MANSFIELD — Overwhelming ticket demand for A Murder in Mansfield triggered the Renaissance Theatre’s decision Friday to add a second show, according to Chelsie Thompson, President of Renaissance Performing Arts.
The first showing of the documentary, brought to Mansfield via a partnership between Richland Source and The Renaissance Theatre, is slated for Saturday, June 30 at 7:30 p.m. It focuses on the notorious murder of Noreen Boyle and the subsequent trial of her husband, Dr. John Boyle, which captivated the small city of Mansfield, Ohio for months and has since become part of local lore.
The second show will take place on Sunday, July 1 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10.
“We knew the film would be of great interest to Mansfield, but we were pleasantly surprised to see how great the connection still is for the community,” Thompson said. “Since announcing the screening, we’ve heard frequent comments about the experiences that our patrons had during the time that this was happening.
“They not only remember the story, but many had personal connections to the family or to those involved in the process, and if they didn’t, it was a daily topic of conversation and they were watching the coverage every night.”
Conceived by Boyle’s son Collier Landry and directed by two-time Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple, the film is an emotional exploration of the far-reaching impact of violence on people who witness or find their lives affected by it.
“The experience rocked Mansfield altogether, and it’s definitely one that has stuck with those who lived here at the time,” Thompson said. “It’s always a pleasure to be able to present something that is so meaningful to the community.
“Collaborating with Richland Source on this project has allowed us to put together something very special that will pay tribute to those involved while also highlighting a significant piece of Mansfield’s history and the way a community experiences these types of events.”
Organizers are planning a guided panel discussion after the Saturday show involving some of the key figures in the case. A tentative Q-A after Sunday’s show is also being considered.
Dr. John Boyle, a Mansfield osteopath, was convicted of killing his wife Noreen in their home on Dec. 31, 1989. Her body was found on Jan. 25, 1990, buried under the basement of a home Boyle was buying in Erie Pennsylvania, where he planned to live with his mistress.
Noreen Boyle had filed for divorce from John in November, 1989. The couple were married for 22 years and had a 12-year-old son, Collier. Their 3-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, was adopted.
The Boyles arrived in Mansfield in 1983 from Virginia. John admittedly carried on a number of extramarital affairs, a factor in his marriage falling apart. One of his mistresses, 28-year-old Sherri Campbell, gave birth to a daughter in January, 1990, less than two weeks after Noreen’s disappearance.
The trial lasted four weeks and played to a packed Richland County Common Pleas Courthouse every day. A TV was set up in the courthouse lobby and testimony was broadcast by the local cable TV station.
Collier testified during the trial and John’s two-day appearance on the witness stand lasted nine hours. It took the jury just six hours to convict him, on June 29, 1990. He was denied parole in 2010, and won’t be eligible again until 2020, when he is 77.
Collier changed his last name to Landry and now resides in California.
Tickets to this exclusive screening have gone so quickly The Renaissance Theatre has added a second show.
Pre-sale tickets are available now for $10. The screening will be followed by a moderated panel discussion with Landry, Kopple, and others associated with the case and its aftermath. For up-to-the-minute details, the organizers have created a Facebook event.
