
The Murder Video
An eight-year investigation of a slow-motion slaughter caught on camera and the seedy world of floating armories populated by heavily-armed mercenaries.
TranscriptEpisode notes
Crimes like this don't often happen on land. A 10-minute slow-motion slaughter, captured by a cell phone camera, of a group of unarmed men at sea, possibly 15 of them, killed one by one by a semiautomatic weapon after which the culprits pose for celebratory selfies. The shocking footage is made public and yet no government is willing to investigate, much less prosecute the murderers. This episode traces a tireless journalistic investigation of a shocking video that, after eight years, finally resulted in the 26-year conviction of the ship captain who ordered the cold-blooded killing. Looking for answers, this reporting takes us to the bizarre world of floating armories, which are part bunkhouse, part weapons depot, where maritime mercenaries wait for their next ship deployment. For broader context, the story explores the explosion of violence on the high seas, how Somali piracy is often used as a pretext for bloodletting by private security guards, and the reasons that offshore crime often happens with impunity.
Guest Interviews
- Duncan CopelandExecutive Director of Trygg Mat Tracking
- Kevin ThompsonPrivate Maritime Security Guard