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February 15, 2007 issue

New DVD Documentary Examines Infamous Family Murders

Story by David Brewer

On Christmas Day, 1929, Stokes County tobacco farmer Charlie Lawson thrust the rural community of Germanton into the national spotlight by brutally murdering his wife and six of his seven children before committing suicide.

More than eight decades later, two aspiring North Carolina filmmakers have chosen the Lawson family murders as the subject for their first feature film for their company, Break of Dawn Productions.

Entitled A Christmas Family Tragedy, the film attempts to examine the Lawson family murders from all angles by unearthing details about the family, examining the continuing effect the murders have had on the community and addressing the tragedy of rural domestic violence.

Largely forgotten in the ensuing years, the Lawson family murders appeared in newspaper articles all over the United States including the front page of the New York Times. In 1930, old-time music group the Carolina Buddies recorded “Ballad of the Murder of the Lawson Family.” The song was a number a top five hit on Columbia Records, and was later performed by Doc Watson, as well as the Stanley Brothers.

Former ASU student Eric Calhoun and Matt Hodges began exploring the event in early 2006 and began film production in April. The filmmakers and their crew conducted interviews with family, friends and community members to collect as many first-hand accounts of the event as possible.

A Christmas Family Tragedy features extensive interview footage alongside reenactments of the tragedy, portraying the senseless and sudden killings in hair-raising detail. The documentary explores various motives for the murders, ranging from head trauma suffered by Charlie Lawson to financial stress and the possible incestuous molestation of the eldest daughter resulting in a shameful pregnancy.

“This story really touches some nerves in the community,” said Calhoun. “Some people really didn’t want to talk about it; some people really did.”

Calhoun said that during their research, he and Hodges began to better understand the mystique surrounding the killer Charlie Lawson. Though many interviewees portrayed Lawson as an upstanding member of the community, other acquaintances knew of a darker side that may have hinted at things to come.

“Some people would say ‘If you guys just leave it alone, it would die,’” said Calhoun. “It’s still very much alive.”

The film also connects the decades-old tragedy with a 2004 domestic violence homicide that occurred less than five miles from the Lawson homesite. Calhoun and Hodges are donating a percentage of the profits from the film to benefit local domestic violence organizations, hoping to help establish the first women’s shelter in Stokes County.

“We’re trying to make some good come out of this tragedy,” said Calhoun.

Debuting at Mt. Airy’s Downtown Cinema in early December, the full-length documentary is now available on DVD.

While Break of Dawn productions does not currently have a scheduled screening date in Boone, Calhoun says that the pair is working to find a venue in town and hopes to show the film in the coming months.

For more info on A Christmas Family Tragedy, click to www.bodproductions.com.