Ep 15. A Death in St. Augustine

In season 31, episode 15 of Frontline titled A Death in St. Augustine, the documentary explores the suspicious death of 28-year-old Michelle O'Connell, who was found dead in 2010 with a gunshot wound to the head in her boyfriend's home, which was guarded by local police. The medical examiner labeled it a suicide, but her family and close friends believed it was a homicide.

The episode delves into the investigation into her death and the controversy surrounding it. The case is complicated by the fact that Michelle's boyfriend, Jeremy Banks, was a deputy sheriff for the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, the same agency responsible for investigating her death.

Through interviews with Michelle's family and friends, the episode portrays her as a loving and devoted mother to her young daughter who was looking forward to a promising future. After dating Banks on and off for some years, she started to express doubts about his character, prompting her to initiate a break-up just hours before her death.

The scene of her death was secured by local law enforcement, who pronounced her dead on the scene and created an initial report of a suicide. Michelle's family was suspicious of the determination of suicide and launched their own investigation into her death and the role of law enforcement in it.

Initially, the investigation conducted by the St. Augustine police showed no evidence of foul play, but Michelle's family did not accept it as complete and demanded a more thorough inquiry. When the local sheriff's office - where Banks worked as an officer - took over the investigation, they made what Michelle's supporters perceived as multiple egregious errors in the investigation.

The episode highlights how the official investigation concluded quickly and without any serious investigation. The medical examiner's office determined that Michelle had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, dismissing the inconsistencies and forensic evidence that raised questions about the manner and cause of death.

A major turning point came in the case when several officers came forward with allegations of corruption and misconduct in the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office. These allegations confirmed Michelle's family's initial suspicion that the local law enforcement authorities had played a role in her death. A subsequent review by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement suggests that law enforcement mishandled evidence and tampered with the crime scene.

As the case progressed, Michelle's family and friends rallied behind her cause, creating public pressure on law enforcement to take a closer look into her death and to reduce the possibility of the perpetrators getting away with the crime. The episode also highlights the role of social media platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, which have been widely employed for raising awareness of the case and renewed public interest in unsolved cases.

Overall, Frontline's A Death in St. Augustine is an intense and engrossing examination of a mysterious death and the effects of the investigation process on the victim's loved ones. By combining eyewitness accounts, police reports, and courtroom footage, Frontline delivers an unbiased and detailed report, without disclosing which side is "right" or "wrong."