Christopher Shawn Rech

Christopher Shawn Rech is an American film and television director and producer, known for the 2014 Showtime documentary, A Murder in the Park.

Personal life

Rech was born out of wedlock on June 13, 1965, at the Florence Crittenton Home for Unwed Mothers in Independence, Missouri, United States. The biological son of Franklin Delano Richardson and Joyce (Conner) Hernandez. Rech was adopted at six weeks old by Gene and Helga (Friesleben) Rech, a banker and homemaker, who relocated to Cleveland, Ohio shortly thereafter.

In 1986, at the age of 21, Rech began a year-long search for his biological family, eventually locating his birth mother in South Boston, Virginia, and his birth father in Richmond, Virginia. The search, and the relationships that followed are the subject of Rech's documentary Being Born, due to be completed in late 2017.

Work

Rech is a lifelong entrepreneur, having started a sign and award business while still in high school. He later developed various software for business management, membership directories, and K-12 test prep.

On July 26, 2006, Rech ended what he called a "liter a night vodka habit." Rech relied on religion rather than AA, and maintains he has never taken a drink since the day he quit.

In 2007, he took a job as writer, and later editor of Suites Magazine, a small apartment industry trade journal in Ohio.^[1]

In 2009, together with Ralph McGreevy and Cleveland Police Sergeant David Rutt, Rech created a local crime television program called "Warrant Unit." The program featured unsolved homicides and urged viewers to call in tips to help detectives close open cases. It aired on CBS - WOIO to solid ratings and quickly started gleaning tips to solve cases. The show was later re-branded "Crime Stoppers Case Files" and moved to WKYC, Cleveland's NBC affiliate. The program's success led to other top 20 markets wanting similar programs, so Rech created versions for Miami (with Crime Stoppers Director Richard Masten, on CBS4/MY33), Los Angeles (with news reporter Joy Benedict, on CBS KCAL-9), and Chicago (with local activist Lisette Guillen and Attorney Andrew Hale on WPWR - MY50 - a FOX affiliate).

Also in 2009 he adopted a son, Jahmaal Davante Glenn (6-25-93).

In 2012, Andrew Hale, a Chicago attorney who both hosted and sponsored that city's Crime Stoppers program, told Rech about the wrongful conviction of Alstory Simon, imprisoned in Chicago's Anthony Porter debacle - a 1982 murder of teenage sweethearts in a Chicago park for which Anthony Porter was sentenced to death. Student journalists, a professor and private investigator hired by Northwestern University re-investigated the case and determined that Porter, just days from his execution, did not commit the murder. Instead they constructed a case against Alstory Simon using what the Cook County State's Attorney later called "disturbing tactics," even securing Simon's false confession. Rech partnered with Brandon Kimber and Hale to create the 2014 documentary A Murder in the Park. Simon's attorneys credit the film's investigation and pressure with gaining Simon's release.^[2]

The film was presented theatrically to critical acclaim, then aired on Showtime/The Movie Channel and is set for Netflix in April 2017. Time named it to its list of "The 15 most incredible true crime stories ever told."^[3]

Rech has since begun work on several wrongful conviction and over-sentencing films, and also plans to address the subjects of entrapment, sentencing disparity and prison reform.

Due to a story his biological mother shared with him, Rech considers himself an abortion survivor, and is a strong supporter of adoption.

References