Betty anne waters, reallife heroine of conviction the new york. Oct 10, 2010 then he put betty anne waters on the phone. Oct 29, 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 her. Hilary swank is activist and actress with conviction. Conviction press tourbetty anne waters selig film news. Nov 17, 2020 for one betty anne waters, becoming a lawyer was a decision she simply had to make and it was one that changed her whole life. Film tells of truelife wrongful conviction drama the current. The courage of betty anne waterss conviction the boston. 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. After the murder of katherina reitz brow on may 21, 1980, in ayer, massachusetts, kenny is initially brought in for questioning by sergeant nancy taylor, but released. Waters no longer practices law, but she pitches in wherever she can. Conviction is about the innocence project and its work on the case of kenneth waters in america. In 1999, she located the type o blood evidence collected from the scene of the crime and obtained a court order to preserve the evidence for possible.
The film, starring hillary swank and sam rockwell and directed by brandeis alumnus tony goldwyn, opens nationally in october. The waters siblings at their mothers house in 1964. Steadfastly convinced of his innocence, betty anne embarks on an 18year journey to set kenny free, using stateof. Betty anne waters once believed everyone in prison was guilty. Oct 15, 2010 crusader betty anne waters, who freed her brother from prison, inspires a film. She knew it in her heart that her brother was innocent. 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.
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. For those who dont know her, shes simply a woman who runs a bristol, r. Betty anne, who to this day works at an irish pub in bristol, r. When betty anne waters hilary swank older brother kenny sam rockwell is arrested for murder and sentenced to life in 1983, betty anne, a massachusetts wife and mother of two, dedicates her life to overturning the murder conviction. Betty anne waters life revolves around her brother kenneth, who is now in jail for murder. 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. Kenneths sister, betty anne waters, puts herself through law school and becomes an attorney all in the name of proving kenneths innocence. Then a massachusetts court sentenced her brother kenny to life imprisonment for a brutal murder he claimed he hadnt committed. The film premiered on september 11, 2010, at the toronto international film festival and was released in. And her dogged tenacity pays off in the end with kenny being cleared of all charges. Betty anne waters is a young woman whose world is shattered when her beloved brother kenny is convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. This set waters on a remarkable path, which is the subject of a new movie, conviction, which opens this weekend. When kenny was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1983 and sentenced to life in prison, betty anne went on an 18year mission, which would ultimately end with her earning a law degree and helping exonerate her brother in 2001 when dna.
Oct 18, 2010 betty anne waters once believed everyone in prison was guilty. Conviction betty anne waters dramatic true story is told with too many false notes and unexamined questions. Bettie ann waters showed the world what perseverance can accomplish. Then a massachusetts court sentenced her brother kenny to life imprisonment. Contrarily to many children, betty anne watters and her brother kenneth waters did not have an insouciant and happy childhood. Film tells of truelife wrongful conviction drama mpr news. In 2001, however, waters was freed from prison after his sister, betty anne waters, uncovered dma evidence which proved her brother wasnt the killer. After her brother was convicted of a murder betty anne waters knew he didnt commit, she devoted the next 18 years to proving his innocence. After his conviction, she put herself through college and law school, graduating in 1998, all with the goal of exonerating kenny. When her brother was wrongly convicted of murder, betty and her family were dealt a blow. Attorney and the film conviction is based on the true story of betty anne waters 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. Her rough and tumble brother is accused of murder, a crime she knows he didnt commit. Oct 26, 2010 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 nine children of more than one.
Conviction starring hilary swank and sam rockwell, and directed by tony goldwyn 82 conviction tells the true story of betty anne waters path to seek justice for her brother kenneth waters after he was wrongfully convicted of murder. Swank plays betty anne waters, a young woman whose world is shattered when her beloved brother kenny rockwell is convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Oct 21, 2010 conviction press tour betty anne waters. Dec 11, 2010 when her brother was convicted of murder, betty anne waters swapped waitressing for law school to prove his innocence. Her brother was falsely convicted of aggravated murder, and ran out of money for lawyers and appeals,and by that time, he had already served 12 years of his sentence. Real life tragedy and heroism 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 her. She was able to find dna evidence that proved kenny waters innocence. Despite kennys knack for getting in trouble, they have always been close. Betty anne waters, reallife heroine of conviction the. Oct 15, 2010 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. 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.
After waters conviction, his sister, betty anne waters, sought to prove his innocence. On page 6 of the book, battery is defines as an intentional. Massachusetts mans estate paid millions for wrongful conviction. Woman who got imprisoned brother freed still helps. Betty anne waters, staring sam rockwell and hilary swank, is scheduled to be released in theaters in 2010. For one betty anne waters, becoming a lawyer was a decision she simply had to make and it was one that changed her whole life. Redirected from betty anne waters conviction is a 2010 biographical legal drama film directed by tony goldwyn, written by pamela gray, and starring hilary swank and sam rockwell. Steadfastly convinced of his innocence, betty anne embarks on an 18year journey to.
The inspirational true story of a sisters unwavering devotion to her brother. Oct, 2010 kenny waters might not have been a very nice man, but he was an innocent one. Meet betty anne waters, the real life hero who spent years attending college and law school in order to free her wrongly convicted brother from prison. Waters had only a job as a waitress, her high school equivalency, two kids and a stack of bills when she set out to rescue her brother kenneth waters, who served 18 years in prison for a murder. Nov 28, 2010 two of this seasons movies, both based on true stories, remind us of the underrated pleasures of conventional filmmaking. Conviction featurette meet betty anne waters youtube. If someone would tell you the life of betty anne waters, you would think how tragic. Conviction is the inspirational true story of a sisters unwavering devotion to her brother. The incredible true story of a crusading sister and the love that animates her 18year fight to free her brother from prison. She owns and irish pub in rhode island see below for full bio. When her brother was convicted of murder, betty anne waters swapped waitressing for law school to prove his innocence. The unshakable bond between a brother and sister, at the heart of this reallife drama. Drama, in regia lui tony goldwyn, ii are in distributie pe hilary swank, sam rockwell. Abstract hilary swank features in this legal drama as betty anne waters, a high school dropout and working single mother who attends law school in an effort to defend brother kenny, a man fighting an uphill battle for his freedom ever since a wrongful conviction for murder who.
With hilary swank, sam rockwell, melissa leo, thomas d. Betty anne waters conviction kept her going huffpost. Steadfastly convinced of his innocence, betty anne embarks on an 18year journey to set kenny free, using stateoftheart forensic technology. Her brother was falsely convicted of aggravated murder, and ran out of money for lawyers and appeals,and by that time. But waters was convinced that her brother was innocent. Betty anne waters conviction there is no denying the devotion betty anne waters had for her brother kenny. By considering his innocence and not his personality, conviction puts the focus where it belongs.
Film tells of truelife wrongful conviction drama the. An everyday mother puts herself through law school to represent her brother, wrongfully convicted of murder, in court. Hire movie convictions betty anne waters for your event. They had a negligent mother and went from one foster house to another. High school dropout becomes lawyer to free her innocent.
Conviction 2010 events schuster institute brandeis. 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. Betty anne waters, a server who went to law school to free her brother from prison, is the subject of conviction, starring hilary swank. Kenny waters, left, with his sister betty ann waters, after his release from prison. Oct 14, 2010 betty anne waters older brother kenny was convicted of murdering a neighbor and sentenced to life without parole. Conviction star opts for characters facing lifes trials find showtimes and theaters. 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. Her determination is fierce, her rebirth is inspiring, and in hilary swank, the film finds the right actress to embody gritty tenacity. Massachusetts mans estate resolves wrongful conviction. Just a few years later, he was charged and convicted of murder, and served 18 years in prison before dna testing proved his innocence. She put herself through college and law school, all with the goal of exonerating her brother. Oct 14, 2010 in a recent interview, even the real betty anne waters acknowledged that hollywood took some liberties with a reallife saga that martha coakley concedes is a great story. Massachusetts mans estate paid millions for wrongful. Based on a true story, conviction 2010 recounts the tale of a workingclass woman who gets a law degree solely to prove the innocence of her brother, who had.
Conviction tells the reallife story of a woman named betty ann waters, a single mother of two who tended bar while acquiring her ged, bachelors degree, and then her law degree, all so that she. 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 her brothers name. 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 the conviction overturned. When kenny waters was convicted of a murder he didnt commit, his sister betty anne waters promised to help overturn his conviction and set.
For those who dont know her, shes simply a woman who runs a bristol. Dec 15, 2009 as to whether the story of waters wrongful conviction and eventual exoneration might make a good movie, hollywood apparently thought it would. But for thousands of others, betty ann waters is a hero. She seemed reluctant to portray herself as a high school. Betty anne waters managed a bar when her brother kenny was convicted of murder in 1983. Massachusetts mans estate resolves wrongful conviction suit. Conviction 943 words 4 pages contrarily to many children, betty anne watters and her brother kenne th waters did not have an insouciant and happy childhood. Oct 19, 2010 the film conviction, which opened on oct. Today we remember kenny waters on his 18th exoneration. Eighteen years later, she secured his release from jail, but at what personal. She was the product of foster care, and did not even graduate high school. Mar 18, 2020 betty anne waters always believed in her brothers innocence. Movies arent getting greenlit unless youre a comic book or tell a lot of fart jokes.
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