Justifiable Homicide 2001
Distributed by Cinema Guild, 115 West 30th Street, Suite 800, New York, NY 10001; 212-685-6242
Produced by Jon Osman and Jonathan Stack
Directed by Jon Osman and Jonathan Stack
VHS, color, 86 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Criminal Justice
Date Entered: 08/06/2004
Reviewed by Nancy E. Frazier, E. H. Butler Library, State University of New York College at BuffaloIn January, 1995, Anthony Rosario and his cousin Hilton Vega were shot and killed in a Bronx apartment by two New York City Police detectives. Rosario and Vega, along with a third man who was with them during the shooting, were a part of a botched robbery attempt. Responding to a tip, detectives staked out the apartment and opened fire on the armed men. Witnesses to the shooting stated that neither Rosario nor Vega resisted arrest. Coroners’ reports indicated that shots entered the dead mens’ bodies from back to front. Civilian Complaint Review Board investigators reported that bullet holes were found in the floor boards, but none were found in the apartment walls. The grand jury determined that police were justified in protecting themselves and the lives of the people in the building against the armed robbers, and voted against charging the detectives. A grieving mother’s crusade questioned the facts of the case, aroused suspicion of a cover up that extended from the police to then-Mayor Guiliani’s office, and brought controversies about minorities dying in police custody to the forefront of media attention.
This film presents the story of Margarita Rosario’s quest for justice for her son, Anthony, and nephew, Hilton Vega. We see Margarita in her kitchen, where she talks with quiet strength about the pain of her son’s death as she prepares her family’s meals. We go with Margarita to meetings of the PAPB - Parents Against Police Brutality - an organization she co-founded with Hilton Vega’s mother to represent the family members of victims of police brutality of all nationalities. We listen to Margarita’s controlled outrage as she attempts to question Guiliani during a call-in radio show. This painful exchange shows a side by side shot of the two as Guiliani talks over Margarita’s questions, and concludes with Guiliani blaming Margarita and her husband for how their son was raised.
Justifiable Homicide tells a sadly compelling tale, but leaves viewers wanting to know more about the facts of the case. Some of the video footage of witness interviews is difficult to hear, and the music used in the film is at times maudlin and distracting.
Recommended for general audiences; high school - adult.