New York ( CNN ) -- Before O.J . Simpson and Casey Anthony , before Scott Peterson , Amanda Knox and the cottage industry of cable news legal pundits , there was the shocking case of Jeffrey MacDonald . Ten years after his pregnant wife and two young daughters were butchered in their home in Fort Bragg , North Carolina , MacDonald was convicted of the killings and sentenced to life in prison . While a jury was convinced beyond a reasonable doubt of MacDonald 's guilt , many people were still left with one lingering question : Did he really do it ? The drama surrounding the heinous crimes and the subsequent trial fascinated the public for decades . It sparked controversial best-selling books , an immensely popular television miniseries and an explosive `` 60 Minutes '' interview that was watched by tens of millions of viewers . Today , more than 40 years after the murders , questions are still being raised about MacDonald 's guilt . `` We 've been sold a bill of goods about this case , '' said filmmaker Errol Morris . `` It 's as phony as a three dollar bill . '' Morris , an Academy Award-winning documentary director whose acclaimed movies include `` The Fog of War '' and `` The Thin Blue Line , '' has made that opinion the centerpiece of a new investigative book , `` A Wilderness of Error : The Trials of Jeffrey MacDonald . '' At more than 500 pages , it aims to prove that an innocent man is in prison . `` The evidence is neither clear nor convincing , '' Morris told CNN . `` There are many things about this case that rub me the wrong way , but principal among them was how the jury was asked to make decisions about his guilt or innocence with incomplete evidence , evidence that was withheld , corrupted and suppressed . '' Flawed forensic analysis , a contaminated crime scene , damaged and destroyed evidence and an effort to bury a confession all contributed to a miscarriage of justice , according to Morris . `` This has nagged me for so many years , `` Morris said . `` I felt I should do something . '' What is not in dispute is what happened at 544 Castle Drive in the early morning hours of February 17 , 1970 . Military police officers responding to a call from MacDonald found his wife , Colette , beaten and stabbed to death in the master bedroom ; the couple 's two daughters , Kimberly , 5 , and Kristen , 3 , were in their beds , also stabbed to death . MacDonald , who was wounded with two stab wounds and a collapsed lung , told investigators that he was sleeping on the couch when he heard screaming . He said he awoke to find in his home three men and one woman , who he described as having blond hair and wearing a floppy hat . They were chanting `` kill the pigs '' and `` acid 's groovy '' before attacking him , MacDonald told the investigators . MacDonald and his claim of killer hippies made headlines around the country . They also turned him into a prime focus of the investigation . `` The story is so bizarre and unlikely and it might actually be true , '' said CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin . `` It seems too preposterous on its face that a smart guy might have come up with something better , which raises the possibility that it might actually be true . '' What is absolutely certain is that a military inquiry into the murders recommended MacDonald not be court-martialed , citing a lack of evidence . MacDonald was granted an honorable discharge . He moved to Southern California , where he practiced medicine . But the case against him was far from over . In 1975 , a grand jury indicted MacDonald for the murders . He was ultimately convicted in 1979 and sentenced to life in prison . `` He is almost the definition of an unlikely murder suspect , '' said Toobin . `` Princeton graduate , medical doctor , Green Beret , these are the kinds of credentials we associate with people at the top of the heap in this country , not convicted murderers . '' Was MacDonald the victim of injustice or a manipulative , cold-blooded killer ? `` Fatal Vision , '' the 1983 book on the case by Joe McGinniss , portrayed MacDonald as a cunning sociopath . Asked to comment on `` Wilderness of Error , '' McGinniss issued the following statement to CNN : . `` Jeffrey MacDonald was convicted of the murders of his wife and two young daughters in 1979 . In all the years since , every court that has considered the case -- including the United States Supreme Court -- has upheld that verdict in every aspect . MacDonald is guilty not simply beyond a reasonable doubt , but beyond any doubt . '' A key figure in Morris ' bid to show MacDonald is innocent is Helena Stoeckley , the woman who confessed to being in the home the night of the murders . Stoeckley , who had a history of drug and alcohol abuse , and who died in 1983 , testified that she had no involvement in the murders . Morris said she was encouraged by a prosecutor to alter her testimony . `` Stoeckley was crucial to the defense case because she gave us reason to believe that MacDonald was telling the truth , '' Morris said . `` But if you cut her out of the story by pressuring her to change her story , you are going to change the outcome of the trial . '' James Blackburn , the prosecutor who MacDonald said threatened Stoeckley , would not comment on the charge because of pending litigation . `` I was the prosecutor in the case , and I did that job to the best of my ability , '' Blackburn told CNN . `` I did it in great reliance of the evidence the government had and we presented an honorable case and it was straightforward and it was based on good and competent evidence . And I agree with the jury 's verdict . '' Today , MacDonald , who will be 69 in October , still has his believers . In addition to Morris , they include Hammond A. Beale , who served as a legal adviser during the Fort Bragg military inquiry into the murders . `` I think those of us that are on the side that believes he is totally innocent ca n't believe this happened , '' Beale said . `` This guy has not only lost his wife and kids but loses his career and ends up in prison for the rest of his life . That 's horrendous . '' `` The army got it right , the federal courts royally screwed it up , '' Beale added . `` I do n't think this will ever go away until justice is done . '' Morris doubts the conviction will be overturned . Still , he is hopeful MacDonald will one day be freed from custody . `` It 's a principle of fairness , '' Morris said . `` You do n't want to convict an innocent man . ''
Jeffrey MacDonald 's wife and two daughters were murdered in 1970 . A military inquiry recommended he not be tried for the killings , citing a lack of evidence . He was later tried and convicted in criminal court and is serving a life sentence . Today , a new book by filmmaker Errol Morris seeks to prove MacDonald 's innocence .