A new documentary, “Catching Lightning”, explores the life of legendary MMA fighter Lee Murray, including his infamous street fight with Tito Ortiz, a bank heist that led to a 25-year prison sentence, and never-before-heard voice recordings from Murray in prison.
Before Lee Murray was identified as a member of the crew responsible for one of the largest cash heists in history, he already had a legendary reputation in combat sports. A new documentary, Catching Lightning, tells Murray’s story, which includes an infamous street fight with UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz, his lone bout in the UFC, a road rage incident that likely changed his life forever, and the bank heist that ultimately earned him a 25-year sentence behind bars. The documentary debuts on April 7, 2023, on Showtime.
Emmy winner Pat Kondelis, a massive MMA fan, was utterly fascinated when he started digging into the life and career of the now 45-year-old former fighter. “Lee is a mythical figure,” Kondelis said. “One of the challenges in the story, what I wanted to accomplish, was trying to get his perspective, and see past the myth and the legend of Lee Murray and [give] a three-dimensional look at Lee Murray as a human being and include all these different perspectives in this very, very complex and convoluted story [with the bank heist] that the police described as a spiderweb.” The documentary features voice recordings from Murray that were taken in prison by his wife and a longtime friend who spent time with him in Morocco. It’s the first time in over a decade that Murray’s voice has been heard after his prison sentence was extended from 10 to 25 years for his part in the Securitas depot bank heist in 2006.
The robbery, which included a bank manager and his family being kidnapped, was allegedly orchestrated by Murray and several other men, who escaped with $92.2 million in cash. There was more than $250 million cash in the depot at the time of the robbery, but the men involved couldn’t steal any more because they ran out of room in their vehicles. A total of 14 employees were held hostage while the robbers — brandishing weapons including AK-47s, shotguns and handguns — looted the bank depot. Murray eventually fled to Morocco before he was captured and convicted on charges related to the robbery. He’s spent the last 17 years behind bars and has 12 years remaining on his sentence.
Kondelis promises the documentary will provide a detailed look at the Securitas depot robbery, including interviews with employees held hostage that night and the police who led the investigation, which ended with eight men convicted in relation to the crime. “What shocked me was how Hollywood-esque this whole heist was,” Kondelis said. “The amount of planning, preparation, surveillance that this crew did with the robbery is phenomenal. I hate to say it, but it was impressive.