We’ve seen television series and movies impact public perception of a criminal case; the entire true crime genre takes established narratives and finds a way to either create something new or dramatize what is already heightened. With that comes the caveat that what is being presented is a dramatic re-interpretation, changed to engage a narrative audience. Or is it? As documentarian and author Errol Morris lays out in “A Wilderness of Error,” humans are incredibly stubborn and willing to make the facts fit their beliefs, even if they’re wrong.

In February 1970 Green Beret doctor Jeffrey MacDonald’s pregnant wife and two daughters were found brutally murdered in their home. MacDonald claimed that a gang of hippies, led by a blonde woman in a floppy hat, entered his house and killed everyone. It made sense right away, particularly as the Manson family killings took place just six months before.