4th April 1991, was the last night of Tom Cummins’ visit with his cousins Robin and Julie Kerry in their hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. Tom was a 19-year-old fire fighter from Maryland. His cousins, Julie and Robin, were students at St. Louis University, Missouri. Reluctant to let the visit end, the three made a plan to rendezvous for one last adventure.

Tom snuck away from his parents and drove with the girls to the Chain of Rocks Bridge, a majestic mile-long structure spanning the Mississippi River between Missouri and Illinois. Abandoned for years, it was a hangout where kids wrote graffiti and took in the view.

By 2am, Julie and Robin had been raped and pushed off the bridge to their deaths. Tom was told to jump into the river after the girls, or be shot. Tom jumped, managed to survive, and reported his story to incredulous police. As he tried to lead investigators to the real perpetrators, Tom fell under suspicion and became the primary suspect.

Tom underwent a full day of relentless interrogation before a lucky break vindicated him. A black flashlight was found that had been left behind by the four attackers who Tom had described during police questioning. Although all four confessed, the lack of physical evidence left the prosecution with a daunting task.