A gruesome 1983 murder in Corpus Christi, Texas, left two innocent casualties, one at the scene and another by lethal injection six years later. In “The Phantom,” documentarian Patrick Forbes observes this true-crime incident in the context of ingrained racism and the disproportionate number of people of color who die at the hands of the state.
A photograph of murder suspect Carlos DeLuna, left, in custody, from the 2021 documentary “The Phantom.”
(Greenwich Entertainment) In February 1983, gas station attendant Wanda Lopez was savagely stabbed; later that night, police apprehended Carlos DeLuna, a young Latino with a criminal history. Officers congratulated themselves for their swift response, assuming that DeLuna was the killer. DeLuna, who vehemently denied having committed the killing, was found guilty and received the death penalty.
Texas
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