, then 18 years old, killed 11 people in Nebraska and Wyoming with his girlfriend Fugate by his side, sending chills through the Midwest. At the age of 19, Fugate became the youngest woman in American history to be tried and convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
This was one of the first true-crime stories to unfold live on television, and it inspired a slew of subsequent hit movies like Badlands and Natural Born Killers with its Bonnie and Clyde-esque narrative, which portrayed Starkweather as a James Dean lookalike and Fugate as his lascivious, bloodthirsty girlfriend.
THE 12TH VICTIM investigates the original murders and Fugate’s role in them, not as a willing participant but as a young girl held hostage by Starkweather, lending credibility to Fugate’s claims of innocence through in-depth interviews with those closest to the case and well-researched archival footage.
Produced for SHOWTIME by Tremolo Productions and Submarine Deluxe, THE 12TH VICTIM is inspired by Linda M. Battisti and John Stevens Berry’s 2014 book The Twelfth Victim: The Innocence of Caril Fugate in the Starkweather Murder Rampage. Directed by Emmy-nominated cinematographer Nicola B. Marsh (American Masters), THE 12TH VICTIM is executive produced by Morgan Neville (Won’t You Be My Neighbor?) and Caitrin Rogers (20 Feet from Stardom) of Tremolo Productions, along with Josh Braun (The Andy Warhol Diaries) and Dan Braun (Wild Wild Country) of Submarine Deluxe. Marsh also serves as an executive producer alongside Gary Lennon (Euphoria), Whitney Ransick (ER), and Rachel Libert (Boomtown).