A PBS Frontline documentary airing tonight on WJCT Television takes a close look at a controversial death investigation in the nation’s oldest city.Controversy has lingered since 2010 over the death of 24-year-old Michelle O’Connell.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office ruled her death a suicide. McConnell’s family, and other independent investigators, say there is evidence that her boyfriend, St. Johns County Sheriff's Deputy Jeremy Banks, was abusive and should be considered a murder suspect in the case. Banks is still on the job today.
The New York Times published a widely read article on the McConnell case on Sunday.
READ: The New York Times "Two Gunshots On a Summer Night"
Together with Frontline, the joint investigation raises questions about the ability of law enforcement agencies to properly investigate allegations of domestic violence if the person suspected of abuse also wears a uniform.
WJCT's Melissa Ross spoke with New York Times investigative journalist and three time Pulitzer Prize winner Walt Bogdanich, the lead reporter of "A Death in St. Augustine."
You can follow Melissa on Twitter @MelissainJax.
