A convicted killer serving a life sentence. A heavily tattooed ex-convict who was once embroiled in Calgary’s deadliest gang war. These are just some of the people Robert Gow got to know well as he produced Real Verdicts, a new documentary series for Bell Fibe TV1. “No matter who I talk to, it becomes quite normal within thirty minutes or an hour, and then you’re just hanging out with another human being and trying to connect with them on an emotional level. But as you talk, and on the ride home, you do kind of reflect on the severity of the kind of crimes they committed, and it can be quite jarring,” Gow told CTV News. The first episode focuses on Tony Beare, an ex-gangster who talks openly about his involvement in the violence between the Calgary’s FOB and FK gangs, a dispute that killed 25 people. Beare now lives in Minto, New Brunswick with his wife and children. Gow looked at the criminal justice system from all sides – among them an RCMP officer and a correctional officer – but avoided getting involved in the politics surrounding crime and punishment. “In making this series, I did my best to stay out of the broader policy conversation. To me, my goal was to create an empathetic portrayal of different people who are evolving with this space,” Gow said.
