Sealed Fate

Jennifer Evans and Dustin Turner met in a nightclub in the popular resort of Virginia Beach on June 18, 1995. They were seen holding hands at one in the morning, but by two they had disappeared without a trace. A week later, Jennifer's body was discovered. The chief suspects were Dustin and his "swim buddy" Billy Brown, who was drunk on the night of the murder. Despite evidence that supported Turner's version of events, the court also found Dustin guilty of the murder - purely on the basis of Billy's accusations, after Dustin took police to the body. Both Billy and Dustin were sentenced to life in prison, where Billy converted to Christianity in 2002 and confessed to having strangled Jennifer. But is that enough to get Dustin freed? Because it looks as though a combination of nepotism and financial profit-making have led to a situation where the two Navy SEAL trainees will have to stay in jail at all costs. Sealed Fate is former U.S. Navy Chief JD Leete's debut as a documentary filmmaker, and it is an exhaustive crime reportage. He reconstructs this 15-year-long judicial travesty with an impressive range of material that includes everything from interviews with Dustin, Billy, family members, friends and independent attorneys to courtroom sketches, reenacted scenes, old news broadcasts, and Navy SEAL training sessions - something to which Leete had exclusive access. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)