The documentary “Aging Out” on foster child Risa Bejarano, who overcame her gang and drug-ridden background and was on her way to college, had an unexpected second life as a visual prop in the trial of her murderer. The LA District Attorney used “Aging Out” to underscore the depravity of her accused killer, Juan Chavez. The sympathetic depiction of the victim probably led the jury to demand the death penalty for Chavez.
The directors of “Aging Out,” Roger Weisberg and Vanessa Roth, were appalled by the use made of their film and produced a kind of sequel for PBS, “No Tomorrow” (out on DVD), to document the strategy of the DA’s office. “No Tomorrow” gradually turns into an interesting debate over capital punishment in which many views are aired. Bejarno’s stepmother insists on retribution while others insist on the hollowness of revenge. The problem of convicting the innocent is raised along with the alternative of life in prison without parole. Death as a deterrent? Both sides are heard. Finally comes an argument against capital punishment that even the Tea Party might agree with: the cost. It would be less expensive simply to lock up convicted murderers for lifenot to mention improving programs to deter juveniles from crime.
