True crime book “Innocents,” written by Jonathan Rose with Steve Panter and Trevor Wilkinson, has been optioned for screen.
Curiosity Rights and United Heroes are set to adapt the book, about the murder of 11-year-old Lesley Molseed and the subsequent wrongful conviction of Stefan Kiszko, for television.
The story follows the trial and wrongful conviction of Kiszko, an intellectually disabled man of Ukrainian heritage who served 16 years in prison before new evidence came to light that exonerated him. Another man was convicted for Molseed’s murder in 2007 following advances in forensic science.
Kiszko’s mother, Charlotte Kiszko, spent more than a decade campaigning for her son, who died twenty-two months after his release from prison. Charlotte died not long after. An MP described the episode as one of the “worst miscarriage of justice of all time.”
Terry Clark is overseeing early-stage development. J.D. Zacharias (“Orphan,” “Freud’s Last Session”) will produce for Curiosity Rights alongside Egor Olesov (“Mr. Jones,” “Battle for Sevastopol”) for United Heroes.
“Today, a single voice can mobilize millions,” said Zacharias. “But that wasn’t always the case. The McKinnon story shows what visibility can achieve. ‘Innocents’ is about the families who never had that chance — who were invisible to the system. Stefan’s mother did everything she could, but the world wasn’t listening yet. That tragedy is what makes this story essential.”
Olesov added: “This story isn’t just about a legal failure — this is a true underdog story about what happens when ordinary people face a system that won’t listen. For families far from home, justice can feel out of reach — especially when they have no visibility or leverage. We also explore the lives and sacrifices of the everyday people who joined Charlotte in her fight to free Stefan and then went on to find the real killer of Lesley Molseed. ‘Innocents’ is deeply human, deeply painful, and profoundly relevant.”
