INTERVIEW: ‘Reasonable Doubt’ returns with new investigations into gruesome cases
Photo: Reasonable Doubt stars Fatima Silva and Chris Anderson, who are searching for justice. Photo courtesy of ID / Provided by press site with permission.
Criminal defense attorney Fatima Silva and retired homicide detective Chris Anderson have returned to Investigation Discovery with a new set of episodes of their hit true-crime series Reasonable Doubt. The two have a unique premise to their collaborative work: They look back at criminal trials, all of them featuring gruesome details and unfortunate outcomes, to see whether the verdicts should stand or whether the families involved should appeal. Their ultimate goal is to give some answers to the still-grieving relatives of the victims.
The fourth season of Reasonable Doubt continues with new episodes Mondays at 10 p.m. on ID.
“We definitely want to do as many episodes as we can, and we love doing it,” Silva said in a recent phone interview. “There are so many logistics, considering Chris and I also still have other jobs.”
Anderson began Reasonable Doubt with a different partner, and Silva joined later. At first, Anderson had some hesitation about the overall premise of the show. He knows his time as a homicide detective is quite different than Silva’s time as a defense attorney. Would the two approaches work together?
“I didn’t know how well it would mesh,” Anderson said. “But after doing a season and meeting Fatima, and that night that we met, it was pretty classic. She and I just connected day one. She’s a real down-to-earth person. I consider myself to be somewhat down to earth. I don’t take anything too, too seriously, at least I don’t think I do. We mesh so well together, and I feel her compassion. I know how she feels about all the cases that we look into, so it was a pretty easy transition for me and her.”
Silva admitted that she was quite hesitant to join Reasonable Doubt. She wasn’t into the whole true-crime television scene, and she wanted to make sure she wasn’t joining a project that glorified what happened to these victims. Then, she met Anderson.
“And instantly I remember telling my husband, ‘I can do this,'” she said. “This is a man of integrity. Neither of us are extreme. We come from two polar opposite sides of the system, yes, but we can definitely see both sides of every case. It probably comes from our diverse backgrounds and having to see it both ways. I think the older you get and the more experience you have in your career, you really do have to be able to see it in different lights. There’s two sides to every story, so I think that Chris and I, we’re about getting down to the truth. So as much as … I want to make defense attorneys look good and make it look like I’m the best one out there, and Chris wants to be the best detective, at the end of the day, this isn’t about us. It’s not about our jobs. We’re not biased. We just want the truth for families. I was happy to work with somebody who really cared about that more than anything else.”
This season on Reasonable Doubt there are several cases profiled that will bring a tear to the eye and a furrow to the brow. One recent episode looked at the murder of Liz Herma and the resulting court case involving Justin Lunsford. The two investigators look back at the crime and the ensuing trial to see what happened and how it was interpreted by the police and in the courtroom. Other cases deal with armed robberies, murders and family fights that turn deadly.
This is difficult subject matter, but Anderson and Silva try their best to focus on the victims.
“So, for me, when it comes to the stories, I think that I have to rely back on my training as a homicide investigator,” Anderson said. “You’re not supposed to get so involved that it clouds your judgment as an investigator, but I’m a human being. I still can’t look at gruesome photos and think about how these people lost their lives, or even the investigations that went into some of the people that have been wrongfully convicted in these cases and not feel some sort of remorse. So, does it affect us? I think to a certain extent it does, but will it cloud our judgment? Do our feelings toward the case direct us? No, we have to look at the evidence, and that’s all that Fatima and I look to do.”
Silva added: “I’m a little different, in all honesty. I’m not a homicide detective. I haven’t seen a lot of these things. … It does affect me a lot. It’s hard when I’m on the road, especially. I’m away from my family, and I’m going to bed reading all of the different details and looking at autopsy photos. And I have to say as a female, and my partner Chris knows this, as a female there’s a certain rage that takes over in a lot of these cases because a majority of our cases is violence against women. There’s no way that doesn’t affect me. We have multiple cases this season where it’s a mother. It’s a grandparent. It’s a child who was present, children in the next room. I cannot explain how much that affects me in my quest for truth and wanting to make sure we have done everything possible on behalf of the families looking for justice.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Reasonable Doubt continues with new episodes Mondays at 10 p.m. on Investigation Discovery. Click here for more information. Fans can also check out the Reasonable Doubt podcast, which is a companion piece to the TV series. Click here for more information on the audio series.
