Judy Davis Delivers a Larger-Than-Life Performance Starring Along with Jonathan Jackson and Chelcie Ross in the Lifetime Original Movie 'A Little Thing Called Murder,' the Shocking True Story of Mother and Son Crime Team Sante and Kenny Kimes Airing Monday

- Movie Based on the Book Dead End: The Crime Story of the Decade Murder, Incest, and High-Tech Thievery by Jeanne King -

- Richard Benjamin Directs -

PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 11 -- Emmy(R) and Golden Globe(R) Award-winner Judy Davis ("The Reagans," "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows"), Emmy(R) Award-winner Jonathan Jackson ("General Hospital," "The Deep End of the Ocean") and Chelcie Ross ("Hoosiers," "The Gift") star in the Lifetime Original Movie "A Little Thing Called Murder," based on the book Dead End: The Crime Story of the Decade -- Murder, Incest, and High-Tech Thievery by Jeanne King that tells the true story of mother and son con artists Sante and Kenny Kimes and their bizarre tale of greed, manipulation and cold-blooded killing. Davis, known for her dead on portrayals of real women, makes an incredible transformation to the maniacal mother ranging from a younger Sante to an older, gray-haired prison survivor. Richard Benjamin directs the movie, which features some twisted and outrageous characters in this off-the-wall black comedy, a unique departure from the traditional network movie. "A Little Thing Called Murder" premieres Monday, January 23, 2006 at 9PM (ET/PT) on Lifetime Television.

In the mid-1990s, mother and son, Sante and Kenny Kimes, traveled the country pulling off audacious financial and real estate scams, slavery, grand theft and murder, leaving a trail of victims in their wake. Their rapidly expanding criminal enterprise came to an abrupt end when they were arrested for the sensational murder of 82-year-old Manhattan socialite Irene Silverman. It wasn't until 2004, however, that the pair's powerful bond really began to unravel. That's when the younger Kimes shocked everyone and finally broke free of his mother's psychological grip and testified against her in a Los Angeles courtroom where she was eventually convicted of killing a family friend. "A Little Thing Called Murder" is the first film to focus on the full scope of the notorious duo's criminal career.

"I thought Sante Kimes was the warmest, most fun and charismatic person I'd ever met," said Executive Producer Randy Stone, who first encountered the Kimes family in the late 1970s when they were his neighbors in Hawaii. This real life moment where a teenaged Randy meets the seductive and enchanting Sante is actually captured in an early scene in the movie. "A couple years later, my mother helped a maid Sante was holding captive to escape. It was so shocking that at first I didn't believe it. That's why I thought it was important that rather than merely demonizing her, we show how charming she could be. It's one of the reasons people became such easy victims for her."

"Sante Kimes had a psychotic fear of poverty," said actress Judy Davis of the multi-faceted, exaggerated character she portrays in "A Little Thing Called Murder." "I don't believe she ever recovered psychologically from her very poor, fractured and damaging childhood. At the same time, she embraced the American dream of consumerism and the belief that a person can be whoever they say they are. In a way, I think Sante Kimes was attempting to be the classic American success story."

Describing the complex persona of Kenny Kimes, actor Jonathan Jackson noted, "There's a fascinating ambiguity as to how much Kenny was a victim of Sante's manipulation and how much his actions were of his own choosing. His mother was very domineering, but he was an adult when he committed these crimes. He may have been pressured into the first murder, but at some point there had to be something inside him that was reconciled to the whole idea of it."

"A Little Thing Called Murder" is produced by Grand Productions and Stonemade Entertainment in association with Fox Television Studios for Lifetime Television. Randy Stone ("Trevor," "Little Man Tate") and Gary Randall ("An Unexpected Love," Lifetime's "Any Day Now") are the executive producers. Richard Benjamin ("Racing With the Moon," "My Favorite Year," "Mermaids") directs from a teleplay written by Teena Booth ("The Appearance of Normal") and story by Randy Stone.

Lifetime is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, Lifetime is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women, Lifetime Home Entertainment and Lifetime Online are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.

* Photography is available at http://www.lifetimepress.com

SOURCE Lifetime Television
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