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In 1968, four young people were kidnapped in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Three escaped. One didn't. ​ For 55 years, the people who lived through that night stayed silent. ​ "A Murder in Mercer" is the story of what happens when they finally speak. On March 28, 1968, Rick Dragan and three friends were kidnapped in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Three escaped. His friend, Mike, a Virginia Military Institute cadet, didn't. For over five decades, almost no one spoke of what happened. Not Mike's family, not his fiancée Cheryl, not Rick, who carried it quietly for the rest of his life. No one ever asked. That changed in 2023, when a local author published a book on the murder. He approached documentary filmmakers to bring it to the screen. But as the filmmakers began their own research, they found people the book never had: survivors, family members, people who'd waited decades for someone to ask what that night had cost them. "A Murder in Mercer" reconstructs the crime through the people who lived it: Mike's family and friends, the officer who found his body, Rick's own memory, and the confession tape of the man who turned himself in. It also finds Bob Perrine, son of one of the men responsible, who carries his father's name into a life he never chose. This is a story about what happens when the people history left out finally get to speak for themselves.

WATCH THE OFFICIAL TRAILER NOW


DOCUMENTARY SHOW TIMES AND LOCATIONS

THURSDAY, OCT. 1, 7-9 p.m. 


Reynolds Drive-In in Transfer, PA

Sponsored by Fraternal Order of Police Lakelands Lodge #88


CMA/ACP Joint Fall National Convention, Kansas City, MO

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 4, 4-5:30 p.m.


Fisher Auditorium in Indiana, PA
Sponsored by: 
IUP Student Co Op, 
IUP Performing Arts
The Department of Criminology
The Department of Communications Media


This event is free to students, faculty, staff and  and the public thanks to university sponsorship

FRIDAY, NOV. 13, 7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

THE RED ROSE FILM FESTIVAL, NOV. 12-14
Marietta, PA
Film time and location TBA 
Tickets available soon

https://redrosefilmfestival.com/schedule


BRING A "A MURDER IN MERCER" TO YOUR CAMPUS OR COMMUNITY

A "Murder in Mercer" is available for educational, campus and community screenings. Filmmakers Brittany Fleming and James Cressman are also available for Q&As and discussions on documentary filmmaking, media ethics and ethical storytelling in true crime. 

Host organizations are responsible for providing an appropriate screening space, projection and audio equipment, and on-site event logistics.


Interested in a screening? Contact us.


Past Festivals and Public Screenings:

THURSDAY, SEPT. 17, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, PA

FRIDAY, SEPT. 4, The Oil Valley Film Festival, Oil Valley, PA

SATURDAY, JUNE 6, The McDonough Storytellers Film Festival, McDonough, GA

SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, The Worthington American Legion Post 828, Worthington, PA

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, The Indiana Theater, Indiana, PA

SATURDAY, JUNE 6, World Premiere, The McDonough Storytellers Film Festival, McDonough, GA

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