Canary: The Washington Post Investigates · The Washington Post

Chapter 5: "He's hurt my daughter"

October 1, 2020·34 min·3 clips

Carol calls reporter Amy Britton from the newsroom, overwhelmed and questioning whether to continue telling her story about being molested by a judge.

Chapter 5 opens with Amy Britton receiving a distressing phone call from Carol, who has just left her therapist's office. Carol is feeling overwhelmed and questioning whether to continue cooperating with the story. Her parents, Janet and Jean Griffin, have refused to go on record, and her mother reacted to the situation by saying she did not want the anniversary to be all about Carol, a statement that hurt Carol deeply. Britton reassures Carol that backing out would be understandable, but Carol decides she is committed not for the reporter's sake but for the truth. Britton explains that she has heard from Carol's friends, partners, therapist, and son, but that Janet and Jean are notably absent and represent a gap in the reporting. Carol invites Britton to attend her parents' 60th wedding anniversary in Birmingham so that she can witness Carol singing for them and meet the family in person. Before the ceremony begins, Carol's father Jean slips in a church restroom and is injured. As paramedics arrive, Carol — not wanting her father to leave without hearing the planned song — sings it in the hallway as he is wheeled out on a stretcher. Britton says she was genuinely moved by the scene. Later, Jean returns home from the hospital and the Griffins agree to an on-record interview. Britton sits with Janet and Jean in their living room, with Jean propped on the sofa next to his walker and Janet holding prepared notes. Janet opens by explaining her skepticism about media — she fears the story will be sensationalized — but both parents say they eventually came to the same conclusion: this is Carol's story to tell, and if it helps her, they will support it. Janet confirms that Carol met Truman Morrison around age 13, that the family visited a Virginia property when Carol was about 16, and that she noticed Carol spending time with Morrison but did not suspect anything wrong. Both parents say they have no recollection of sleeping on the deck the night of the alleged assault, though they acknowledge Carol's memory of the trip is sharper because it changed her life. In the mid-1990s, Carol disclosed the assault to her parents for the first time. Both describe being in shock. Janet decided to confront Morrison in person, booked a flight to DC, and met him at an airport gate. She told him directly that he had molested her daughter. Morrison did not deny it, asked what he could do, and later mailed an apology letter — though neither Carol nor her parents can locate the letter today. Janet had not learned the full details of additional alleged incidents until recently, some of which emerged during the reporting process itself. Before the interview, Janet asked Britton to watch the 1995 film Dead Man Walking, which she says captures her belief that it is possible to hold compassion for both a victim and a perpetrator at the same time. When asked about forgiveness, Janet says Morrison has done genuine good for poor people but that this does not outweigh having hurt her daughter, and the two things do not balance out. The episode ends with a teaser: Britton sends a letter to Judge Morrison.

As heard by us

A restrained chapter about disclosure, family fear, and the cost of speaking up.

Chapter five, "He's Hurt My Daughter," stays with Carol after the disclosure and keeps the emotional frame tight. Carol says she has been overwhelmed, irritated that her parents will not speak for her, and still stuck in the old feeling of not being centered.

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Why you'd press play

Press play for an investigative chapter that stays with a survivor’s account, the family’s reluctance, and the discomfort of telling relatives something they do not want to hear.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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