Hilary Swank at Center of Conviction Controversy

Hilary Swank's new movie, Conviction, is receiving criticism from one family at the center of the story. INSIDE EDITION has the latest.

Two-time Oscar® winner Hilary Swank is coming under fire for her new movie, Conviction, the true story of a waitress who became a lawyer to clear her brother of murder.

"My mother was the innocent victim of a horrible crime," said Melrose Brow.

At an emotional news conference, the daughter of the murder victim lashed out at Swank, who's also an executive producer of the movie.  

"I couldn't believe it, that they would make a movie and I had no knowledge of it, nobody contacted myself or anybody else in my family," said Brow.

Lawyer Gloria Allred held up pictures of the real Katharina Brow, who was brutally stabbed to death in a Massachusetts home in 1980.

Kenny Waters was convicted of the murder, but was released in 2001 after DNA evidence cleared him.

By his side was his sister, Betty Anne, a waitress and single mom who put herself through college and then law school so she could save him.  

Swank's portrayal of her is already receiving Oscar® buzz.

But Brow says she didn't know a movie was being made until reading about it on the internet a year ago.  


She told INSIDE EDITION the family still suspects that Waters was guilty, despite his release. Waters died in 2001 after an accidental fall.

"The DNA evidence wasn't the only evidence. We would have liked a retrial," Brow said.

Now she wants to meet with Swank and present the family's side of the story.    

The movie's producers said in a statement to INSIDE EDITION:

We have the deepest compassion and sympathy for the family of Katharina Brow.

But her daughter says she'll keep fighting for her memory.

"I want to have a voice on behalf of my mother and the whole family. It's not right what they're doing," Brow said.