The Family I Had

The Family I Had depicts the story of a mother whose seemingly happy family was devastated when her son murdered his younger sister in a fit of violent rage.

The documentary features three narrators: (i) Charity, the mother who guides viewers through the details of the story; (ii) Paris, the son, who speaks from prison with a sense of detachment; and (iii) Kyla, Paris’s grandmother, who reflects on the fractured relationship she shares with her daughter. Together, these perspectives help illuminate the events that led thirteen-year-old Paris to kill his four-year-old sister, Ella, on Super Bowl Sunday in 2007.

The documentary opens with footage of Paris and Ella opening Christmas presents, capturing a time before tragedy made such moments feel like a distant fantasy. The idyllic scene is shattered when Charity informs the police of a violent crime committed in her home.

The film focuses on the family dynamics: the relationship between Charity and her imprisoned son, Paris; the strained relationship with Kyla, Charity’s mother, who seeks legal guardianship of her grandson; and Charity’s relationship with her new child, a son she struggles to protect from the harsh realities of life.