People everywhere know the face of Jodi Arias, the narcissistic murderer who brutally killed one person, her boyfriend, in 2013. Arias’ face was an ongoing fixture in the media for weeks – months, even. The headlines were inescapable even for those who had no desire to follow her murder trial. She is now serving her sentence of natural life in prison.
During Arias’ trial, a serial killer of epic proportions was also being investigated. Like Arias, he was a cold-blooded killer. He conducted murder for hire and ran a lucrative pill mill in Mantua, a predominantly black, impoverished neighborhood of Philadelphia. But unlike Arias, his face is unrecognizable to the vast majority of Americans. His trial received almost no media coverage contrasted with Arias’. And his victims, unlike hers, remain mostly nameless.
The killer in question is Kermit Gosnell, and he was charged with multiple counts of murder and other felonies, which earned him three consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole. A group of filmmakers is dedicating their talents and resources to making Kermit Gosnell’s face a fixture in the American mind, raising awareness of his victims and shedding light on the horrific brutality of abortion in the U.S.
The Gosnell Movie, an Indiegogo crowdfunding success story, has already recruited a terrific screenwriter and well-known director, and now adds actor Earl Billings to the playbill. Billings brings decades of experience to his role, from TV appearances in Good Times and The Jeffersons in the 1970s, to bigger Hollywood productions in recent years. Born in 1945, the Ohio native is just four years younger than Kermit Gosnell. Dean Cain, known for his leading role on Lois and Clark, will portray the driven Gosnell investigator, James Wood.