CLAREMORE, Okla. — 2 News Oklahoma first met Billy Jacobson in 2023, under impossible circumstances.
He lost his son, Billy Jr., in a murder-suicide.
“There’s been a lot of healing, a lot of counseling. I was blessed enough to get involved in a bill that actually made some change that makes it harder for other kids to go through what those kids went through,” Jacobson said.
2 News Oklahoma listened to Billy’s story, as he mourned his son, and worked with lawmakers on legislation. Now, Billy is telling his story to a new audience.
“It was just a couple of months after the murders, it was back in 2023. Some amazing guys who work in fathers’ rights have their own struggles as well, and asked if I would be interested in doing a documentary. And it’s been amazing, they’re great people,” Jacobson said.
The documentary is called ‘Deadbeat.’ Louis Holmes directed it.
“My back was against the wall, and I reverted to my training and decided to put a dream into motion,” Holmes said.
Holmes said he had his own struggles with family situations. He wanted to bring similar stories to life. Thus came the documentary, and meeting Jacobson, through a mutual friend.
“Sometimes you think you've got it bad until you meet someone else. And that’s how I felt when I met Billy,” Holmes said, “When he told me about the Verdigris murder-suicide, I was shocked. And I realized that my situation isn’t as bad as his.”
“God’s had another plan for me, I just had to sit back and wait for it,” Jacobson said.
The documentary is set to be released to the public on June 19 on Apple TV, though Jacobson already watched it.
“It was tough. It was definitely tear-jerking, but it made me realize that I’m doing the movie with the right people. They’re all fathers that have gone through some serious struggles, and they’re doing great,” Jacobson said.
The trailer for the documentary is set to drop on June 12. Interested fans can follow @deadbeatdocumentary on Instagram.
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