A new WGN documentary set to release April 7 takes another look at the murder of Illinois State University student Jennifer Lockmiller.
Who Killed Jennifer? offers new details about the 1993 tragedy that led to the conviction of her boyfriend, Alan Beaman. Beaman was later exonerated in 2008 by the Illinois Supreme Court and received an innocence pardon from Gov. Pat Quinn in 2015. He had been sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Beaman then went on to settle a lawsuit with the Town of Normal for $5.4 million.
The documentary takes an in-depth look at the unsolved murder, including newly uncovered details about the unsolved police investigation.
Former WGLT correspondent Edith Brady-Lunny extensively covered crime and legal issues for decades in McLean County for the Pantagraph and WGLT, including Beaman's exoneration. She was interviewed for the documentary.
Since retiring, Brady-Lunny has participated in several speaking events related to wrongful convictions, including recent forums at Heartland Community College organized with family members and advocates of Jamie Snow and Barton McNeil.
Snow and McNeil were also convicted of murder in the 1990s and have maintained their innocence. At a March 19 event moderated by McNeil's cousin, Chris Ross, Beaman and McNeil spoke for the first time in 25 years after first meeting at Statesville Correctional Center early in their incarceration. McNeil phoned into the event from Graham Correctional Center in Hillsboro, Illinois.
The half-hour special debuts April 7 WGN+ TV app. The show will also air on WGN-TV at a later date and will be available on YouTube and as a podcast.
