TV and the Law

TV and the LawIf you have already read the Law and Order SVU episode featuring The Whitey Bulger story, you have no doubt noticed that there are many instances of people not committing a crime on television. One of the most overlooked examples of this is in the television version of Caroline College Papers.In the Caroline episode, Whitey's estranged wife takes the witness stand against him and he gets away with it, but not before she gets a good look at him that she was hoping to avoid. In real life, the same thing happened to Caroline when she was investigating a man who shot her boyfriend in the head.Whitey, for his part, runs to the defense of Simon David, the killer, who was found guilty of murder by a jury. In the television version, he is portrayed as a tough, stubborn individual who never gives up and will continue to dig up dirt on Simon David even after being convicted of his crime. He was unsuccessful in delaying the release of the information in the newspaper article he pu blished.As in the real life case, Caroline is able to uncover more evidence about Simon David's past and personal history. This is where the similarities end, however. In the television version, Whitey was never sentenced to death and was tried instead of released on parole and ordered to pay restitution for his crime, which, as in the real life case, was murder.In the Law and Order SVU version, Whitey became involved in a squabble with a jealous girlfriend and told her that he would take her to court for ruining his life. It turned out that she had been listening to the television news about the crime and it happened to be the exact same day that he ran into her at a local gym. The whole event is discussed at length in the television show, butif you want a more realistic perspective, then go online and take a look at the Whitey Bulger case itself.At the time, the FBI was still actively pursuing Whitey. However, the time lapse between the time Whitey committed the crime and the time when he was charged with the crime was several months. He only started serving his sentence when the FBI realized that he was still alive and trying to cover his tracks.In the TV version, Simon David went on to become a dangerous convicted murderer. In the real life case, Caroline David's husband went on to become a key witness for the prosecution, a witness who would be instrumental in building the case against the man he had accused. Caroline herself remained silent about the crime until Simon David murdered her husband and stole the name of Caroline White.