A Date with Darkness: The Trial and Capture of Andrew Luster

*A Date with Darkness: The Trial and Capture of Andrew Luster*
A Date with Darkness: The Trial and Capture of Andrew Luster
Written by	Christopher Canaan
Directed by	Bobby Roth
Starring	Jason Gedrick; Marla Sokoloff; Lisa Edelstein; Sarah Carter; Stefanie von Pfetten
Theme music composer	Christopher Franke
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Producers	Larry A. Thompson; Ted Bauman
Cinematography	Eric van Haren Noman
Editor	Henk van Eeghen
Running time	120 minutes
Original release
Network	Lifetime
Release	August 11, 2003

A Date with Darkness: The Trial and Capture of Andrew Luster is a 2003 American made-for-television drama film based on a true story about criminal Andrew Luster. It originally premiered on Lifetime on August 11, 2003.

Plot

On July 14, 2000, in Ventura County, California, young Connie is raped by the Max Factor heir Andrew Luster after ingesting a drug called Liquid X in a glass of water offered by him in a nightclub. With the support of her father, she reluctantly decides to go to the police and gives them snapshots of the occurrence. While Connie and the police collect evidence to send Andrew to the jury and during the investigation, two other victims of Andrew, Sarah and Teri, are found and join the accusation. He is placed on trial, but escapes during the proceedings. Under Federal regulations, the trial proceeds in absentia, and he is convicted.

The movie started shooting while Luster was still on the run, and was originally supposed to end with a plea for information regarding his whereabouts. However, while the film was in production, he was captured in Mexico by Duane "Dog" Chapman and returned to the country to serve an effective life sentence of 104 to 124 years. As a result, Luster's capture was written into the film at the last minute.