Preloading

Lessons from the Au Pair Murder Trial

Aired on 11/11/1997 | CC
In 1997, Louise Woodward, a 19-year-old British au pair, was convicted of the murder of eight-month-old Matthew Eappen while he was in her care in his family's home in Massachusetts. Police claimed that Louise had violently shaken Matthew, causing severe brain damage. But in a stunning reversal, the judge later reduced the verdict to involuntary manslaughter and sentenced Woodward to time already served—279 days she had spent in jail. Here, Oprah talks with members of the Eappen family about their experience of Matthew's death, the trial and the painful rumors that emerged as a result of the media swarm.