Losing a child is every parent's nightmare. Having your only son accused of killing your only daughter is something even worse, and that is what happened to Ontario couple Brian and Leslie Jenkins.
The Jenkins arrived at their Chatham, Ont. home in January 1998 to find their 18-year-old daughter, Jennifer, dead, -- shot five times.
As they recovered from the shock of their daughter's loss, they were hit with more devastation: their 20-year-old son, Mason, was arrested and later convicted of his sister's murder.
But Mason maintained his innocence, and his parents stood behind him through three years of court battles, and then while he was sent to prison for life.
The Jenkins' 10-year struggle to come to grips with their daughter's murder, and their unwavering devotion to their convicted son, is told in the documentary "Life with Murder" by Emmy-award winning Toronto filmmaker John Kastner, which airs Tuesday on CTV.
"It was just the natural thing to do," Leslie Jenkins told CTV's Canada AM Tuesday of their decision to stand by their son. "We were there to support Mason and you don't throw your children away."
Mason had a petty criminal record and quickly became the prime suspect in the case, but his parents said he was not a violent person.
Kastner happened upon the story when he was filming another documentary for CTV, "Monster in the Family," in the same penitentiary where Mason was being held.
He began speaking to the Jenkins in 2005 off-camera, and a few years later, they began working on the documentary in earnest.
The film has gathered praise, especially for its shocking finale, when it's learned who Jennifer's killer is.
"Something we never expected when we started the film, was we were able to establish who killed Jennifer Jenkins, there is a confession to murder in the film," Kastner said.
The film combines police integration footage, home videos and interviews with the family involved in a story that unravels over a decade.
"Life with Murder" airs tonight on CTV at 10 p.m. ET. A feature version of the film, shown at documentary film festivals, will run on. Sept. 11 on CTV.
