Murder in Glitterball City to Debut on HBO and HBO Max Feb. 19
The HBO Original two-part documentary Murder in Glitterball City, directed by award-winning filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (HBO’s Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures and The Eyes of Tammy Faye), debuts Thursday, February 19 at 8:00 pm ET/PT on HBO, immediately followed by part two. Both parts will be available to stream on HBO Max.
The city of Louisville, Kentucky, is known for its historic Victorian architecture and is the birthplace of the mirrored glitterball. It is also known as one of America’s most haunted neighborhoods and the setting for a dark tale of murder, lies, and deceit.
With a uniquely colorful cast of local residents as tour guides, the two-part documentary explores the shifting landscape of a grisly murder, the toxic relationship of two ex-lovers, a vulnerable victim, and the unreliable accounts of flawed individuals on trial for their lives.
Inspired by the non-fiction book A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City by David Dominé, the film chronicles a 2010 murder case that starts with a 911 phone call that leads police to the gruesome discovery of a body buried in the basement of a Victorian mansion. As two men face police interrogators, a story emerges of twisted liaisons.
Each partner points an accusatory finger at the other, and their respective accounts brim with glaring inconsistencies and false allegations. As two separate murder trials unfold, key pieces of video evidence emerge, subverting expectations about suspects Joey Banis and Jeffrey Mundt.
The story is told through the community’s lens, as friends, neighbors, police, and attorneys join the author in sharing their perspectives.
HBO Documentary Films is presenting Murder in Glitterball City, which is a World of Wonder production directed and produced by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato.
Mona Card is the producer, Johanna Gavard and Francy Kachler are the editors, Huy Truong is the cinematographer, and the music is by David Benjamin Steinberg. For HBO, the executive producers are Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Sara Rodriguez.
MURDER IN GLITTERBALL CITY EPISODES
Part 1 – Debut date: Thursday, February 19 (8:00-9:20 p.m. ET/PT)
The film travels back to the night of June 17, 2010, when the body of James Carroll, a gifted hairdresser and drag performer, is discovered. Through video of the police interrogations and courtroom testimony, details are shared of Banis’s and Mundt’s relationship, revealing both men as complex suspects. Mundt’s testimony against his former lover, Banis, is damning.
Part 2 – Debut date: Thursday Februar 19 (9:20-10:40 p.m. ET/PT)
After Joey Banis is found guilty of the murder of James Carroll, the trial of Jeffrey Mundt begins. Joey Banis’s video “confession” is scrutinized and allegedly staged by Mundt. Both men trade damning testimony, and Banis’s troubled past becomes influential in the trial. Resting on “he said/he said” allegations, the second trial concludes with a stunning outcome.
