Barbara's sister had a rocky relationship with her sibling. Drumm told commissioners that a number of agencies, including the Madison Police Department, had already released information about the case, and that releasing further evidence could compromise the ongoing investigation. This allegation feelscircumstantial at best. Schulz said the department had provided two boxes of information about the case, but that they were still missing key documents, including witness statements, notes, computer records and telephone records. Before joining the Register, she worked on an independent journalism project about migration in Berlin, Germany. The story sort of chronicles and parallels my journey in making this. If I didn't ask these questions, the questions would go unasked, but I've tried my hardest to do this what I consider the right way. "Barbie, Barb, it's your sister." The call ends after about five minutes. 'Ted Lasso' Season 3 Dropped Its First Trailer, 'Outer Banks' Season 4 Is Already In the Works, 'The Last of Us' Ep. A hired killer just wouldn't fit that description. Its an amazing thing as someone who's created something, because the conversations extend week to week and to see the effects that it has and the momentum that it causes is really beautiful. The people in the States Attorneys office who oversee the cold case reviews agreed with them that there were no new leads to follow. He never forcefully denies killing Barbara in the series. One issue that was resolved in the documentary was the status of Ali Hamburg, Madison's sister and the daughter of Barbara, as a potential suspect in the case. It's something that I've been dealing with throughout this process since partnering with HBO last year, but the idea that this was going to be in the public eye and that these vulnerabilities that my family has trusted me with were going to be exposed didn't enter the equation until the stage was realized. Madison police have not yet filed a brief outlining the grounds of their appeal with the Appellate Court, and attempts to reach the department this past week were unsuccessful. Yet the strangest thing was when Conway stated that Barbara, a week before she was slain, told her about a dream where she was violently murdered but refused to reveal who was behind it. Beach also alleges that Ali killed Barbara, claiming that the then-high schooler acted bizarrely at the scene of the murder by declaring it a crime scene before any evidence of a crime was observed. So I was at film school when my mom died, in this doc class, and I told my immediate group. There's already inherent bias from my point of view. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. The. Barbara's daughter was a teenager in 2010, and was with Beach when Barbara's body was discovered. Back in 1996, when Conway was out of control with her substance abuse, Barbara took her to court to get custody of her son, Tyler. Alaine Griffin, director of communications in the Office of the Chief States Attorney said that the department had no comment at this time. She totally got it and they made us an offer. by Johnny Brayson Dec. 4, 2020 HBO The HBO series Murder on Middle Beach has. It's unknown just how many people Barbara had under her at the Gifting Tables, but she was accused of recruiting members from her AA group. Jeffrey was eventually arrested for failing to make those payments in 2012, and as of 2018 he was still fighting in the courts to avoid paying. While their outing is filmed from a hotel window across the street from the bar, Madison prods his father on details about his marriage to Madisons late mother. Prior to her death, she'd been engaged in a legal battle over child support with her ex Jeffrey Hamburg, who's also the father of Madison and his younger sister Ali. Do we need a case to be closed, or at least a prime suspect in view, to feel like a narrative arc was actually achieved before the final end credits? You can watch the trailer below. The matter now is in the hands of the Connecticut Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments Wednesday. The dispute over the records goes back to 2019, when Anike Niemeyer, a filmmaker working with Madison Hamburg, requested all the departments investigatory records from the his mothers case. That is as it should be. In one example, Justice Steven Ecker asked Dugas about the competing interest of uncovering police corruption or incompetence. It was a huge learning process, balancing those two roles of family member and investigative documentarian. The Connecticut Supreme Court will decide whether the Madison Police Department must release records compiled in its investigation of the 12-year-old unsolved murder of Barbara Hamburg. While Madison police initially questioned Hamburg after Beach Hamburg's murder, he was never formally charged with a crime, despite being named as a suspect. Barbara's husband Jeffrey Hamburg was the suspect in the case, though he was never charged with her murder, he was jailed for monetary frauds. What it did do, though, was bring light to the case and start a conversation around it. Barbara was killed very violently, likely with a hammer, and detectives have called it a crime of passion and theorize that the killer knew Barbara and had a personal stake in the murder. Barbara Hamburg was found murdered outside her familys Middle Beach Road home on March 3, 2010, but the case went cold and no one has ever been charged in connection with her death. Jeffrey, who was an exorbitantly wealthy former CEO of Southern Electric International, and Barbara had an incredibly acrimonious divorce. In 2012, according to the New Haven Register, Conway called Barbara loving, kind, giving, thoughtful, caring, a wonderful mother, a wonderful sister.. Niemeyer appealed the decision with the Freedom of Information Commission. In 2016, he began to film a project reviewing the circumstances around his mothers death, interviewing family members and pursuing information from the Madison Police Department about its investigation. According to David Schulz, a lawyer representing the plaintiff, the department was only withholding the information on the off chance that new information about the case should come to light, and that there really was not an ongoing investigation. What were the reactions of Ali and Conway like? Both Ali's father, Jeffrey, and Beach accuse Ali of hating her mother in the documentary, which Ali denies. "There have been corroborating leads, correcting things, things that we didn't know about," Hamburg told Esquire. HBO. "And one of them was, if we don't solve my mom's case, then the documentary becomes a tool for me to get my mom's story out there and provide some momentum." Here, we see how that leads him to investigate his own father, a pyramid scheme The Gifting Tables that his mother was involved in, his sister, and his aunt, Conway Beach. The case raises questions about exactly when a cold case is considered cold enough to release the investigative files publicly and likely is destined for much further debate by both the judiciary and general assembly, Klau reasoned. The resulting documentary series was picked up by HBO, and the four-part Murder on Middle Beach premiered late last year. She also suffered numerous stab wounds to her face, chest, and hands. Conway presents the situation like she simply was scammed; she and Barbara eventually came to terms, and Conway moved in with her prior to the murder (though the docuseries alleges that there was tension between the two because Barbara had asked her to move out). We still don't know who killed Barbara Hamburg, but with the renewed attention paid to the case thanks to Murder on Middle Beach, we could one day find out. And sort of realizing that what I wanted as a character in the story and as a person is to know what happened to my mom, but I think what I need, and my sister said so beautifully as the beginning of the last episode, is peace. He said it was also important to preserve the rights of victims and family members, who he said he didnt believe would want information released while police officers were still working on their case. But after watching the entire series through again on Monday morning, I realized that's obviously the point one that I had lost sight of while tuning in week-to-week for the last month, eager to see how the case concluded. Beach claims to have been accused of being jealous of her sister's success, but denies it in the docuseries. I didn't necessarily fit the mold, but SCAD agreed to a really unique deal with me where they funded 10 weeks of production and we shot all of our master interviews. The personal gruesomeness of the murder and covering her body like he regrets it feels too personal to be a hit man. HBO's new docuseries "Murder on Middle Beach," directed by Madison Hamburg, focuses on the death of Hamburg's mother, Barbara. It is more than a reasonable possibility, pun intended, that the Connecticut Appellate or Supreme Court will review this decision. The Madison Department of Police filed an appeal on September 2. Arguably the most popular theory on Reddit suggests that Jeffrey Hamburg hired someone to kill his ex-wife. She's convinced, however, that she knows who the killer is: Ali, Madison's sister who was still in high school at the time. That was in 2016. The filmmakers appealed to the states Freedom of Information Commission, which reviews public records disputes. Here are the facts: on March 3rd, 2010, Barbara Beach Hamburg was beaten to death in front of her modest house in Madison, Connecticut. The police department initially provided two boxes of materials to the filmmakers late last year which the pair said were incomplete before the department reversed course and appealed the commissions decision in Superior Court. In past cases in which the exemption was upheld, police showed the commission they were interviewing witnesses, in the final stages of an investigation or working on it weekly, according to Harmon. And I was just desperately trying to understand how to take the next step with something so personal and not sacrifice anything. If Barbara dropped Ali off at 7:47 am and the court hearing was at 9:30 am, perhaps the father had enough time to commit the murder. Drumm also said that he hoped the Chief States Attorneys Office and that Attorney General William Tongs Office would file amicus briefs on their behalf. But as she admitted, Conway unsuccessfully tried to get revenge and hire a hitman to kill the Hamburgs. Who Is John Dutton's Grandfather in '1923'? And more importantly, should tuition go toward supporting bars around the XL Center? The department denied the request, citing a portion of the state Freedom of Information Act exempting certain law enforcement records from release if the disclosure of such records would not be in the public interest because it would result in the disclosure of information to be used in a prospective law enforcement action if prejudicial to such action.. That means that if you have a victim of a crime in your household tomorrow, they could start [submitting Freedom of Information Requests for] each and every single day in the investigation, said Drumm. It premiered on November 15, 2020, on HBO. Here are the most notable suspects. Then, the public would never have any way of knowing whether [the police] were doing their job appropriately, said Schulz. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider We've had a lot of conversations, but both Conway and Ali have evolved. We now know they have that information, which led them to ask additional questions of us of information that we had not shared with the general public, Drumm told commissioners, adding that the department needed to retain the information to complete its investigation. While Beach's husband (and Madison's father) Jeffrey was questioned early on about his ex-wife's murder, there have still been no arrests made in the case. She frequently cried when talking about her sister, and more than once, displayed anger towards what happened. Beach was also accused of threatening an anonymous member of the Gifting Tables by leaving dead animals in her yard. I assume he has, but I'm not sure. It is difficult to understand how denying public access to criminal files in perpetuity serves the public interest in solving crimes and bringing perpetrators to justice, wrote Judge Daniel Klau in his decision. She remained in class until Conway picked her up. "When my mom died, I didn't tell anybody," says Hamburg. According to the HBO docuseries, Beach Hamburg's body was covered with outdoor furniture cushions when it was found. They've seen the documentary, we had family screenings before we even sent it out to press. Madison Hamburg On the Middle Beach Finale, India Oxenberg Finally Feels a Sense of Peace, More Coverage of the Documentaries That Matter, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. When she's not reporting, you can find her hiking Shoreline trails and eating her way through New Haven. Would you do it? Beach Hamburg's sister, Conway, and her great-aunt, Jill Platt, are featured prominently in "Murder on Middle Beach," as is her mother. As the pyramid scheme required a $5,000 "gift" to join, the thinking goes that Barbara could have recruited someone to the tables who couldn't actually afford to make such a payment. Its something that really has to work its way through the court, he told CT Examiner. "Murder on Middle Beach" adds to the genre as well. Due to Conway's addiction, she lost custody of her son to Barbara, after which Conway attempted to hire a hitman to kill Barbara because she "snapped. Beach also alleges that Ali killed Barbara, Jeffrey Hamburg hired someone to kill his ex-wife. At the end of the series, Madison wins his case with the Freedom of Information Commission to receive case files relating to his mother's homicide investigation. I can't get into details, but it's been extremely illuminating. Who called Barbara to tell her that her court time had been changed from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. the day of her murder (ostensibly making time for the crime to be committed)? How did you balance your craft and the desire to tell a captivating story from a film perspective with the personal elementworking with your own family members and telling your own painful story? Why did Jeffrey's financial dealings make Barbara feel like her family's safety had been compromised? My college was really supportive of me, Savannah College of Art and Design. Have you found anything surprising in the new police files that you received last month? We work on this case weekly, we have a states attorney assigned to us who works on this weekly. But Madison's. Years before she was murdered, Madison Hamburg 's mother Barbara Hamburg gave him a gift that would shape his life forever. I want checks and balances.. During the last four minutes of of HBO's docuseries "Murder on Middle Beach," a black screen pops up with a single, heartwrenching sentence: My family still lives without answers about my mother's death. Beach Hamburg and Hamburg married in 1989, but divorced in 2002. The 48-year-old mother of two lived on Middle Beach Road in Madison, Connecticut. Barbara Beach Hamburg was found dead outside her home in 2010, but her case remains unsolved. Killed them all, of course.". This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Not looking into my mom's story would be the biggest regret of my life, so I don't know that I would do anything differently. But the Freedom of Information Commission has argued that police failed to prove the case was active enough to warrant withholding the file or that the investigation was heading toward an arrest. Do you know if your dad has watched or is watching? It would compromise the case investigation. he said. Through interviews with family members and friends of his mother, Madison is able to come to a better understanding of who his mother was as a person. I went to rehab and when I came back to school I was a year behind everybody, and I didn't tell anyone what had happened to me cause I didn't want that label of the kid whose mom was murdered. The case isnt closed. Conway remembers taking a bag of money to a Florida hotel to meet someone who presented themselves as a hitman. Upon hearing this new information, Beach alters her opinion of Ali as the murderer. The case was then brought to trial in the Superior Court of New Britain, which last month upheld the Freedom of Information Commissions ruling. Filmmakers could learn a lot from how Madison Hamburg focuses on the emotional ripple effects of crime, and the very human toll that loss takes on a family and community. Barbara Beach Hamburg, Madison's mother, was killed in 2010 in Madison, Connecticut. According to her own accounts, after Ali chose to live with her father, Jeffrey Hamburg, he became "super controlling" and implanted "a lot of fear" in her. The HBO true crime documentary series Murder on Middle Beach has reached its conclusion, without any grand reveal regarding who killed Barbara Hamburg. So many people had the opportunity, the motive, the means. His father, Jeffrey Hamburg, quickly became a person of interest. HBO's new true-crime docuseries "Murder on Middle Beach" premieres Sunday, November 15. "My parents told me that . On March 3, 2010, Barbara was found brutally murdered in the yard of their Connecticut home. Conway and Ali are the ones who discovered the body and Conway said Ali acted "strangely." Who do you think did it? The documentary follows Madison as he investigates the shocking murder of his mother Barbara Beach Hamburg. That said, in the final episode Ali's alibi is confirmed: her mother dropped her off at school the morning that she was killed. I was a drug addict at the time, and really fell into my addiction and hit my rock bottom. Conway Beach is Barbara Beach Hamburgs elder sister and the woman who, unfortunately, discovered her body. The following contains spoilers from the ending of HBO's "Murder of Middle Beach.". The episodes also addressed skepticism about the police departments initial investigations and even included surreptitious recordings of Madison Hamburgs discussions with detectives at the department. Attorney David Schulz, a Yale Law professor and member of the schools Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic that has worked with Hamburg and Niemeyer on the records fight, called Klaus decision thorough and thoughtful. He agreed the eventual conclusion of this case could help set new precedent for how the public access old police case files across the state, which is an important tool for holding investigators accountable, he said. To this day, the case that shocked a wealthy, idyllic seaside town has remained unsolved. The series depicted how the investigation process caused rifts between the family and the secrets which suggested their involvement in the murder. On March 3, 2010, Barbara Beach Hamburg was found murdered in the backyard of her Madison, Connecticut, home. The director of HBO's true crime docuseries discusses the emotions of investigating his own mother's murder. Beach Hamburg is survived by her children, Madison and Ali, 27, as well as her mother, also named Barbara, and numerous siblings. Many ancient pipes in CT aren't up to the task of draining storm water, yet officials just seem to shrug. Initial buy-in was about $5,000 and, under leaders like Barbara, women would liquidate savings accounts or refinance their homes for a chance at entering the more lucrative circles of the group. "I can't get into details, but it's been extremely illuminating.". Her death in 2010 was the subject of an HBO true crime documentary series produced by her son Madison Hamburg. She suffered for years from alcoholism, addiction and physical and mental health issues as well as a palpable jealousy towards Barbara and Barbara's daughter, Ali. I've written before about the trend of "true criminal justice" documentaries and docuseries the kind wherein the narrative is less about solving a mystery and more about turning the magnifying glass on the legal proceedings that surrounded it are an opportunity for filmmakers to present a fuller picture of criminality and victimhood. Madison police step up fight to withhold, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Madison police step up fight to withhold Barbara Hamburg murder investigation files from HBOs Murder on Middle Beach filmmakers, Police track shooting suspect by following his footprints in snow in Bloomfield, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy defends giving Fox host Tucker Carlson Jan. 6 footage access, You cant trust sleep advice found on YouTube: study, Tom Sizemores family deciding end of life matters after actor suffers brain aneurysm, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Sign up for notifications from Insider! The old adage about a fresh pair of eyes is particularly apt. Emilia Otte covers health and education for the Connecticut Examiner. Alex Murdaugh Faces Life In Prison For Allegedly Killing His Wife & Son, Heres What Happened To Riley In 'The Last Of Us' Video Game, Twitter Is Losing It Over Succession Ending With Season 4, Everything To Know About 'And Just Like That' Season 2, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. ET. At a Freedom of Information hearing in February 2020, Madison police Detective Christopher Sudock said he regularly reviewed the case and that the agency had received a phone call about it the week before. Through interviews with and secret recordings of his immediate family and the police, Madison and his crew tell the story of Barbara Beach Hamburgs full life and tragic death. In late December, Niemeyer filed another complaint with the FOIC over the missing records, and the department responded by appealing the commissions original order to release any of the documents in the first place. Seeking a way out of making those payments or seeing the inside of a jail cell could allegedly have been a motive for Jeffrey to kill Barbara. The television series, Murder on Middle Beach, documents the story of Madison Hamburgs search for the story behind his mothers murder. All rights reserved. We filmed a lot and the story just kept going and going, and my professor realized we weren't gonna finish this project. I moved to Austin after school and found out there was this alumni artist residency that the president of SCAD was funding personally, and so I reached out to them about it. The Madison Police Department is appealing a court ruling upholing an order by the state's Freedom of Information Commission that the department release all records except signed witness statements related to the unsolved murder of Barbara Beach Hamburg. Meghan Friedmann is a reporter with the New Haven Register, covering North Branford, Guilford and Madison. In August 2020, the Freedom of Information Commission ruled that the Madison Police Department needed to release the requested records, including investigatory records, interrogation recordings, and crime scene recordings, including photos and videos, with the exception of signed witness statements. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Jeffreyrefuses to discuss the case or his marriage with Madison, except to point to Barbara's alcoholism and, prior to recovery, her pattern of black-out drinking as evidence that Barbara wasn't necessarily to be trusted a line he holds even once Madison finds boxes of documents in the final episodes that could potentially implicate him in unethical (and potentially illegal) business practices that made Barbara feel unsafe.
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