Most wrongful conviction documentaries follow the attorney.
Kitty & Tysheem follows the investigator.
For decades, post-conviction investigator Kitty Hailey has gone where few others will: digging through old court files, tracking down witnesses, and visiting people in prison.
At 81, she continues that work with her latest investigation: Tysheem Crocker, a man serving life for a crime he didn't commit.
KITTY HAILEY DOESN'T COLLECT STORIES.
SHE COLLECTS FACTS.
For more than two decades, Kitty has worked as a post-conviction investigator, uncovering the overlooked details that can mean the difference between life in prison and freedom.
Since 1999, Tysheem Crocker has been serving a life sentence for a crime he didn't commit. Convicted after a three-day trial based solely on the testimony of an incentivized witness, his case sat untouched for more than two decades.
UNTIL KITTY.
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Our Investigator
Meet Kitty Hailey.
Known as the ethics guru in the investigative profession, Kitty is the author of Code of Professional Conduct: Standards and Ethics for the Investigative Profession, which has been used as the basis for advanced certification and has helped educate investigators across the country and internationally.
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20+
Men Kitty has helped leave death row.
Kitty has been part of teams responsible for helping more than 20 men gain their freedom or return to general population after wrongful incarceration. -
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40+
Civil rights investigations.
Her investigative work has extended beyond wrongful convictions to more than 40 civil rights investigations.
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8 Years
Federal Defender Capital Habeas Unit.
For eight years, Kitty investigated cases involving people facing execution as part of the Federal Defender Capital Habeas Unit.
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Forbes 50 Over 50
The recognition reflects a career whose influence extends far beyond the individual cases Kitty has investigated.
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Now she's fighting for Tysheem
After 22 years untouched, his case finally has an investigator.
THE PROCESS
Kitty starts where she always starts: with the file.
She reads for weeks, takes copious notes, and builds what she calls a “cast of characters.”
Then she goes looking for them.
Twenty years after Tysheem's conviction, Kitty and her team return to York to reconstruct what happened.
The question isn't what Kitty thinks happened.
It's what the evidence will reveal.
Sneak Peak
It’s early, but we want to show you what we’ve been working on.
Every person deserves someone who believes they're worth fighting for.
For Tysheem Crocker, that person is Kitty Hailey.
But Kitty doesn't start with a conclusion and work backward to prove it. She starts with questions:
What was done right?
What was done wrong?
What still needs to be done?
Then she follows the evidence wherever it leads.
Kitty has spent decades investigating cases involving wrongful incarceration, people facing execution, and civil rights violations. Her work has helped more than 20 men leave death row, and she is a recognized authority on investigative ethics.
Kitty & Tysheem isn't a retrospective of Kitty's career. It's an intimate portrait of Kitty as she puts decades of experience to work on Tysheem's case.
The question is not whether Kitty will keep looking. It's what she'll find.
In Development & Fundraising
We're already filming. Help us keep going.
Kitty & Tysheem is currently raising production funds, and we've already begun capturing Kitty's investigation into Tysheem Crocker's case.
Support the Film
Help us bring Kitty & Tysheem to the screen.
Kitty & Tysheem is fiscally sponsored by From the Heart Productions, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your contribution helps support the continued development and production of the film, including filming Kitty's investigation and bringing this story to completion.
Your support helps us keep the camera with Kitty as she follows the evidence, asks the next question, and sees where it leads.
Yes, Kitty Performs on Stage Too
Follow Kitty's investigative work on TikTok.