MANSFIELD — The homegrown documentary “A Murder in Mansfield” will make the rounds on national and international television this week with a discussion on Dr. Phil on Wednesday, and the showing of the full film on Saturday.
“A Murder in Mansfield” officially premieres on Investigation Discovery on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 9 p.m. EST. The documentary’s central character and co-producer, Collier Landry, will talk with Dr. Phil about the film on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. on WKYC.
The documentary centers around the murder of Landry’s mother, Noreen Boyle, at the hands of Landry’s father, Dr. John Boyle. More importantly, the film follows Landry as he navigates the impact his father’s violent actions have had on the rest of his life.
The original air date for “A Murder in Mansfield” on Investigation Discovery was in January, but the film’s Oscar-winning director Barbara Kopple pushed back because she wanted to take it to film festivals.
“The fact that we were able to bend their ear and get them to really listen to us in that way was really incredible,” Landry told Richland Source.
The documentary had its first showing in Ohio at the Cleveland International Film Festival in March. A few months later, Richland Source partnered with the Renaissance Theatre to host a special hometown screening of “A Murder in Mansfield” in June.
Now just a few days away from the documentary premiering to a much larger audience, Landry admits to a few nerves.
“My biggest concern is I don’t know how it’s going to translate to television,” Landry said. “It’s amazing when you see it in a theater and you really feel the impact. But I really hope the story is well received.”
At 12 years old, Landry – who dropped the name “Boyle” years ago – was the chief witness for the prosecution and testified against his emotionally and physically abusive father, who he believes was responsible for the death of his mother. Dr. Boyle was convicted of his wife’s murder in 1990 and is currently incarcerated at Marion Correctional Institution; he will be up for parole in October 2020.
Landry retells the story again with Dr. Phil McGraw on his talk show on Wednesday. Known for his blunt style in dealing with real issues, Landry was nervous to meet the talk show host.
“He either likes you or he doesn’t,” Landry said. “But a friend of mine who’s a producer on the show said he was very inspired by me and was grateful I was there. He was so amazing to me, we had such a good conversation.”
Landry said there was a moment during a commercial break when McGraw told him, unprompted, “Your mother would be so proud of you.”
“He asked some provoking questions, but I’m used to getting thrown for a loop on questions,” Landry said.
The episode of “Dr. Phil” was filmed only a day after Landry returned from his hometown after speaking at TEDx Mansfield on Nov. 3. Even among the talk shows and the documentary premiere, being a TED speaker was a major bucket list item for Landry.
“I’m a huge TED fan, and to do it in Mansfield was really cool,” he said.
Landry said he tried to tailor his talk to appeal to both a local audience who is familiar with his story, and an international audience that would be able to watch the talk online.
“That was a challenge to give context to what I do and why I did it, and I feel I accomplished that,” Landry said. “I was nervous, but it was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done.”
