January 26, 2026: Lifetime released the thriller film The Millwood Murders: Buried Truth, directed by David F. Mewa. The movie stars LeToya Luckett, Rainbow Francks, Amanda Thamage, and Shane Marriott. It tells the story of Shenae Griffiths, a prosecutor whose life changes when her husband is sentenced to death for the murder of two teenage girls. The plot intensifies when her daughter, Brooke, disappears days before her husband’s execution.
Fans have wondered if the film is based on real events. Here’s what you need to know.
The Film Is Fiction
The Millwood Murders: Buried Truth is a work of fiction written by Al Kratina. While the story feels realistic, the events and characters are not based on a real case. The filmmakers have not cited any direct inspiration from actual crimes.
The movie focuses on a wrongful conviction, a theme that resonates with some real-life stories, but the plot itself—including the characters of Shenae, Brooke, and the ‘Millwood’ murderer—is entirely fictional.
Real-Life Parallels
Even though the story is fictional, it mirrors real-life issues. Wrongful convictions and last-minute legal discoveries have happened in history. The movie’s narrative of a husband being wrongly convicted while the real criminal remains free is a situation seen in several cases.
One example is Tommy Lee Walker, who was wrongfully convicted in 1953 at age 19 for the sexual assault and murder of Venice Parker. He was exonerated decades later, in 2026, after evidence showed racial bias and a coerced confession. While the film doesn’t directly reference Tommy’s case, both stories share the theme of injustice affecting families over years.
Fictional Villain
The character of the Millwood murderer, responsible for the deaths of two teenage girls, is entirely fictional. The idea of a real killer escaping justice due to a wrongful conviction is inspired by general knowledge of criminal cases, but it is not based on any one individual.
For instance, the 1981 murder of Ida White in Illinois had a wrongful conviction of Grover Thompson. Thompson died in prison, and years later, the real killer, Timothy Krajcir, confessed. While these events resemble the movie’s themes, the filmmakers did not base the story on this or any single real-life case.
The Millwood Murders: Buried Truth is a compelling thriller that draws emotional weight from real-world concepts like wrongful convictions and justice for victims. However, the plot, characters, and events are fictional. Any similarities to real cases are coincidental and serve to heighten the realism of the story.
