Gone in the Night (1996 film)

Gone in the Night is a 1996 American television film about the Jaclyn Dowaliby murder case, with Shannen Doherty and Kevin Dillon as Cynthia and David Dowaliby.

Gone in the Night
GenreDrama
Based onGone in the Night
by David Protess
Rob Warden
Written byBrian L. Ross
Directed byBill L. Norton
StarringShannen Doherty
Kevin Dillon
Ed Asner
Dixie Carter
Music byJoseph Conlan
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersJoel Fields
Leonard Hill
ProducersBernadette Caulfield
Ardythe Goergens
CinematographyRobert Draper
EditorMark W. Rosenbaum
Running time190 minutes
Production companyHill-Fields Entertainment
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseFebruary 25, 1996 (1996-02-25)

The Dowaliby Case

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On September 10, 1988, 7 year-old Jaclyn Dowaliby was kidnapped from her home in the middle of the night. Two years later in 1990, Cynthia and Jaclyn's adoptive father David Dowaliby went on trial for the murder of their daughter. Cynthia was acquitted by the judge on grounds of insufficient evidence, but David was tried and convicted of his daughter's death and sentenced to a total of 45 years in prison. His conviction came partly because the jury was shown photographs of a closet door, with fist holes in it. It was later proven that this damage happened before David even moved into the house.

In 1991, David's conviction was overturned when the Illinois Appellate Court reversed the conviction outright, holding that the evidence against him had been no more probative than that against his wife. The murder of Jaclyn remains unsolved.

Cast

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  • Shannen Doherty as Cynthia "Cindi" Dowaliby
  • Kevin Dillon as David Dowaliby
  • Ed Asner as Detective John Waters
  • Dixie Carter as Ann Dowaliby
  • James Anthony as Detective Foley
  • Jeanne Averill as Debbie Sanborn
  • Michael Brandon as David Protess
  • Billy Burke as Rob Kinney
  • Kevin Brief as Terry Summers
  • Devon Arielle Cahill as Jaclyn Dowaliby
  • Walter Coppage as Hugh Gordon
  • Trina Creighton as Kristi Carter
  • Ellen Dubin as Mary Ann Brown
  • Brett Murray as Davey Dowaliby
  • Sarah Phipps a nurse extra
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