Documentary Review: A Death in St. Augustine (PBS Frontline)

Introduction

The nationwide — and then global — calls for racial justice that erupted following the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, by Minneapolis police officers underscore the public's overwhelmingly negative reaction when law enforcement authorities, long held in high esteem and respect, are suspected of committing violent crimes themselves. This dynamic makes the case examined in A Death in St. Augustine all the more resonant.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of the PBS Frontline documentary "A Death in St. Augustine" in order to identify and describe the major issue addressed by the film and the primary individuals and groups involved. In addition, the paper describes several biases identified in the documentary, evaluates what was and was not effective about it, and reflects on what was learned from watching it. This is followed by a discussion of elements in the film that were unconvincing or anomalous, and a consideration of whether the documentary changed this writer's perspective on the subject. Finally, the paper addresses whether the documentary would be recommended to others, and closes with a summary of key findings in the conclusion.

Major Issue Addressed by the Documentary

The major issue addressed by the documentary concerns the special treatment afforded to members of the law enforcement community by their peers when those members become involved in the criminal justice system. This issue surfaces in the context of the death of Michelle O'Connell on September 2, 2010. Although O'Connell was a single mother, her family emphasized that she loved her daughter, Alexis, and worked up to three jobs to support her. Family members and friends repeatedly stressed that O'Connell was "planning for her future, not her end," despite her death being ruled a suicide by the medical examiner. Her employer, Teresa Woodward, stated outright that "Michelle's life was not spiraling down. She was happy with the changes she was making."

One of the most important changes O'Connell was trying to make was ending her stormy relationship with Deputy Banks. Yet there were numerous signs that she may have been contemplating suicide, evidenced by a series of cryptic messages suggesting she was planning to take her own life — including several texts to her sister that read, in part, "Promise me one thing. Lexi will be happy and always have a good life [and] that no matter what, Lexi will always be safe and loved." Conversely, there were also significant indications that O'Connell was murdered by her physically abusive and controlling boyfriend, Deputy Banks. The tension between these two interpretations drives the entire documentary.

Primary Individuals and Groups Involved

The two primary individuals in the documentary were Michelle O'Connell — the deceased, a full-time daycare worker who had recently been promoted — and Sheriff's Deputy Jeremy Banks, the main suspect in her death. The key institutional group involved was Deputy Banks' employer, the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office in St. Augustine, Florida, whose handling of the investigation became a central point of controversy in the film.

Filmmaker Bias in the Documentary

Like other Frontline presentations, this documentary opens with selected excerpts from the video. In this case, the excerpts were drawn mostly from O'Connell's relatives and friends, and they served to create the impression that O'Connell did not commit suicide but was rather the victim of a cold-blooded murder by her boyfriend, Deputy Banks. The film emphasizes that Banks had a propensity for violence — especially after drinking — that the couple constantly argued, and that Banks had physically attacked O'Connell in the past. Numerous not-too-subtle references to the "what-ifs" involved in this "troubling" case made it clear that the producers viewed the possibility that Michelle had been murdered by her physically abusive deputy sheriff boyfriend as a compelling story likely to attract a sizeable audience.

This grisly attraction to a potential murder was based in large part on the involvement of a law enforcement officer, the fact that the case was investigated by his own employer, and the suggestion that a code of silence within the agency may have prevented all the facts — and the guilty party — from coming to light. The producers also highlight numerous pieces of circumstantial evidence pointing to murder rather than suicide: O'Connell died on the night the couple broke up; Deputy Banks' service revolver was found next to her body along with his holster; and a series of cryptic text messages were sent the night of her death. More troubling still, investigators failed to contact any of O'Connell's family members or friends for statements about her state of mind in the days leading up to her death. Only Lieutenant Charles Bradley eventually met with them — weeks later — and he still did not collect any formal statements.

Taken together, these details painted Deputy Banks as responsible for O'Connell's death, though no hard evidence supported this conclusion, and he eventually returned to duty. It is also worth noting that O'Connell's brother, who worked alongside Banks and initially believed Banks was the murderer, lost his job with the sheriff's office as a result of that stance. He later recanted his story and insisted the original investigation was accurate — that his sister had, in fact, committed suicide — and Deputy Banks was subsequently reinstated to his former position.

Conclusion

The untimely death of Michelle O'Connell on September 2, 2010, which resulted in an investigation by the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office in St. Augustine, Florida, was officially determined to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The research showed that abundant circumstantial evidence implicated O'Connell's boyfriend, Deputy Sheriff Jeremy Banks, but this evidence was disregarded throughout the investigation. The several instances of wrongdoing and errors made by investigators did nothing to change the outcome, and the official cause of O'Connell's death remains a suicide more than a decade later. The documentary raises serious questions about institutional accountability within law enforcement that remain as relevant today — in the wake of renewed national debate about police reform — as they were when the film was first released.