Hilarie Burton Morgan champions forgotten cases in second season of docuseries

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Hilarie Burton Morgan, known for her roles in “One Tree Hill” and “White Collar,” is returning with a second season of her docuseries, “True Crime Story: It Couldn’t Happen Here.” The series highlights murder cases in small towns across America, focusing on often-neglected stories.

Personal connections to governmental and law enforcement communities inspired Burton Morgan’s involvement in the genre of true crime. Originally intending to pursue a career in government after college, a move to New York shifted her path towards entertainment when she landed a hosting gig on “Total Request Live” two weeks after moving to New York City.

However, a killing just down the street from her new home reignited her passion for justice the victim’s treatment by local media, judges and the district attorney bothered Burton Morgan

“It was horrifying. And I thought, you know, this is happening all over the place. And we should examine these stories. We’re in small towns, people don’t have the resources, they don’t have the advocacy to fight wrongful convictions,’ said Burton Morgan.

The series not only explores the crimes, but also delves into the challenges faced by families and their interactions with local media and law enforcement. Burton Morgan said she tries to approach interviewing with compassion and effectiveness, which has gained her respect and gratitude from some of those she has worked with, including usually reserved law enforcement.

“They’re very resistant to taking a second look at things. But as we’ve moved forward in the series, what we’re finding is more and more law enforcement willing to come forward and say, “I saw a problem. I would love some help in addressing this problem,”‘ said Burton Morgan.

One of the season’s significant episodes centers on a tragic case in Prichard, Alabama, involving the killing of a teenager from the LGBTQ+ community.

“It didn’t matter how much love the mother afforded their child, they were still met with this violence,” she said.

Burton Morgan said she continues her relationship with subjects in her docuseries after the cameras have stopped rolling.

“I’ve established long-term relationships with a lot of the families that we work with,” said Burton Morgan, who is married to actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan and has two children. “They’re my Facebook friends. They comment on my kids’ posts. I, you know, comment on everything they’re doing, and it’s so honoring that they’re so brave in coming forward, reliving these situations. It’s important. I don’t ever want to be a one-and-done interview because we have long-term work to do as a unit.”

“True Crime Story: It Couldn’t Happen Here” airs on Sundance TV, AMC Plus and Sundance Now.