The popular series Homicide: Life on the Street is now streaming on Peacock. This important police show was made by Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson. It is based on the true story Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by journalist David Simon, who later created The Wire.
The show has a great cast, including Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, and Melissa Leo. Many of the cases in the show are based on real stories from Simon’s book.
One of the most shocking stories in the book is about Geraldine Parrish. This real case became a subplot about a woman named Calpurnia Church, played by Mary Jefferson, in the Season 1 episodes “Gone for Goode” and “Son of a Gun.”
In the show, Calpurnia is accused of having several husbands and family members killed for insurance money. However, the real story is even more shocking than what happens in the show.
The case started as an extortion case where Geraldine’s name was not mentioned at first, but a search uncovered much more. Some details were likely left out of the show because they seemed too unbelievable.
Geraldine Parrish Was “The Case to End All Cases”
In Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, David Simon calls the Geraldine Parrish case “The case to end all cases, the investigation that raises the act of murder to the level of theatrical farce.” The main investigator on this case was Detective Donald Waltemeyer, who inspired the character Meldrick Lewis, played by Clark Johnson, in Homicide: Life on the Street.
According to Simon’s book, the case started when a 28-year-old woman named Dollie Brown reported that her uncle wanted $5,000 to keep her from being killed by a hitman. The police did not understand why anyone would want to kill Dollie, who had no money.
However, someone had already tried to kill her twice. At first, Waltemeyer thought Dollie’s two attacks were just bad luck and that her uncle was trying to take advantage of her fears. He had Dollie wear a wire, arrested her uncle for extortion, and closed the case.
The police only looked at the case again when Rodney Vice, a suspect in another murder, tried to reduce his sentence by giving police information.
He said he knew a hitman who had worked for a woman named Geraldine for several years. He told police that Dollie would not die no matter how many times the hitman tried. Waltemeyer checked with Dollie and confirmed that her aunt was Geraldine Parrish.
After Vice talked to the detectives, they began reviewing open murder cases from the past three years. The murders of Geraldine’s brother-in-law and an old woman who rented a room in her house were never solved, and there was no known motive.
Still from Homicide Life on the Street (Credit: NBC)
As reported in The Washington Post, the two hitmen Geraldine hired for those murders were arrested. After solving two murders, the police realized this case was much bigger and began a special investigation into Geraldine.
When detectives talked to Geraldine’s family, they were shocked by what they learned. None of the family members seemed surprised, and everyone knew what Geraldine was doing.
Many family members, tenants, friends, and neighbors had signed insurance policies where Geraldine was the beneficiary. They discovered that her family members feared her partly because they believed she had special powers and practiced voodoo.
Geraldine Parrish Terrorized Family, Tenants, and Even Married Her Own Nephew
A search of Geraldine’s house found a huge collection of papers showing all the insurance policies she benefited from, but it also uncovered several marriage licenses. Police found out that Geraldine was married to five men at the same time.
Two of these men lived with her and were taken downtown as witnesses. The police could not believe the details when they talked to the two men. One man, Johnnie Davis, was forced into marriage and lived in the basement while Geraldine took his disability checks each month.
The other man was Geraldine’s nephew, Milton Baines, who did not want to marry his aunt. Geraldine threatened him with a voodoo curse if he refused. Another husband, Reverend Rayfield Gilliard, was already dead when the investigation began. According to The New York Times, he died just fifteen days after marrying Geraldine. She received his social security benefits, his house, and about $1,000.
In Homicide: Life on the Street, they simplified the story by having Calpurnia’s niece tell the police that her aunt demanded $5,000 from her. The niece also revealed that Calpurnia had five husbands and life insurance policies on all of them.
Later, in the episode “Son of a Gun,” the detectives go over how many life insurance policies Calpurnia benefited from. By condensing the case into just a few scenes, the show did not fully capture how wild this investigation really was.
The thorough investigation took six months of Waltemeyer’s career and reopened many unrelated cases from the past three years.
Still from Homicide Life on the Street (Credit: NBC)
The Calpurnia Church storyline is one of many cases in Homicide: Life on the Street that came from David Simon’s non-fiction book. While the show is famous for its realism, sometimes the real story is stranger than what is shown.
Homicide: Life on the Street is now streaming on Peacock. The series is based on David Simon’s book about true crime stories, including the shocking case of Geraldine Parrish, who married five men and took out insurance policies on them. The real stories are often stranger than fiction.
Homicide: Life on the Street is available to stream in the U.S. on Peacock.
The 1980s is often remembered for its bright colors, big hairstyles, and catchy music. However, this fun image hides some darker stories. In London during this decade, a famous crime boss named Joan Hannington was well-known for planning jewel thefts. Diamonds seemed to be her best friend, at least for a while.
The new ITV drama titled Joan, which will also air in the U.S. on The CW, shows the ups and downs of a woman who was smart at stealing but struggled with how to get back her child.
Sophie Turner, known for her role as Queen Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, stars in this six-episode series as the main character, Joan. The show gives a simple overview of what happened to her but does not dig deep into her background or reasons for her actions.
What Is Joan About?
The story begins with Joan in her early twenties. She tries hard to raise her six-year-old daughter Kelly (played by Mia Millichamp-Long). Joan wants to create a loving home for her child, unlike the one she grew up in.
However, her husband Gary (played by Nick Blood) steals cars and gets into trouble, which puts both Joan and Kelly in danger. To keep her daughter safe, Joan decides to take Kelly to social services so that another family can care for her while Joan searches for a job and a stable home for them.
Joan feels sad and lost after being separated from her daughter. With no clear plans for what to do next, she goes to stay with her sister (Kristy J. Curtis) in London and takes a job at her hair salon. Unfortunately, Joan’s fiery personality and lack of commitment lead her to lose that job quickly.
This is when Joan discovers her talent for stealing. She tricks her way into becoming a sales representative at a jewelry store. Surrounded by beautiful rings and necklaces made of gold, sapphires, and diamonds, she feels tempted to steal them, especially since she does not have enough money and worries about losing her daughter.
In a desperate move, she swallows the jewels to hide them. With help from her partner-in-crime Boisie (Frank Dillane), Joan takes her stealing to new levels. She learns to fake different accents, wear wigs, and dress up in fancy clothes every time she walks into a luxury store.
Sophie Turner Humanizes a Real-Life Jewel Thief in Joan
Joan Hannington was a well-known figure in her time, even earning the nickname “The Godmother.” This series aims to show a different side of the woman behind the headlines. The drama asks, “What was she like when she was not stealing?”
The show succeeds in revealing this side through Sophie Turner’s powerful performance. Turner has had smaller roles in movies like the X-Men series and Netflix’s Do Revenge. In Joan, she shows different sides of her character.
Turner effectively portrays Joan’s vulnerability when she meets with social services, her strong motherly instincts when she visits her daughter, and her cleverness when planning risky thefts. Turner’s commitment to the role shines brightly throughout the story. She proves she can handle any type of character, whether in action-packed films or serious dramas like this one.
If it were not for the emotions Turner brings to her character, the show might not have effectively shown Joan’s deep desire to create a perfect family. Despite her actions leading her away from this dream, viewers can believe that Joan becomes involved in crime for deeper reasons.
Joan’s Style Sets the Tone for the Character’s Journey
Another strong point of the show is its attention to Joan’s clothing. The amazing costume design by Richard Cooke plays an important role in telling Joan’s story.
At the beginning of the series, Joan is young and eager for excitement, which is why she gets involved with Gary. She has a good sense of style, but it is only when she moves to London and cuts her hair into a bob that she starts to care more about her looks.
The costumes, combined with the makeup, highlight Joan’s constant changes as she goes deeper into crime. When she puts on red lipstick, a smoky eye, and a wig, viewers can see that she is dressed to impress.
This also explains why she is seldom caught. Joan is a con artist who knows exactly how to look and what to say to attract people. The people she associates with also live double lives.
Joan Fails to Show Its Characters Past Surface Level
Despite its strengths, the adaptation of Hannington’s life story, based on her memoir titled I Am What I Am: The True Story of Britain’s Most Notorious Jewel Thief, has a significant flaw. While Turner’s performance and Joan’s fabulous wardrobe add depth to the character, the script does not show the supporting characters enough.
Boisie, an antiques dealer who meets Joan just after her first diamond robbery, shows potential as a romantic interest. However, his reasons for continuing to steal oil paintings and fancy teacups are never fully explained.
Similarly, Albie (played by Gershwyn Eustache Jr.) joins Joan and Boisie in their stealing adventures, but his intentions are always unclear and lack detail.
Still from Joan (Credit: CW)
While Joan gives viewers a chance to see another side of this famous burglar, it sometimes feels dull because of its weak development of supporting characters.
Despite these shortcomings, the show demonstrates Turner’s ability to take on complex lead roles. The stunning outfits Joan wears will surely make viewers wish they could wear them too.
Joan premiered on The CW on October 2 at 9 PM ET and will be available on BritBox starting December 5.
