Documentary to detail kidnapping, murder
“Depravity in the Darkness” by Todd Bromley is being made into a documentary by Slippery Rock University.
Brittany Fleming, an associate professor in the university’s Strategy, Communications and Media Department, is producing the documentary.
She said Bromley contacted her department to inquire whether interest existed in making a documentary based on his book about a 1968 kidnapping in Slippery Rock.
“Being the true crime fan that I am, and given my passion for documentary work and journalism, we decided to go ahead and meet with Todd and see what his story was about,” Fleming said.
When she heard the unimaginable tale of the sickening crimes perpetrated on four innocent victims 56 years ago, and realized that Bromley’s book provides fantastic and reliable research, the decision was easy, Fleming said.
Bromley took Fleming and others on a tour of all the sites pertinent to the case.
The documentary is now in the research and production phase. Fleming said she is carefully selecting students to work on the project, given the heinous nature of the crimes.
James Cressman, an SRU senior majoring in multimedia journalism and digital media, and who is the news editor at The Rocket, is the only student now working with Fleming on the project.
One difference between Bromley’s book and the documentary is that while Bromley strictly used court records and testimony, Fleming is interviewing the lone surviving male victim and others for the documentary.
She said the planned finish date is spring 2025 and, once finished, it will be entered in various film festivals and eventually shown locally.
Fleming thinks the documentary will prove very popular once it becomes available for viewing by the public.
“I couldn’t pass the opportunity up,” she said. “The subject matter is something I’m really interested in.”
