Left for Dead

The 1997 murder at Sarasota, Florida of Henry Caneva was a strange crime. He and his lover Janet Scott were attacked viciously while in bed one night, and it was more good luck than judgment that left the police investigating one homicide rather than two. This home invasion was clearly not a robbery, yet in view of their ages and lifestyles, a rational motive for the attack was difficult to discern.

A prime suspect soon emerged, a man with a hot temper who had crossed paths with Henry at work. He was soon eliminated however, and when Janet Scott recovered sufficiently to talk to the police she told them there were two attackers.

There are some other unusual features of this investigation – polygraph tests are junk, and hypnosis? After more false leads, another suspect emerged when police were given information from an unrelated domestic incident. The FBI concluded there was a family connection to this crime, and this turned out to be correct. Surprisingly, one of the attackers was a woman; Lela Whiteley was also the instigator of the crime, and it was she who strangled Henry Caneva, according to her husband and co-defendant. Surprisingly they were convicted only of second degree murder and are both due to be released next year.

There are reconstructions and original video. The documentary makers talk to the detectives who worked on the case, to Janet Scott and others.