The only thing this documentary was good for was to bring attention to this old case to those who had never heard it before. It happened in 1986 in Jerusalem so most of the world has probably never heard of this tragedy until now.
Issues with this documentary are that the archival footage blends in with the reenactments and the filmmakers don't give any indication of the difference. A slight annoyance but not one that will make or break the story, I suppose.
The main problem with this series is there isn't a satisfying end. It's called "The Motive" but the true motive was never uncovered. None of the two major motives stick. "A green man told him to kill his family so did" - That motive doesn't work when you find out the kid showed no remorse or sadness over what was done. You'd think if someone forced you to murder your loved ones not only would you mourn their deaths, but you would be terrified because the "green monster" is still running around loose!
The other motive was that he was an abused child and killed his abusers. That doesn't quite work when you find out he didn't just kill his parents, he killed his older sisters too. Supposedly, they were killed to "protect them"...but that doesn't make any sense at all.
So, the filmmakers leave it there regarding motives. That's it. Pick one. Your guess is as good as anyone else's'.
The biggest disappointment came when it's revealed the boy, now a grown man, only spent 9 years in jail. He's out now and has a wife and kids. Since he was only convicted on Manslaughter charges, he was allowed to inherit the family home and assets. Some describe him as happier after the brutal murders of his parents and sisters which leads them to believe his motive was really to start a fresh life without his family. But why? No one knows.
That's it. Unsatisfying.
Issues with this documentary are that the archival footage blends in with the reenactments and the filmmakers don't give any indication of the difference. A slight annoyance but not one that will make or break the story, I suppose.
The main problem with this series is there isn't a satisfying end. It's called "The Motive" but the true motive was never uncovered. None of the two major motives stick. "A green man told him to kill his family so did" - That motive doesn't work when you find out the kid showed no remorse or sadness over what was done. You'd think if someone forced you to murder your loved ones not only would you mourn their deaths, but you would be terrified because the "green monster" is still running around loose!
The other motive was that he was an abused child and killed his abusers. That doesn't quite work when you find out he didn't just kill his parents, he killed his older sisters too. Supposedly, they were killed to "protect them"...but that doesn't make any sense at all.
So, the filmmakers leave it there regarding motives. That's it. Pick one. Your guess is as good as anyone else's'.
The biggest disappointment came when it's revealed the boy, now a grown man, only spent 9 years in jail. He's out now and has a wife and kids. Since he was only convicted on Manslaughter charges, he was allowed to inherit the family home and assets. Some describe him as happier after the brutal murders of his parents and sisters which leads them to believe his motive was really to start a fresh life without his family. But why? No one knows.
That's it. Unsatisfying.