Killer Cases

Dr. Teresa Sievers was a rising social media star when she was found bludgeoned to death in her kitchen. Detectives quickly came to focus on her husband Mark, who had taken out a large life insurance policy on his successful wife, in a murder for hire scheme.

When Richard Smith failed to show up for work, police discovered the murdered bodies of Smith, his mother and brother in their home. Sheriff's deputies told the media they were investigating possible ritual links to the "Wiccan" religion and the timing of the killings with the "blue moon sky."

Shayna Hubers called 911 to report she had killed her boyfriend in self-defense after he attacked her. However, investigators soon learned he was planning a date with another woman and suspected Shayna killed him in a jealous rage.

When the body of former policewoman Taylor Wright was discovered buried on a remote Pensacola farm, detectives had a lineup of suspects to investigate including her ex-husband, her new girlfriend and her best friend.

When Nicole VanderHeyden was found shot to death in a Wisconsin farm field, police immediately arrested her boyfriend. However, as the investigation unfolded, a man she met at a bar became a prime suspect.

The case made national news when the McStay family - Summer, Joe and their two young boys - vanished from their Victorville, California home in 2010 without a trace. False leads poured in, the family car turned up in Mexico. But three years later, when their bodies were found in the California desert, a trace amount of DNA nearby led them to the likely killer.

For decades, the mystery of Michelle Martinko's murder haunted her town and her family as police searched for her killer without success. 39 years later, through creative detective work and modern investigative techniques, the case took a new twist, leading to an arrest and first-degree murder charges in a long awaited, dramatic trial.

High school senior Skylar Richardson told no one of her pregnancy. However, when a newborn's body was found buried in the family's backyard, Skylar was charged with murder.

When Shirley Carter was found murdered in her farmhouse kitchen, her abusive husband Bill was considered a prime suspect. But the husband pointed the finger at someone else - his son Jason. It was up to the jury to decide who to believe.

Hog farmer, Todd Mullis, claimed his wife fell on a four-pronged corn rake and died, but when investigators found more than four holes in Amy Mullis' body, they knew her death was no accident.

New Year's Eve and a seemingly random murder, in the small town of Benton Harbor, on the western shore of Lake Michigan. Police body cam video captured the heartbroken cries of young Army Sergeant Kemia Hassel as she cradled her handsome, dying young husband in her arms, as he was loaded into an ambulance. But despite the happy outward appearance of the attractive young military couple, investigators soon accused Kemia of directing a murder-for-hire plot with the help of a lover she met while deployed in Korea. Her boyfriend quickly confessed and in a dramatic, videotaped jail house phone call, laid out the murder plot to the victim's father.

The Amatos were a close-knit, middle-class family with three professional sons, who enjoyed Florida Gators football games together. So, it was a shock when Margaret and Chad Amato and their youngest son Cody were found dead, shot execution-style in their suburban Seminole Florida home. Suspicion quickly turned to middle son Grant, a trained nurse, who had quarreled with his family over money he had stolen from them to pay for the attention of a Bulgarian sex model on a pay-per-view website.

When Victoria Prokopovitz went missing in 2013, her three grown children were beside themselves with worry. Her husband, James, seemed oddly unconcerned, telling police she often wandered off and had twice tried to commit suicide. Despite a massive search, Victoria was never found. But a private detective who saw news reports of the missing woman offered his help. Conducting his own investigation, the detective learned James had been carrying on a secret affair and both he and his mistress had lied to police about their relationship. Now armed with a motive, eight years after her disappearance police charged Victoria's husband with first degree murder. But without a body, what detectives call a "no body case," the jury would have to decide.

25-year-old Ashley Biggs, a single mom and pizza delivery driver, was murdered on a late-night run for Dominos. Police arrested her former boyfriend Chad Cobb. For eight years, Cobb refused to tell police who had helped him lure Ashley to her death, protecting his then-wife, Erica Stefanko. But once he learned that Erica had become romantically involved with his best friend and that she was allegedly abusing his daughter, Cobb revealed Erica's role in the murder, and she was now facing a criminal charge for murder. Erica's defense lawyer argued it was a case of revenge, with no forensic evidence to tie her to the scene. But in a surprising twist, Chad produced damning new evidence to back up his story.

When Brandi Peters and her three children were found murdered in Tallahassee in 2010, prosecutors pointed the finger at her ex-boyfriend, Henry Segura, who owed her more than $20,000 in child support. But as the trial got underway, an imprisoned drug dealer came forward, saying he had ordered the murders from prison, that Peters had worked as a drug mule and helped herself to more than $90,000 worth of drugs and cash. It sounded like an outlandish claim, but DNA evidence found in her bedroom came back as a possible match to a Colombian cocaine trafficker.

Popular South Carolina University college senior Samantha Josephson was the pride and joy of her family as she prepared to head off to Drexel Law School with a full scholarship. So, it was unusual when Samantha went missing after a night of socializing at the Five Points bar area in Columbia. Tragically her body was found 24 hours later, with more than a hundred stab wounds. When surveillance footage showed her getting into an Uber in Five Points, police put out an all-points bulletin, and quickly arrested Uber driver Nathaniel Rowlands during a routine traffic stop of a lookalike vehicle. But the case was far from over, as Rowlands claimed someone had stolen his car and he was not the driver in the grainy surveillance photo.

Popular Dallas dentist Dr. Kendra Hatcher was in a deep romance with fellow doctor Ricardo Paniagua when she was brutally murdered in the garage of her apt building in what appeared to be a robbery gone wrong. Police arrested drug dealer Kristopher Love and his friend Crystal Cortes for the horrific crime which shocked the upscale community. But facing murder charges, the couple revealed a more sinister and stunning murder plot saying they had been hired by Paniagua's jealous and obsessed ex-girlfriend Brenda Delgado who police discovered had been secretly stalking him since their breakup. Delgado's arrest shocked her family and friends who knew her only as an upstanding, hardworking young woman from a blue-collar family on a path to professional success.

When 20-year-old University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts went missing during her regular evening jog, her disappearance was headline news. Police had few clues until a local resident shared his garage surveillance camera, which had captured a brief glimpse of Mollie running down the street and later a black car driving by. Following the lead, police moved quickly to arrest undocumented immigrant Cristhian Bahena Rivera who worked at a nearby dairy farm and charged him with murder. Under intense questioning, Rivera appeared to confess, although his story had strange gaps. But when it came time for trial, he pled not guilty, and his lawyers mounted a vigorous defense--accusing police of badgering him into a confession, casting suspicion on Mollie's boyfriend and presenting alternate theories of the crime.

Thirteen-year-old Dylan wasn't eager to fly to Colorado for the court-ordered long-distance visit with his dad, Mark, who tried to placate his son with a visit to McDonald's and shopping at Walmart straight from the airport. But when the boy didn't show up for a playdate the next morning, he was reported missing, setting off a manhunt in the rough Colorado wilderness terrain. Mark Redwine and his ex-wife took to the airwaves to plead for their son's return, but to no avail. Then in a stunning twist in a national television interview, Dylan's brother, Cory, accused Mark of being responsible for his brother's disappearance, a charge the father vigorously denied. But, three years later when Dylan's badly decomposed remains were found by hikers, prosecutors did indeed charge Mark Redwine with his son's murder.

The quiet community of Crestview, Florida was shaken following the vicious murder of beautiful 33-year-old nurse Melissa Howard, described as a caring angel, found with her throat slashed in her own living room.

Firefighters made a desperate effort to save a young family from a blazing fire, but rescuers were too late. Police declared the fire was no accident and began an arson investigation, which included another unexplained fire a few blocks away that killed a beloved elderly couple.

A camper gathering firewood in Arizona's scenic Sunset Crater National Park was shocked to discover the body of a young woman in a traditional long dress, wearing black dress shoes. Her Mennonite family and friends were stunned--she had no known enemies and was a beloved, studious young woman, who loved books. How did she end up dead so far from home?

An exchange student found a career and a love match in the idyllic Missouri university town of Columbia. It was a shock to their friends and family when she disappeared, leaving both her child and cell phone behind.

Ten days after NBA player Lorenzen Wright went missing, the player's body was found in a swamp, shot 11 times. Police search for clues to identify who killed the basketball star.

When a hairstylist failed to pick up her children for a planned celebration, she was reported missing by her ex-husband. Investigators discovered a bloody scene at the salon, but the hairstylist and her SUV were gone.

An heir to the Halliburton oil dynasty fortune, Jill Halliburton Su was found by her son Justin dead in the bathtub at her upscale home in a Florida gated community in 2014. The security cameras weren't working, a glass door had been shattered, and at least one room of the house had been ransacked. Police quickly focused on Justin as the prime suspect, grilling him intensely for hours. But despite the dramatic interrogation room sessions, the son never admitted guilt. A few days later, when crime scene DNA forensic tests were finally processed, Justin was cleared; and investigators were after a new suspect.

Makeva Jenkins seemed to have it all. A successful businesswoman and mother of three, she boasted on Facebook that she had grown her business to six figures. But just hours later, she was shot dead with a bullet to the head. Her husband, Euri Jenkins, told police a masked intruder had shot and killed his wife. Her close-knit family held a press conference, pleading for information about her killer. But the tale of the happy family fell apart when police arrested her husband in a murder-for-hire plot. Detectives also arrested 19-year-old Joevan Joseph, who told investigators Jenkins had hired him to kill his wife for the life insurance money.

In the spring of 1993, two newspaper carriers driving down a rural road spotted what they thought was a doll but which turned out to be, in fact, a newborn baby's body. The coroner would determine that the baby had been born alive; but his origin was a mystery. The community called the baby Geauga's Child, after the name of the county; they made clothes for his funeral and paid for his burial. Despite dozens of leads and even a hidden camera placed at the cemetery in hopes that the child's mother would show up, no arrests were made for 25 years. Then, with modern DNA and familial genealogy techniques, the cold case was solved, identifying the boy's mother as the now middle-aged Gail Eastwood-Ritchey. Years before, as a young unmarried woman, she had delivered the baby, stillborn, and placed his body in a trash bag in a wooded area. After a four-day trial, Eastwood-Richey was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years.

Todd Kendhammer called 911 in a panic, describing a freak accident that occurred while he was driving with his wife, Barbara, in the passenger seat. He said a metal pipe had fallen from a passing truck, piercing the windshield and fatally injuring his wife. But police were suspicious of Todd's responses in the interrogation room, when his story continued to change, and his alibi didn't check out. Forensic details from the autopsy report cast further doubt on his story. Detectives came to believe Kendhammer strangled Barbara and staged the accident to cover his crime. He was convicted of first-degree murder. The couple's two children, Jordan and Jessica, continue to believe their father is innocent. Jessica speaks in his defense in this episode.

In Florida in 2015, Amanda Colley was starting her life over after a contentious divorce and an ongoing custody battle with her ex-husband, James. The 36-year-old mother of two was excited about a new love interest, Lamar Douberly. Then, one summer night, she returned to a ransacked house. Lamar and two girlfriends arrived to join her as police were called. Then, gunshots rang out; glass shattered. After more shots, Amanda and her friend Lindy, a mother of three, were both dead and Rachel was injured. The gunman took off. James Colley was arrested 600 miles away and brought back to Florida to stand trial for double murder, with both Lamar and Rachel giving dramatic firsthand testimony.

Jazz trumpet player Scott Sessions failed to show up for a gig. A well-known local musician, he played with groups including the Elvis Experience band. His body was found a few days later, wrapped in plastic, partially burned and hidden in a forest. Investigators opened a murder case and traced his last known whereabouts to the residence of his new love interest, Heather Frank. Frank was nowhere to be seen, but investigators followed up on a tip about her former boyfriend, Kevin Eastman. Dogged detectives placed a tracking device on Eastman's car. When they went to investigate, they discovered Frank's body on the property of Eastman's employer. 

When Ohio State senior Reagan Tokes failed to respond to messages from her parents, they feared the worst. Their nightmare became a reality when a 911 caller reported the discovery of a female body in the local park. She had been shot execution style. Knowing a brutal killer was on the loose, detectives raced to solve the crime, gathering surveillance video and photos that tracked Reagan's last moments. Brian Golsby, a previously convicted sex offender, was arrested. Golsby confessed to abducting Tokes, admitting he forced her to withdraw money from ATM accounts, but he adamantly denied killing her, insisting an accomplice he called "TJ" committed the murder. At trial Golsby continued to maintain his innocence; but even his highly regarded defense team couldn't produce TJ.

Kay Baker, a school teacher and mom, was found lying in her neighbor's yard bleeding to death. Soon after discovering her body, police spotted a wounded man on the run in the woods, leading to a suspenseful chase, arrest, and a possible suspect.

Alexander Jackson, an Eagle Scout, called 911 to report a mysterious intruder killed his parents and sister, and shot him in the leg. But as they interviewed Alexander in the hospital, detectives began to suspect Jackson wasn't telling the whole truth.

Police Officer, Brian Fanion, frantically called 911 for an ambulance, saying his wife Amy had shot herself and lay dying. But when Fanion's fellow officers arrived at the house, the crime scene posed more questions than answers.

Outwardly, Mark Jensen seemed to be a mild mannered, loving husband--grieving over the suicide death of his wife. But when police found traces of antifreeze in her autopsy, they started to question what was really going on at home.

Andreen Mcdonald and her husband had a beautiful home and successful business they built together. But when Andreen went missing, detectives uncovered her husband's secret love affair and realized this was much more than a missing persons case.

When Jade Janks discovered her beloved stepfather, Thomas Merriman, had secretly downloaded nude photos of her onto his computer, she set out to put an end to the abuse.

Attorney Richard Merritt, had a last home cooked meal with his mother before he was set to report to jail for embezzlement. But when Merritt didn't show up on time investigators found his mother dead in the living room. Merritt claimed an intruder had attacked them both and he had fled for his life.

James Ray, a prominent attorney, lived in an upscale home with his girlfriend Angela Bledsoe, a successful businesswoman. But when Angela didn't show up at the office, police found her dead on the kitchen floor. Ray and his BMW were nowhere to be found.

When Becky Bliefnick failed to pick up her boys from school, a family member went to check and found her dead in the living room. Detectives found a major clue in an unlikely place–on an episode of the game show "Family Feud."

When Sadie Beacham didn't receive a good night call from her boyfriend, she was alarmed and went to his house to find his screen door wide open. Detectives could not locate his body but DNA evidence pointed to someone Sadie knew well.

The middle-aged couple were on a routine evening stroll with their dog when a man attacked out of nowhere, injuring the wife and fatally shooting her husband. What was behind the mystery attack?

At first it seemed like a horrible teenage tragedy when the car with three friends careened into a brick wall at nearly 100 miles an hour, killing two of them. But after a lengthy investigation police charged the young driver MacKenzie Shirilla with murder. 

Shortly after midnight on Valentine's Day, police found Amie Harwick, a prominent sex therapist and Drew Carey's former fiancee, dying on the patio under the balcony of her Hollywood Hills apartment. Detectives began to investigate—did she fall, or was she murdered?

When Ilene Gowan, a popular waitress at a local bar in Council Bluffs, Iowa, was found dead by the side of the road, her family called in famous forensic examiner Dr. Michael Baden to help solve the case.

The murder trial of prominent lawyer Tex McIver transfixed Atlanta. McIver claimed his gun accidentally went off, unintentionally shooting his wife in the back as they drove home. But, did McIver have a secret motive to want his wife dead?

After trying for 20 years to solve the mystery of a 6-year-old boy found dead in the woods, an artist's age progression portrait of the child posted on social media leads detectives to find new clues.

Legal scholar Dan Markel was gunned down execution style as he pulled into the driveway of his Florida home. Detectives hunted for a killer--who would hire a hitman to murder a law professor?

A man is gunned down on a Louisville sidewalk during Derby week. A few weeks later, the bodies of two teenage boys are found burned and abandoned in a vacant lot. Detectives investigate a strange connection between the murders.

Border patrol agents discovered the bodies of a young mother and her toddler son along the Rio Grande. Detectives closed in on a surprising suspect.

Police receive a frantic 911 call about a woman who witnessed a murder. But during her interrogation detectives begin to wonder--was she a terrified witness or was she a killer?

When school teacher Catherine Edwards missed a family outing, her worried parents went to her apartment to check on her. There, they made the horrifying discovery: Catherine had been restrained with law enforcement style handcuffs and murdered. Investigators followed dozens of leads as the alarmed community worried about a killer on the loose. Given the handcuffs, investigators even looked at fellow police officers but the case remained a mystery. Nearly three decades later, a team of dedicated detectives, a Texas Ranger, and forensic genealogists teamed up to catch an unlikely killer, finally bringing justice to the Edwards family and the city of Beaumont.

When the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call from distraught former state trooper Daniel Howard reporting his wife Kendy's suicide, detectives prepared to investigate one of their own. Howard told the investigators his wife had been severely depressed. Detectives learned the couple had been going through a bitter divorce and tensions were high. Now faced with a suspicious death, detectives must reconstruct the crime and confront Daniel Howard in an interview captured on bodycam footage at the scene to determine if he killed his spouse.

In 2002, a blueberry farmer in Ottawa County, Michigan made a shocking discovery in his fields: the severely burned and beaten body of a man inside a trunk. Despite exhaustive efforts, investigators were unable to identify him, and he became known only as "Jack in the Box." The case sat cold on investigators' desks until 2015, when a detective started receiving emails with clues about the victim's identity. Investigators followed the tips, finally unraveling the chilling details of a gruesome crime, and a calculated cover-up, leading to an international manhunt and an ultimate betrayal by family.

The cold-blooded murder of four family members in their own living room in a normally peaceful neighborhood shattered the local religious Sikh community. The wide-ranging investigation left many questioning if they truly knew their neighbors.

Rap musician Martell DeRouen, known as "Kardone," was found shot to death in his luxury apartment, the door locked from the inside. Detectives faced a challenging mystery as they investigated the puzzling murder.

A masked intruder stormed into a house party, murdering three young members of Detroit's LGBTQ community. As detectives worked to track down the killer, they uncovered a surprising and troubling motive.

A teenage girl vanishes while walking home alone from a friend's house; her body is found months later, along with a reported stolen gun that leads detectives to an unlikely murder suspect.

Las Vegas investigative reporter Jeff German was shot and killed execution style in his own driveway in broad daylight in a murder that shocked the town. Security camera footage showed a mysterious person in a big hat running away.

The body of a prominent Atlanta lawyer was found burned beyond recognition on his Georgia farm. It seemed at first like a tragic accident, but detectives uncovered a shocking tale of family greed and betrayal.

Police found the body of a man stabbed to death in the ruins of his home after a blazing fire. Security cameras showed two figures driving away from the scene. Detectives identified two female lovers as the suspects, each telling very different stories.

A popular high school teacher was gunned down in his driveway in cold blood as he got ready to leave for work. Detectives uncovered a chilling trail of online clues including a gun painted to look like one used by a Star Wars stormtrooper and a deadly obsession.