On October 1, 1993, recidivist and convicted sexual predator Richard Allen Davis kidnapped the 12 year old Polly Klaas from a slumber party. She was never seen alive again.
This is a routine documentary about a notorious case, it includes reconstructions, and a lot of tech talk for crime buffs as well as contributions from the men who tracked him down. Sadly, there was never any prospect of finding the victim alive; it would be two months before Davis directed the authorities to her body.
Because the crime was carried out in California, Davis was eligible for the death penalty, and was a very deserving case, yet nineteen years after this documentary was screened and twenty-one years after his conviction, he remains on death row, which begs the question why, though an arguably bigger question is why was he at liberty to commit this crime considering he had already kidnapped two women and attacked others, one with lethal intent?
As with many American court cases, the trial of Richard Allen Davis was recorded, certainly there were cameras in the courtroom during the victim impact statements, his own statement, and the sentencing. These are not included here, but CBS did report at the time the despicable last words Davis attributed to his victim, something the judge said made it very easy for him to pass the death sentence awarded by the jury.
This is a routine documentary about a notorious case, it includes reconstructions, and a lot of tech talk for crime buffs as well as contributions from the men who tracked him down. Sadly, there was never any prospect of finding the victim alive; it would be two months before Davis directed the authorities to her body.
Because the crime was carried out in California, Davis was eligible for the death penalty, and was a very deserving case, yet nineteen years after this documentary was screened and twenty-one years after his conviction, he remains on death row, which begs the question why, though an arguably bigger question is why was he at liberty to commit this crime considering he had already kidnapped two women and attacked others, one with lethal intent?
As with many American court cases, the trial of Richard Allen Davis was recorded, certainly there were cameras in the courtroom during the victim impact statements, his own statement, and the sentencing. These are not included here, but CBS did report at the time the despicable last words Davis attributed to his victim, something the judge said made it very easy for him to pass the death sentence awarded by the jury.