On March 7, the Journalism program hosted a discussion with Boston Globe Associate Editor Adrian Walker and former Boston Globe reporter Evan Allen to discuss their multimedia project “Murder in Boston.” The project included three parts released in December 2023: A nine-part podcast, an eight-part narrative series and a three-part HBO documentary. Both Walker and Allen had lead roles in the project: Walker, who was part of the Pulitzer-Finalist Spotlight team that examined race in Boston, headed the podcast portion, and Allen, who was part of the team that won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for the narrative portion, also participated in the creation of the project. Profs. Ann Silvio (JOUR) and Neil Swidey (JOUR) moderated the discussion. 

The project centers on the shootings of Boston residents Charles and Carol Stuart. In 1989, Charles Stuart called 911 and told the police that he and his pregnant wife had been shot by a Black man in Mission Hill in a carjacking. After a prolonged investigation that uprooted the Black community, Charles Stuart’s suicide revealed that he had murdered his wife. The Brandeis Journalism Department wrote in their February newsletter: “The case upended the city, attracted intense national media coverage and ultimately called into question equity issues around race, class and gender that linger to this day.”

“Murder in Boston” covers the stories of those whose experiences weren’t initially reported. Now, with access to an abundance of materials, the mistakes made by the media — particularly between the Boston Globe and Boston Herald — act as a guiding lesson to future journalists. The event included a Q&A portion for audience members and aired the trailer of the HBO documentary.

While the Stuart Case unfolded many years ago, its impact on Mission Hill continues to today. “The biggest surprise was that 33 people knew about it … and just how botched the police investigation was,” Walker said. 

The extensive history and past reports on the Stuart Case allowed Allen and Walker to explore the nuances of the case. TV coverage was accessible and drove the story, as well as unorganized boxed materials from federal court. Listening to tapes that they remastered to CDs of Black teenagers being interrogated about the crime “felt like you have gone further back in time than 1989,” Allen said. They were also able to recover sources from people who had saved materials such as grand jury transcripts, the files of the disbarred attorney of Willie Bennett — a wrongfully accused Black man — that had been donated to Northeastern University and the police report from the District Attorney.

The making of the “Murder in Boston” podcast required a different approach from the narrative series, as a podcast couldn’t include testimonies from deceased people who weren’t previously interviewed or written sources. Casting was a large part of the documentary and  required individuals who were both compelling storytellers and connected to the story. 

The speakers emphasized how the voices from Mission Hill community were essential to the project. Through methods such as comparing voting records from 1989 to 2022, identifying who still lived in the neighborhood and knocking on potential interviewee’s doors, they slowly gained trust of members in the community. “We were constantly in Mission Hill … by persistently being there, you establish that you’re not just driving by. You’re here for real,” Allen said.

The team encountered numerous ethical dilemmas during their two and a half year project. Midway through their project the Boston Globe team learned that HBO, their partner on the documentary, had paid the Bennetts for their interview. They were uncertain on whether to move forward with their project as paying for an interview violates the ethical practices of journalists and taints the integrity of the story. This was a jarring discovery that could have been avoided, according to Walker, if they had asked more questions upon the initial partnership.

While they continued with the project, Walker and Allen made every effort in disclosing the payment that HBO made in the narrative and podcast project that they had full control over. There still remained a resounding question of what was owed to the victims and those affected by the case. “They are owed something by someone,” Allen said. “They only got 12k in settlement by the city, but it’s a [problem] we can’t fix.”

Since the media had its shortcomings, during the initial reporting of the Stuart Case in 1989, the reporters exercised caution in relying on the narratives of different individuals regardless of whether they spoke with good intentions. “We went in knowing that nothing and nobody could be trusted, including ourselves … Lot of people involved thought they were on the side of the angels,” Allen said. In particular, Allen cited Billie Dunn, a police officer in the initial investigation who believed that he was doing the “right thing.” 

As a result of unpacking the story and tracing the investigations at the time, from both police and newspapers like the Boston Globe, Allen stated that people are more skeptical of official sources. This project has left waves in the journalism world and has also left a lasting impression on the reporters of the event themselves. “Going back to my column has been more challenging than before, probably because the project is still taking a lot of space in my head,” Walker said.

“All the things I’m proudest of in my career have messed me up the most,” Allen added. “It takes a certain level of obsession to do these big projects and that’s what stays with you.”

Still, space constraints and the need for an audience posed limits and structure to a story that could have been told in more words and detail. To the two lead journalists on “Murder in Boston,” there are still questions that linger on the lasting implications of the murders, from whether the truth could be so overshadowed by a misdirected investigation to what Mission Hill could have been if the initial investigation was different.