On August 26, 1994, Tito Jackson’s ex-wife, Dee Dee, drowned in prominent businessman Donald Bohana’s pool at his Los Angeles home. Although Bohana desperately tried to revive her, paramedics pronounced her dead on arrival at the hospital.

The police performed a cursory investigation and concluded Jackson’s death was a tragic accident.

But in the wake of such major incidents as the L.A. riots, Michael Jackson’s first molestation allegation and the O.J. Simpson trial, the Jacksons, their family attorney and the media refused to let it go. Via that collective pressure, then Los Angeles District Attorney Gil Garcetti — father to current LA Mayor Eric Garcetti — ended up indicting Bohana. He was later sentenced to 15 years to life for second-degree murder, although he never stopped proclaiming his innocence.

Now Janet Arlotta, writer and executive producer at Denver-based design studio Friends of Mine, has co-authored with Christopher Forsyth a book on the case called With My Dying Breathe: Bohana vs. The Jacksons.

“The LA judicial and political landscape at the time was a perfect storm to work against an innocent man faced with a tragic accident, then add a double dose of ‘celebrity’ with the Jackson clan opposing him,” says Arlotta, a member of PromaxBDA.

Arlotta approached ABC news magazine 20/20 with the story a year ago, and after conducting extensive research and interviews on its own, the show will air a segment on the case on Friday, Sept. 15, at 10 p.m. ET/PT as part of its 40th-season premiere episode.

Bohana, now 80, is still in jail, having been denied parole three times. He still maintains his innocence, even though it might be what’s keeping him in prison, and his family is seeking to exonerate him. As part of his own investigation into the case, 20/20’s Jim Avila speaks exclusively to Bohana from prison about what happened that night. The hour also includes interviews with Tito, Taryll, Taj and T.J. Jackson as well as Bohana’s daughter, Donna, and ex-wife, Sheila.

In addition, 20/20 interviews key players from the case, including Los Angeles County Sheriff’s detective Bob Snapper, Jackson family attorney Brian Oxman; deputy district attorney Lori Jones; Dr. Michael Baden, expert coroner for the defense; Harland Braun, Bohana’s defense attorney; and Jeffery Ward, defense co-counsel. The report also includes the 911 call Bohana made the night of Dee Dee’s death.

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