The seven-episode docu-series The Last Defense explores and exposes flaws in the American justice system through emotional, in-depth examinations of the death row cases of Darlie Routier and Julius Jones. The series will seek to trace the path that led both Routier and Jones to their places on death row, while taking a deep look into their personal stories.
In 1997, Darlie Routier, wife and mother, was sentenced to death for the brutal stabbing murder of her two young sons, a crime she insists she did not commit. Now 20 years on death row in Texas, the contentious debate over the fairness of her trial is more polarized than ever. In 2001, Julius Jones, a 21-year-old African-American college student with an academic scholarship, was sentenced to death for the carjacking murder of a white father of two, in Edmond, Oklahoma. Twenty years later and having exhausted his appeals, Jones maintains his innocence.
production details
USA / ABC / 7×42 minutes / 2018
Aida Leisenring as Executive Producer
Andrew Wang as Executive Producer
Christine Connor as Executive Producer
Julius Tennon as Executive Producer
Lee Beckett as Executive Producer
Morgan Hertzan as Executive Producer
Vanessa Potkin as Executive Producer
Viola Davis as Executive Producer
