''Murder in Coweta County'' is a 1983 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

starring Johnny Cash and

Andy Griffith Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his character ...

. It originally aired on February 15, 1983 on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

. It is based on actual events of a murder in Coweta County in April 1948 committed in

Coweta County Coweta County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is part of Metro Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, the population was 146,158. The county seat is Newnan. Coweta County is included in the Atlanta- ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Plot

The film centres around two main characters, Sheriff Lamar Potts of

Coweta County, Georgia Coweta County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is part of Metro Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, the population was 146,158. The county seat is Newnan. Coweta County is included in the Atlanta- ...

, and John Wallace of

Meriwether County, Georgia Meriwether County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,613. The county seat is Greenville, home of the Meriwether County Courthouse. The county was formed o ...

, who rules a vast estate known as "The Kingdom". Wilson Turner, a poor white tenant sharecropper, was dismissed by Wallace, even though he was given permission to do the liquor run. He was forced to leave his home, with his wife and child, and was unable to harvest his crops on his farm. In revenge, Turner decided to steal one of Wallace's prized Guernsey cows. He was captured in a neighboring county and brought back to Meriwether County to face Wallace. Turner was inexplicably released from jail due to a 'lack of evidence' by Sheriff Hardy Collier. Wallace and three of his men were waiting for him outside the jail, and at that stage Turner knew that it was a stitch up. He got into his truck and tried to escape, Wallace and his gang chased him on the pretext that Turner was an escaped prisoner. In the pursuit they had crossed the county line into Coweta County. Turner is forced to stop because he ran out of gasoline. Wallace then kills Turner by

pistol-whipping Pistol-whipping or buffaloing is the act of using a handgun as a blunt weapon, wielding it as an improvised club. Such a practice dates to the time of muzzle loaders, which were brandished in such fashion in close-quarters combat once the wea ...

him with his gun. Sheriff Potts then pursues Wallace and his gang to obtain justice for Turner, but needs to gather enough evidence to prove his case.

Cast

References

{{June Carter Cash 1983 television films American drama television films American crime drama films 1980s English-language films Films directed by Gary Nelson