Dad in murder case to speak on CLU panel

Documentary series features "Reckless Indifference"

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Robert Meadows, chair of CLU’s criminal justice department, will introduce the film and panel.

Photo: Brian Stethem

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Nov. 10, 2008) The father of a man serving a life sentence for first-degree murder in the death of an Agoura Hills teen will speak at the next showing in the Reel Justice Documentary Series at California Lutheran University.

Gene Hein will serve on a panel that will discuss the 2007 film “Reckless Indifference” after a showing at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18, in Lundring Events Center. The film, directed by William Gazecki, tells the story of a brawl at the home of a teenage drug dealer that resulted in the death of the dealer’s best friend, the son of a Los Angeles Police Department officer, in 1995. One of the Conejo Valley teens wielded a pocketknife to protect his younger brother and confessed to his crime. All four, including Brandon Hein, were sent to prison for life without parole.

“Reckless Indifference” reveals the naiveté, guilt and denial of families caught up in the criminal justice system and chronicles how a prosecutorial team propelled by the grief-stricken LAPD officer’s family used a controversial legal rule to its advantage.

The panel will also consist of CLU criminal justice faculty members Helen Lim and Ken Weitz. Robert Meadows, chair of CLU’s criminal justice department, will introduce the film and panel.

The free film series sponsored by CLU’s Center for Equality and Justice and the Office of Student Leadership examines the themes of equality and social justice. It will continue with “Well-Founded Fear” on Jan. 27, “Sicko” on Feb. 17, “The Gleaners and I” on March 3, and “Go Further” on April 14.

Lundring Events Center is located in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center near the corner of Olsen Road and Campus Drive in Thousand Oaks. For more information, contact the Center for Equality and Justice at (805) 493-3694 or cej@callutheran.edu.

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