Is 'Black Bird' Based on a True Story? (2024)

Apple TV+ drama Black Bird has been thrilling viewers for weeks since its debut on the streaming platform on July 8.

The show stars Taron Egerton, Paul Walter Hauser, and Ray Liotta in his final TV role, and follows former drug dealer James "Jimmy" Keene (Egerton) who is sent undercover to try to get a confession from suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Hauser).

But is the enthralling drama actually based on real events? Here's what you need to know.

Is Black Bird Based on a True Story?

Is 'Black Bird' Based on a True Story? (1)

Black Bird follows Egerton's Keene, a former football star who began dealing drugs and was later caught by police in a sting operation. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The prisoner is then offered a deal: Go undercover to try and get a confession from suspected serial killer Larry Hall—and, if successful, be freed and have his record scrubbed clean.

In high school, Keene was a star athlete who played football in Kankakee, Illinois. But instead of focusing on his promising future in the sport, Keene began to peddle marijuana. At age 17, he moved to Chicago to attend community college and expand his illegal trade. He later moved into selling cocaine.

"I realized I could put the college education on hold and become a millionaire very quickly," Keene said in his book. By 1984, after his college sophomore year, he stopped attending classes.

In 1996, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and local law enforcement caught Keene as part of a drug sting headed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence Beaumont. Shortly thereafter, Keene was given a 10-year prison sentence with no possibility of parole for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

Beaumont later approached Keene with the aforementioned deal which saw him enter the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, to try and get a confession from Hall about his involvement in the disappearance and death of Jessica Roach and the disappearance of Tricia Reitler in 1993.

Hall had been given a life sentence for the kidnapping of Jessica Roach in 1995. During the investigation he had confessed to killing Roach, Reitler, and two other women but later recanted his statement, saying he was referring to dreams he had been having.

This is why Keene was brought in, to try and befriend Hall and see if the suspected serial killer would not only confess to the alleged killings but also tell Keene the location of Reitler's body.

Keene wrote about his experience going undercover in the nonfiction book In with the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption.

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In the book, Keene wrote that Beaumont had told him if he did not get the alleged location of Reitler's body then he would not be given the early release. Like in the show, Keene did spend several months with Hall and got close to him to try to discuss both Roach and Reitler.

In an interview with Dateline, Keene said Hall confessed to him that he had killed Roach and even shared details. Keene said it was "the hardest thing [he's] ever done to sit there and pretend to be his friend and listen to this stuff and not just rip him apart."

Keene also said he spoke to Hall about Reitler's disappearance, saying the suspected serial killer also confessed to targeting and killing her.

He later met Hall in the prison wood shop where the suspected serial killer was looking over a map that had locations marked out. Hall was working on small wooden falcon carvings that he told Keene would "watch over the dead."

Believing he had solved the case Keene left a message with his contact in the FBI, and he then decided to confront Hall about his alleged crimes because he thought he'd be taken out of prison shortly thereafter. As a result, though, Keene was put in solitary confinement.

Keene's message had not been received by the FBI and he remained in solitary confinement until his contact in prison, a psychiatrist, returned from holiday and had him taken out. By that point Hall's map with the locations of his alleged victims had disappeared.

Despite confronting Hall before the police could get the map, Keene was released from prison and his record was scrubbed clean, and he has since become an author.

Black Bird concludes on Apple TV+ on Friday, August 5.

Update 12/12/22: This article was updated for clarification.

Is 'Black Bird' Based on a True Story? (2024)
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