Jimmy Keene: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 22:56, 4 June 2023
James "Jimmy" Keene | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 31st Kankakee, Illinois, U.S |
| Known for | Author, Executive Film Producer |
| Notable work | Author: In with the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption’’, 2010
Author: Black Bird: One Man's Freedom Hides in Another Man's Darkness, 2022 Executive Producer: Award-winning Apple TV+ miniseries Black Bird, 2022 Author: The Chicago Phoenix: Jimmy Keene's Untold Story, 2023 |
| Television | Dateline: The Inside Man, season 20, episode 68
Discovery ID: On the Case With Paula Zahn, episode 212 CNN: To Catch a Serial Killer, 2012 Black Bird, season 1 episode 6, cameo appearance, 2022 |
James "Jimmy" Keene is a well-known acclaimed American author, writer, executive producer, and businessman. James Keene's first book is "In With the Devil A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption".
He has written three novels about his experience and his life. In 2022 James Keene released his second book, "Black Bird: One Man's Freedom Hides in Another Man's Darkness" his book was adapted into the award winning, critically acclaimed Apple TV series Black Bird in 2022, which he acted as executive producer.
In 2023, James Keene released his third book and follow up to "Black Bird" "The Chicago Phoenix: Jimmy Keene's Untold Story".
Early life
James "Jimmy" Keene was born on New Year's Eve on Chicago's south side in Kankakee, Illinois, to James “Big Jim” Keene and Lynn Keene. Big Jim was a decorated police officer, and Lynn Keene owned a restaurant.
Keene attended Kankakee Eastridge High School and was a star MVP player on the school's football team, serving as team captain for multiple seasons. Keene also was a star stand out lettering in wrestling and track and field. Keene was offered four out of state scholarships for football and wrestling. Keene declined to go out of state and decided to stay in the Chicago area and went to Triton college and played football and wrestled where he was a star stand out player again. Eventually, he ended up at the Arizona University where he earned another degree. Throughout his entire life, Keene has been involved in high level martial arts.
Influenced by his surroundings and affluent lifestyles, Keene became involved in the marijuana business as a teenager. Getting caught up in a life of glamor, power, and money, he was arrested in 1996 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) on a conspiracy charge. Prior to his sentencing, Keene refused and declined any cooperating deals that would require him to act as an informant against anyone.[1] Despite having a clean criminal record previously, he was sentenced to ten years in prison without parole by U.S. Attorney, Federal Prosecutor Larry Beaumont.[2]
FBI operative
James was a former operative for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who worked to gather incriminating evidence on suspected serial killer Larry Hall.[3] Approximately seven months into Keene’s sentence, the FBI and U.S. Attorney Beaumont approached him with an arrangement that would allow Keene to regain his freedom and have a fresh start with a clean record.
The redemptive plan involved him being recruited and working as a post-trial FBI operative that would transfer to the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners (MCFP), a maximum-security facility used to house the most violent criminally insane prisoners.[2] Keene was tasked with befriending Larry Hall, a man suspected of raping and murdering dozens of young women between 1980 and 1994.[4] Law enforcement had only found the remains of one of Hall's victims, fifteen-year-old Jessica Roach. Hall confessed to the murder, but prosecutors lacked strong physical evidence for the case. After Hall retracted his confession and his attorneys filed an appeal, the FBI feared Hall's possible release was imminent. However, if Keene succeeded in obtaining new incriminating evidence about Hall while in MCFP, the U.S. Attorney and FBI agreed to end Keene's sentence and completely expunge his record.[5]
Keene’s FBI contacts arranged a secret cover for Keene, who then successfully transferred to the MCFP and earned Hall’s trust. Hall admitted to specific details about many of his crimes and murders in graphic details to Keene, that no one but the killer could have known. On one occasion, Keene witnessed Hall with a map that appeared to show the locations of his victims’ remains, and Keene reported the information to his FBI contacts.[6]
The U.S. Attorney and FBI rewarded Keene’s efforts in 1996 with early release and a completely clean record. Officials have been unable to find the remains of any of Hall’s additional victims. However, based on Keene's bravery and heroic efforts and the new evidence Keene uncovered, Larry Hall's appeal was denied. Hall remains in prison and has confessed to over twenty murders during his incarceration.[4] He is serving a life sentence without parole in Butner, North Carolina,[7] and officials believe he may be responsible for up to forty murders.[2]
Media coverage
Keene has shared his story with multiple news networks. In 2008 Keene was the August feature story in "Playboy" "The Strange Redemption of James Keene" which became the feature story of the year.[1]
In 2008 Paramount Motion Pictures alongside GK-Films purchased Keene's story and life rights and was set to be a feature motion picture film at Paramount. Brad Pitt was attached to play the lead role as James "Jimmy" Keene, along with Pitts production company Plan B set to produce alongside Paramount and GK-Films. [2][3] Apple TV would eventually purchase Keene's story and life rights from Paramount and reimagined it into the movie series titled "Black Bird" now starring Taron Edgerton in the lead role as James "Jimmy" Keene. Paul Walter Hauser starring as the serial killer Larry Hall and Ray Liotta starring as "Big Jim" Keene. Greg Kinnear starring as Brian Miller.
In 2010 Keene appeared on an episode of "Chicago Tonight" In 2010, Keene appeared on an episode of Discovery ID: "On the Case With Paula Zahn", a documentary about Keene's life. In 2012, Keene appeared on an episode of Dateline titled "The Inside Man" a documentary about Keene's life that detailed his work as an FBI operative.[8] That same year, CNN produced To Catch a Serial Killer, a special award-winning documentary about Keene’s life and undercover FBI work.[9]
In 2022, Apple TV+ released a limited movie series titled Black Bird that is closely based on Jimmy Keene’s real-life FBI experiences and investigative interactions against Larry Hall in the MCFP. Keene was executive producer on the project and had a cameo appearance in the final episode.[6] Black Bird was nominated for three Golden Globe awards at the 80th Golden Globes Awards. "Black Bird" was nominated for Best Limited Anthology series or Limited Movie Series or Television Film series as well as Best Actor in a limited movie series (Taron Egerton).[10] It also won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a limited movie series (Paul Walter Hauser).[11] In 2023, "Black Bird" was nominated for two Critics' Choice Awards, Best Actor in a limited movie series, Taron Egerton, and Best Supporting Actor in a limited movie series, Paul Walter Hauser. Paul won the Critics' Choice award for "Black Bird". In the same year 2023, Ray Liotta was nominated for his touching heartfelt performance as "Big Jim" Keene for the Screen Actors Guild award. As well as Paul Walter Hauser nominated for his portrayal as Larry Hall. In 2022 "Black Bird" won the #1 Crime series of the year by Rotten Tomatoes.[4]
Books
In 2010, Keene released an autobiographical account of his time working as an FBI operative helping to secure the conviction of serial killer Larry Hall. The book is titled In with the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption.[1][12] In 2022, Keene released his second book titled Black Bird: One Man's Freedom Hides in Another Man's Darkness.[13][14] In 2023, Keene released his third book, titled The Chicago Phoenix: Jimmy Keene's Untold Story, which is the follow up to "Black Bird" and relates to Keene's early years in Chicago and gives further details about his FBI life and the surrounding the events in MCFP.[15][16][17]
References
- ^ a b Keene, James & Hillel Levin (2010). In with the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9781429965590.
- ^ a b c Rosenblatt, Dana (July 5, 2011). "Recanted confession leaves missing girl's parents in limbo". CNN. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Larry Hall (suspected serial killer)", Wikipedia, 2023-05-25, retrieved 2023-05-26
- ^ a b Berry, Jo (July 22, 2022). "Black Bird - What the series leaves out about killer Larry Hall". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Bisset, Jennifer (August 5, 2022). "'Black Bird' on Apple TV Plus: Ending Explained and All Your Questions Answered". CNET. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Craig, David (July 8, 2022). "Taron Egerton recalls Jimmy Keene's "surreal" "Black Bird" cameo". Radio Times. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Simons, Roxy (July 15, 2022). "'Black Bird': What Happened to Larry Hall and Where Is He Now?". Newsweek. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "The Inside Man". Dateline. September 14, 2012. Retrieved 2022-12-29 – via Peacock TV.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Preview: 'To Catch a Serial Killer'", CNN, July 2011, retrieved 2022-12-29
- ^ "Winners & Nominees 2023". Golden Globes. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
- ^ "Winners & Nominees 2023". Golden Globes. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
- ^ Simons, Roxy (July 8, 2022). "'Black Bird': Who Is James Keene and Where Is He Now?". Newsweek. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Chevalier, Gilbert (December 4, 2022). ""Blackbird" de James Keene et Hillel Levin" ["Blackbird" by James Keene and Hillel Levin]. France Info (in French). Retrieved 2022-12-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Keene, James & Hillel Levin (2022). Black Bird. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9781250879493.
- ^ Keene, James (2023). The Chicago Phoenix: Jimmy Keene's Untold Story (1st ed.). Salt Lake City: Silly Goat Media. ISBN 978-1961181007.
- ^ "Black Bird vs. the True Story of James Keene and Larry Hall". HistoryvsHollywood.com. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
- ^ "Who Is James "Jimmy" Keene? Exclusive Interview - Comic Years". comicyears.com. Retrieved 2023-05-25.