While on a family outing, Lawrence DeLisle's Ford LTD station wagon is driven off the edge of a pier in Downriver, Michigan with himself, his wife, and all four of his children inside. When the car hits the water, the windshield shatters, allowing DeLisle and his wife to get free. Rescue workers attempt to save the four children, but all four never regain consciousness. DeLisle originally claims that his leg cramped, causing him to lose control of the vehicle, but later confesses during an interrogation his attorney would later liken to hypnosis. While the court rules the confession inadmissible, it is still made available to the media. In the ensuing trial by media, newspapers and television stations comment on the tape without directly reproducing it, which would be against the court order. Despite the confession never being read in court, the jury finds DeLisle guilty for four murders and one attempted murder of his wife on August 1, 1990. Despite exhausting all of his appeals, DeLisle continues to maintain his innocence, blaming the car instead.
—Erika Henao