Two Mexican-Americans, both named Carlos, are both near the scene of a brutal crime in Corpus Christi, Texas. Wanda Lopez, a 26-year-old gas station clerk was on the phone with 911 when a robber stabbed her to death and fled. It was a horrific, bloody scene, that night in 1983.
Police quickly found their suspect, Carlos DeLuna, hiding under a car. At the police station he was identified by witnesses and admitted to having been at the gas station. Done and done, right? Everyone in prison is innocent, yeah?
Nope.
Director Patrick Forbes’ breathtaking true crime documentary “The Phantom” is a damning and thorough account of how the police seemed to be after an easy close to a terrible crime, rather than examining the case more deeply. In time we will learn the identity of the phantom.
The world is filled with docs and fictional films about “the wrong guy” paying the price for another man’s crime – especially in the pre-DNA days of crime investigation. But Forbes, with the help of almost all of the key players from back then, peels away layers over the course of a quick 90 minutes that reveal almost all of the weaknesses of Texas justice of that era, and all of the strengths of good filmmaking as a path to the truth.
Regular readers will know that my aversion to spoilers, even if I think you know them, prevents me from revealing the fate of Carlos DeLuna, and the story behind the other Carlos that night on the Gulf coast. Suffice to say, that some of the participants were ashamed, some defiant, and some surprised when they learned the truth. The trailer below reveals more points of the narrative.
And some are no longer alive. That’s the tragedy.
The Phantom is currently streaming on Netflix | 3 ½ out of 4 stars| Reviewed by Kyle Osborne