48 Hours Mystery
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Episode 36
Diary of a Showgirl
aired: Sat, Jul 31, 2010
In a series of exclusive video diaries, a showgirl reveals secrets about the web of sex, lies and greed that ended in murder. Peter Van Sant reports.
Episode 31
One of Their Own
aired: Sat, May 22, 2010
A cold case turns white hot as police finally charge one of their own in 23-year-odl murder case. Maureen Maher reports.
Episode 21
Betting Her Life
aired: Sat, Feb 27, 2010
Susan Wright was convicted of stabbing her husband 193 times. Can the wife of a former NFL star help free her from prison? Richard Schlesinger reports.
Episode 10
Shootout at the Hills'
aired: Sat, Nov 27, 2010
In Full: A husband terrorizes his wife and kids. There's money, abuse and murder. Did he deserve to die? Richard Schlesinger reports.
Episode 9
Secrets, Lies and Alibis
aired: Sat, Nov 20, 2010
A wealthy couple is targeted for death... but why? Troy Roberts reports.
Episode 8
Chasing the Barefoot Bandit
aired: Sat, Nov 13, 2010
In Full: Exclusive new details about the life and escapades of Colton Harris-Moore. Peter Van Sant reports.
Episode 6
Dirty Little Secrets
aired: Sat, Oct 30, 2010
A Preacher Convicted of Murdering His Wife, Now the Other Woman Exposes His Dark Secrets. Erin Moriarty Reports.
Episode 5
The Preacher's Wife
aired: Sat, Oct 30, 2010
A pastor's wife is found dead. Was it suicide or was he playing God? Erin Moriarty reports.
Episode 3
The Whole Truth
aired: Sat, Oct 16, 2010
Did an LAPD cover-up keep an innocent man in prison for 26 years? Erin Moriarty investigates.
Episode 2
fugitive@hotmail.com
aired: Sat, Oct 9, 2010
A global manhunt for a top doctor after his wife's mysterious death. Troy Roberts reports.
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Episode 40
Addicted to Love
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
For many, July 4 weekend invokes images of picnics and fireworks. However, for Lesa Buchanan and her boyfriend Christ Koulis, it was a weekend of sex and drugs that eventually resulted in Buchanan’s death. Buchanan was struggling to make it as an actress and model when she had a chance meeting with Koulis, a handsome, ambitious plastic surgeon. She became his patient and his girlfriend. Although the couple maintained a five and-a-half-year relationship, according to Buchanan’s family it was marred by Koulis’ manipulative and controlling behavior. They say that as a doctor, Koulis would convince Buchanan she was ill so he could make her better. Koulis admits he introduced her to illegal drug use, which authorities say the couple engaged in to enhance their sexual encounters. According to a police investigator, the only time Buchanan experienced those drugs was when Koulis gave them to her. On the weekend of July 4, 2005, paramedics were called to Buchanan’s Franklin, Tenn., apartment because she had stopped breathing. Police would later discover a cache of sex toys and prescription drugs. An autopsy concluded that Buchanan died of a narcotic overdose. Authorities launched a five-month investigation, eventually charging Koulis with her death. Despite Koulis’ denials, detectives say that his grip on Buchanan led to her drug use - that he supplied the drugs, injected them and was responsible for her death. Prosecutors were convinced they had a strong case. Koulis, a once-promising young doctor, finds himself standing trial and facing 25 years in prison for the death of his one-time patient and girlfriend, and Buchanan’s family hopes that justice is served in the name of their loved one. 48 Hours correspondent Troy Roberts reports on the case this Saturday, Feb. 16, at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Episode 38
The Guessing Game
aired: Tue, Mar 13, 2012
In January 1999, Belinda Temple, the pregnant wife of a popular high school football coach, was found murdered inside a closet of the family's home. Police soon suspected David Temple had something to do with the murder, but had no physical evidence to tie him to it. But after years of piecing circumstantial evidence together, police arrested him. What would follow was a courtroom clash of legal titans, with a hard-charging prosecutor on one side, and a legendary defense attorney on the other. Did David really murder his expecting wife, as the prosecutor charges, or is he innocent and unjustly accused. Correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports.
Episode 34
Blood and Money on Horseshoe Bay
aired: Tue, Mar 13, 2012
Charlie White was a larger-than-life Texas millionaire. Ambitious, bold and brash, he lived a lavish lifestyle that included a private jet, luxury vacations, parties and beautiful women. But it all came to a gruesome end in 2005 when police were called to his lakeside mansion. The eccentric millionaire had been murdered, mercilessly beaten, with an extension cord wrapped around his neck several times. By first impression, White was a very likeable person, but as police began investigating his murder, a darker image of White began to emerge, one of a cruel man with a dangerous mean streak sharpened by arrogance, alcohol and women. With an unbridled passion for the fairer sex, White bedded and rated the sexual prowess of over a thousand women, including strippers and prostitutes. And White didn’t stop there, satisfying his sexual appetite with the girlfriends of his own son Darin, who he also used to pick up women to fulfill his needs. With his outrageous lifestyle and sexual conquests, White had no shortage of enemies. "Somebody had had enough," says a family friend, "somebody wanted him dead.' Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports on the case.
Episode 27
Shelley's Last Breath
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
A Caribbean vacation ends in death. Will legal twists set a convicted killer free? Troy Roberts has the latest on the case.
Episode 26
A Killer Defense
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
A scorned wife sues her husband's lover, then someone ends up dead. Peter Van Sant reports.
Episode 25
Hannibal Unmasked
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
Three young women murdered and the hunt for a serial killer named Hannibal. Harold Dow reports.
Episode 24
My Mother's Murder
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
A teen's father is killed...a year-and-a-half later, her mom is murdered. What did she know? Richard Schlesinger reports.
Episode 23
The Secret Life of Paige Birgfeld
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
By all accounts, 34-year old Paige Birgfeld was a devoted mother to her three young children. So when she suddenly disappeared last June, police in Grand Junction, Colorado suspected foul play. But while police and volunteers searched for the missing mother of three, disturbing evidence of a secret life she led shifted the investigation in a totally new direction. Did that secret life-which Paige kept hidden from her family-play a role in her disappearance? Harold Dow reports for 48 Hours.
Episode 21
The Girl Who Knew Too Much
aired: Sat, Jan 1, 2011
A teenage girl is discovered in her car, brutally murdered. Was she running for her life? Erin Moriarty reports.
Episode 20
Lady in the Pool
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
A funeral director's wife drowns in their pool... and the truth lies beneath the surface. Harold Dow reports.
Episode 19
A Cry for Innocence
aired: Sat, Feb 28, 2009
Nearly 17 years after the brutal murder of three little boys, actor Johnny Depp and others push to prove the innocence of a trio of teens, known as the West Memphis Three, convicted of the crime.
Episode 18
Lies and Whispers
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
A doctor's wife is murdered and a young man's life hangs in the balance of an unprecedented legal battle. Erin Moriarty reports.
Episode 17
A Time to Kill
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
A mother of four vanishes from her upstate N.Y. home the day after 9/11. Was it the day for the perfect crime? Erin Moriarty reports.
Episode 16
Thou Shalt Not Kill
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
When a mother of three is murdered, a mysterious woman holds all the answers. Richard Schlesinger reports.
Episode 15
The Secret
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
When a 911 operator vanishes into thin air her deadly secret is exposed. Tracy Smith reports.
Episode 14
Buried Secrets of Las Vegas
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
Sex, drugs, greed and the biggest murder mystery in Las Vegas history. Peter Van Sant reports.
Episode 13
Innocence Lost
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
Four young girls brutally murdered. Two murder convictions. Now, 18 years later, the case is blown wide open. Erin Moriarty reports on the case she calls "the most horrific crime story I've ever encountered."
Episode 9
Justice in the Heartland
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
A young father's mysterious disappearance haunts a small town. Was it murder? Susan Spencer reports.
Episode 6
A Case for Murder
aired: Sat, Nov 8, 2008
A young man is found dead from multiple stab wounds. His family searches for the killer, but was it suicide? Maureen Maher reports.
Episode 5
Deadly Prophecy
aired: Sat, Nov 1, 2008
A woman has visions of dying before she drowns... was it murder or a prophecy fulfilled? Susan Spencer reports.
Episode 4
Haunted
aired: Sat, Oct 25, 2008
A daughter thinks she knows who killed her father. Seven years later, can she prove it? Harold Dow reports.
Episode 3
The Untold Story of Caylee Anthony
aired: Sat, Oct 18, 2008
"48 Hours" teams up with CBS News' "The Early Show" anchor Maggie Rodriguez for an exclusive interview with three members of Casey Anthony's defense team and an in-depth look at a case that has become a national obsession.
Episode 2
Show Me the Money
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
A mother and her 7-year-old daughter are taken hostage, strapped with dynamite and forced to rob a bank. Susan Spencer reports.
Episode 1
Our Father...The Godfather
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
Exclusive: The secrets. The lies. The life. For the first time ever, the Gotti family breaks their silence about life in the mob. Troy Roberts reports.
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Episode 47
Invitation to a Murder
aired: Sat, Dec 13, 2008
When Mark Winger fatally shot an intruder he was hailed as a hero. The nuclear engineer says he was in the basement of his picturesque Springfield, Ill. home when he heard a thump. Racing upstairs, Winger grabbed his gun and was faced with his worst nightmare when he discovered a man beating his wife Donnah with a hammer in a horrific scene that ultimately ended in the death of both his wife and her killer. It seemed like an open and shut case of self defense and Winger was quickly cleared of any wrongdoing. But one rookie investigator believed that there was more to the story. Unable to let go of this hunch, he relentlessly tried to get the case reopened, but to no avail, until four years later, when a new witness helped put the pieces together and expose a shocking truth: Mark Winger was the mastermind behind a complicated plot to murder his own wife. As new dramatic developments have emerged 48 Hours Mystery has gone beyond the broadcast to document the case in more detail in the book Invitation to a Murder by producer Gail Abbott Zimmerman. Richard Schlesinger also reports on these new developments as part of a special presentation of 48 Hours Mystery.
Episode 25
Dark Voyage
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
A former child actor-turned cold-blooded killer commits a crime that horrifies even the toughest of cops. Correspondent Maureen Maher reports.
Episode 21
An Invisible Enemy
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
Marine Sgt. Todd Sommer was in peak physical condition when he collapsed and died suddenly in February 2002. As shocking as Todd's death was to all those around him, perhaps no one displayed as extreme a reaction to it as his wife, Cynthia Sommer. In the wake of the tragedy, Cindy appeared unemotional and behaved in ways that did not fit the role of a grieving widow - throwing boisterous parties at her home, traveling to Mexico with friends, getting breast implants, and taking up with multiple sexual partners. Although disturbing and out of character, Cindy's rebelliousness was initially dismissed as a coping mechanism - a need to escape from her personal tragedy. But, just as Todd's case was about to be shut and declared a death by natural causes, NCIS agents discovered something that would bring Cindy under the scrutiny of military authorities. What was once thought to be food poisoning turned out to be a different type of poisoning - one they suspected involved Todd's beloved wife. Upon further inspection, not only was Cindy's reaction to Todd's death questionable, but so were her actions in the moments leading up to it, which included a plastic surgery consultation and a dubious attempt to revive him. Furthermore, with $250 in their bank account, Cindy was collecting a hefty $250,000 from Todd's life insurance policy - money that was now funding her hard-partying lifestyle. In November 2005, police charged Sommer with murder. At trial, prosecutors established her motive, but they could never link her to any physical evidence in her husband's death. Her lawyer insists there was no poisoning. Nearly five years later, after weeks of testimony, a jury found Cindy Sommer guilty. But that is far from the end of this story. In a twist, Cynthia Sommer's sentencing hearing resulted in a new development that no one expected - throwing the entire legal proceedings into question.
Episode 5
Vegas Heat
aired: Sat, Sep 18, 2010
Craig Titus and his wife Kelly Ryan were two of the biggest stars of the body building world. The duo - he, a Mr. Olympia competitor and she, a fitness champion - won numerous competitions and graced magazine covers. Titus even trained Motley Crue lead singer, Vince Neil, who admits to 48 Hours Mystery that Titus used steroids and injected him with them. And steroids were not Titus' only drug of choice. These Las Vegas hard bodies were also hard partiers, known for using illegal drugs and pain killers. But all that changed on Dec. 14, 2005, when the charred corpse of a young woman was discovered in Ryan's burned out car on a Las Vegas desert road. The unrecognizable body was initially thought to be Ryan, but authorities were stunned when they arrived to the couple's house only to be greeted by her at the door. The body was that of their live-in assistant Melissa James. And soon police pieced together the web of fame, sex, drugs and jealousy that ended in this brutal murder, a gruesome cover up and the downfall of a fitness powerhouse. Now, in a 48 Hours Mystery exclusive, family, friends, detectives and witnesses each shed light on this shocking story. And, for the first time, shamed body builder Craig Titus tells his side of what happened the night James died, insisting to 48 Hours Mystery that is wasn't murder. "She OD'd. She'd been shooting drugs for days…I never intended to kill Melissa James, murder Melissa James." Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports on the case.
Episode 2
Into Thin Air
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
When Jean Zapata vanished from her home in Madison, Wis., in 1976, she left behind her daughter Linda, two other children, a lot of friends, and a mystery that would take more than 30 years to solve. "I spent my whole life from age 11 just telling people when they asked, 'My mom abandoned me,'" Linda remembers. She only knew what her father had told her when on the day her mother disappeared. "At age 11, when my dad said she took off because she was stressed out, it was cemented in my head. She took off and she's raising another family somewhere." Had Jean really taken off and left her family and friends behind? As Richard Schlesinger reports, a set of new detectives would take a fresh look at the case decades later, and try to solve the question everyone wanted to know: what really happened to Jean Zapata?
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Episode 284
House of Secrets
aired: Fri, May 20, 2011
In full: Did an anesthesiologist gas his wife to death? Peter Van Sant reports.
Episode 282
The Facebook Detectives
aired: Tue, Mar 13, 2012
In full: Three Texas housewives use Facebook to investigate their friend's disappearance. "48 Hours Mystery" correspondent Maureen Maher reports.
Episode 277
Live to Tell: Krystal's Courage
aired: Sat, Nov 28, 2009
What if Someone Wants You Dead but You Live to Tell? A 10-year-old girl's story of survival and how she brought a serial killer to justice. Harold Dow reports.
Episodes
Episode 65
48 Hours Mystery: The Boy Next Door
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
Three murders from Chicago to Los Angeles. Who's killing beautiful young women? "48 Hours Mystery" helps solve a 20-year-old cold case. Maureen Maher has the dramatic developments.
Episode 64
48 Hours Mystery: Soccer Moms Confidential
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
Soccer moms-turned-private investigators... real-life "Charlie's Angels." But there were secrets and danger. Maureen Maher reports.
Episode 63
48 Hours Mystery: A Fatal Attraction
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
Forbidden young love ends with a mother's violent murder. Richard Schlesinger reports.
Episode 61
48 Hours Mystery: Family Affair
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
In a small Southern town, an extramarital affair turns into a fatal family affair. Susan Spencer reports.
Episode 60
48 Hours Mystery: Three Days Before Christmas
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
48 Hours Live to Tell: Two sisters who survive a deadly home invasion share their journey to hell and back.
Episode 59
48 Hours Mystery: Secrets of a marriage
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
The wife of a respected high school administrator is found dead with a suicide note nearby... but what really happened? Tracy Smith reports.
Episode 58
48 Hours Mystery: Private Needham's War
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
A young soldier is accused of killing the woman he loves. Was she a casualty of war? Troy Roberts reports.
Episode 57
48 Hours Mystery: Murder in the O.C.
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
The millionaire, his fiancee, and the NFL player. Troy Roberts reports on a love triangle turned deadly.
Episode 56
48 Hours Mystery: Redemption Song
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
After a murder rocks the Austin, Texas, music scene, a call to police from an angry wife blows the 26-year-old cold case wide open. Tracy Smith reports.
Episode 55
48 Hours Mystery: The Killing Fields
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
Can a Hollywood movie help solve the most notorious killing spree in Texas? Erin Moriarty reports.
Episode 54
48 Hours Mystery: Amanda Knox: The Untold Story
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
"48 Hours" reveals Knox's personal accounts of cruel manipulation and sexual intimidation while in prison. Plus, never-before-seen video diaries from Amanda's best friend. Peter Van Sant reports.
Episode 53
48 Hours Mystery: Arturo Gatti's Last Fight
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
Suicide or murder? "48 Hours Mystery" investigates the ongoing controversy of the death of world championship boxer Arturo Gatti. Erin Moriarty reports.
Episode 52
48 Hours Mystery: Bullying: Words Can Kill
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
A "48 Hours" special report on bullying in the digital age.
Episode 51
48 Hours Mystery: Casey Anthony: Judgment Day
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
"48 Hours" takes you inside one of the most dramatic murder trials in recent memory.
Episode 49
48 Hours Mystery: Follow the Money
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
In full: A real estate mogul charged with swindling $40 million is murdered. Erin Moriarty reports.
Episode 46
48 Hours Mystery: "48 Hours Mystery:" Grave Injustice
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
In full: Students help free a man 16 years after he's sentenced to death. Richard Schlesinger reports.
Episode 45
48 Hours Mystery: 48 Hours Mystery: Only Casey Knows
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
In Full: Open-and-shut case? Maybe not... Troy Roberts goes inside the defense of Casey Anthony.
Episode 44
48 Hours Mystery: 48 Hours: Name, Rank and Serial Killer?
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
In Full: Col. Russell Williams was a top military commander trusted to fly the queen. Susan Spencer uncovers his secret life of stolen lingerie, sexual assault and murder.
Episode 43
48 Hours Mystery: 48 Hours Mystery: The Lost Night
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
In full: A father's mission to prove his son is innocent of a horrific crime. Erin Moriarty reports.
Episode 42
48 Hours Mystery: 48 Hours Mystery: Betting Her Life
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
In full: Can the wife of an ex-NFL star help free a woman convicted of murder? Richard Schlesinger reports.
Episode 41
48 Hours Mystery: 48 Hours Mystery: "Playing with Fire"
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
In full: Two unsolved Hollywood murders and the trail that leads through the Playboy Mansion and Wall Street. Peter Van Sant reports.
Episode 40
48 Hours Mystery: 48 Hours: The Dog Trainer, the Heiress and the Bodyguard - Part2
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
A celebrity dog trainer is murdered. Now, the conclusion as exclusive interviews reveal the truth behind the crime. Peter Van Sant reports.
Episode 39
48 Hours Mystery: 48 Hours: The Dog Trainer, the Heiress and the Bodyguard
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
Part 1: A celebrity dog trainer is murdered. Now, exclusive interviews reveal the truth behind the crime. Peter Van Sant reports.
Episode 38
48 Hours Mystery: 48 Hours Mystery: Every Picture Tells a Story
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
In Full: When a woman is murdered, secret photos reveal clues about her killer. Richard Schlesinger reports.
Episode 37
48 Hours Mystery: 48 Hours Mystery: Temptation
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
In Full: An alluring woman who could charm anyone into doing anything... even murder? Erin Moriarty reports.
Episode 36
48 Hours Mystery: 48 Hours: Body of Lies
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
In Full: A young mother vanishes. Did one man's deception lead to murder? Maureen Maher reports.
Episode 35
48 Hours Mystery: 48 Hours: Fatal Choice
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
In Full: A doctor's wife claims self-defense after she kills her millionaire husband. Was he worth more dead than alive? Peter Van Sant reports.
Episode 33
48 Hours Mystery: Live to Tell: Full Moon
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
In Full: A first date turns deadly - only one survives. Now, she tells her story.
Episode 29
48 Hours Mystery: Taken - The Amber Dubois Story
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
A predator kills two girls and admits he would kill again. A "48 Hours" exclusive. Troy Roberts reports.
Episode 26
48 Hours Mystery: The One Who Got Away
aired: Tue, Apr 3, 2012
A young woman accepts a ride from a kind stranger who is really a serial killer. Susan Spencer reports.
Episode 12
48 Hours Mystery: Betrayal
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
(CBS) California computer whiz Hans Reiser seemed to have it all - including a beautiful Russian wife, who was a doctor, and two children. That perfect life hit turbulence when his wife, Nina, had an affair with one of his best friends. Hans and Nina eventually separated and got into a bitter custody fight. Fast forward to Labor Day weekend 2006, when Nina dropped the children off at their father's house, and mysteriously vanished in the hours that followed. What happened to Nina Reiser? Correspondent Maureen Maher reports on the latest details to emerge in the twisted case involving a computer genius, foreign intrigue, and a best friend’s betrayal.
Episode 11
48 Hours Mystery: Power, Passion And Poison
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
Kathy Augustine was an ambitious and sometimes controversial politician who worked her way up the rankings of Nevada’s government. And with a reputation of being ruthless, she developed a lot of enemies along the way. But were these enemies deadly? In 2004, Augustine became the first state official in Nevada's history to be impeached, when she was found guilty of violating state ethics laws during her 2002 re-election campaign. In 2006, unable to seek a third term as state controller, she ran for state treasurer. But on July 8 Augustine was found unconscious in her home. She died four days later. While a preliminary autopsy found no evidence of a heart attack or other obvious cause of death, the medical examiner did find a suspicious puncture mark. Subsequent toxicology reports confirmed the presence of a powerful drug that paralyzes the body’s organs and muscles while leaving the mind conscious. Proof, detectives say, that Augustine had been murdered. Despite many political enemies, Augustine’s family was convinced her fourth husband, Chaz Higgs, was responsible. Claiming that the couple’s marriage was rocky, they assert that Higgs, eight years her junior, was cheating on his wife. And as a critical care nurse, Higgs had the knowledge and access to the same drug found in Augustine’s system. Authorities charged him with first degree murder. Is Chaz Higgs capable of murder? Or, was Kathy Augustine the victim of her corrupt political opponents? 48 Hours correspondent Troy Roberts reports dramatic new developments.
Episode 10
48 Hours Mystery: Point Blank
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
On Oct. 15, 2003, police were called to the Brownsville, Texas, home of Scott and Traci Rhode. Inside, in the couple's bed, lay Scott with a gunshot wound to the head. That morning, Traci says she rose early, went for a walk, took a shower, and then heard a moaning sound. It was then, she says, that she discovered her husband was wounded. Scott was still alive, but later died at the hospital. Traci maintains Scott shot himself, but authorities charge she is a cold-blooded killer with a motive for murder. Harold Dow reports for 48 Hours Mystery.
Episode 9
48 Hours Mystery: Dark Side of the Mesa
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
What if you came home and your wife and child were missing - and all you found was a bloody bed and an empty jewelry box? What if the nightmare only got worse? Susan Spencer reports.
Episode 8
48 Hours Mystery: End Game
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
Tim Masters is 37 years old, the same age as Peggy Hettrick was when she was murdered in 1987. Hettrick’s mutilated, half naked body was discovered in a field in Fort Collins, Colo. and Masters has lived in the shadow of the brutal crime ever since. At the time, Masters, was a teenager with a penchant for knives and drawing graphic images of death and mutilation and he immediately became a suspect, but the case was only circumstantial. Weeks turned into months and months into years, with no arrest. Authorities even planted fake newspaper stories about his imminent arrest in the hopes of goading Masters into doing something incriminating, but to no avail. Then, in 1997 authorities found a new expert witness, one who put a new spin on the little evidence had. More than 10 years after Hettrick’s murder, Tim Masters was convicted - the result of what his attorneys consider to be a single-minded, psychologically relentless investigation by an overzealous cop. And Masters’ supporters, including some of the investigators who initially pursued him, believe this case was built not on evidence, but on fear and they’ve set out to prove his innocence. It is a search for answers that would take them around the world and expose stunning new suspects. Why was a doctor, who had been arrested as a sexual offender and lived a few hundred yards from where the body was found, never considered as a suspect? The new investigation would take almost a decade, but would finally reveal shocking new evidence and an astonishing truth that would change everything. Correspondent Susan Spencer reports.
Episode 7
48 Hours Mystery: The Mortgage and the Murder
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
For nearly a year Renee Ohlemacher was suspected in the murder of her parents, Bernadette and Greg, who were shot in their Albuquerque, N.M. home in August 2005. Renee says, upon hearing the gunshots, she squeezed herself into a closet and called police. Certain that the killer knew the couple, investigators began questioning Renee's every move after discovering that she did not immediately dial 911, opting to call a non-emergency number first. And her family had their doubts about her innocence too. Renee, who some family members considered spoiled, was set to inherit nearly $1 million from a life insurance policy. Her questionable behavior the morning of the murders and her cold demeanor in its wake did nothing to quell their suspicions. But with no physical evidence linking Renee to the crime, the probe began to stall, until a chance encounter would expose the unlikeliest of suspects - the couple's mortgage broker, Ron Santiago. Santiago, a self-proclaimed people pleaser, was facing mounting pressure to close loans and eventually turned himself in to the Secret Service, admitting that he forged two checks when he could not deliver on a loan. But as the Secret Service dug into Santiago's past, their investigation would reveal something more serious. Did the stress of his job drive Santiago to murder? 48 Hours correspondent Erin Moriarty reports.
Episode 6
48 Hours Mystery: Truth On Trial
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
Karen Tipton, the wife of a Decatur, AL doctor, was found brutally murdered in her home in 1999. Police, eager to wrap up the case, accused Daniel Wade Moore, a self-confessed marijuana and crack cocaine user, who had been in the Tipton home six-months earlier. Moore's defense attorney discovered that the prosecution had hidden key evidence in the initial trial that found Daniel Wade Moore guilty, thus had the case thrown out. But an appeals court determined that Wade could stand trial again - for the same crime. With the same district attorney but a new jury, Moore went on trial again. And again, the defense attempted to show reasonable doubt in the state's evidence. The jury could not come to a decision. They declared a mistrial. Free on bail, Daniel Wade Moore awaits his third trial, expected in April 2009. Correspondent Erin Moriarty reports.
Episode 5
48 Hours Mystery: Live to Tell: The Birthday Party
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
A federal prosecutor kidnapped at gunpoint on his birthday, recounts his bizarre hostage ordeal.
Episode 4
48 Hours Mystery: The Lost Children
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
Families are torn apart in one of the largest adoption scams in U.S. history. A special "48 Hours" investigation. Maureen Maher reports.
Episode 3
48 Hours Mystery: Did the Doctor Kill the Doctor?
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
In his first network interview, Dr. Timothy Stryker addresses the accusations of murder that have dogged him for 15 years. "How could I be blamed for something as terrible as this?" he asks in the 48 Hours Mystery exclusive. In 1993, Dr. Linda Goudey's body was found in the back seat of her car in the parking lot of the Boston-area hospital where she worked. The beloved OB/GYN had been strangled in an attack so brutal it left injuries at 24 separate places on her body. Immediately, authorities turned to her boyfriend Dr. Stryker and his attempts to help their investigation further fueled their suspicions of his involvement. But with only circumstantial evidence the case went cold. While authorities may not have had enough for a criminal case, Goudey's family pressed on and filed a civil suit against Stryker, who was now married with a successful practice. His wife Micael stood by him throughout the trial. In her first interview since the verdict she says, "[They] wove this amazing fantasy of this imaginary killer. I thought if I was a jury hearing this [it] would be very compelling." The jurors did find it compelling, Stryker was found responsible of Goudey's death and her family was awarded 15 million dollars. Soon after the civil case verdict, a new witness emerged. This was just the break Stryker needed, but to some this new development seemed a little too convenient. The criminal case would take a turn that no one could’ve imagined. Is Dr. Timothy Stryker a calculating murderer or is he an innocent man fighting to clear his name? Authorities remain committed to bringing Goudey's killer to justice, especially District Attorney Gerry Leone who in his first and only interview pledges, "I'm going to personally stay with this unsolved homicide case as I promised [her] family over a decade ago." Correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports on the case.
Episode 2
48 Hours Mystery: A Mind for Murder
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
When they talk about Carmin, the oldest of their four daughters, Danny and Judy Ross are never at a loss for words. "She's bubbly, she's fun to be around. She makes the room warm. She's the sunshine," recalls Judy Ross, who even put together a list of words that come to her mind when she thinks of Carmin. "Brilliant, empathetic, thoughtful, spiritual, patient, political, loving, peaceful, delightful, silly, playful, courageous," reads Judy. "Full of life -- daughter of our youth." Looking back, Danny and Judy say their daughter's 1985 wedding to her sweetheart, Tom Murray, was one of the best days they ever had. "Both of them wrote their wedding vows," recalls Danny. "I stood there and cried through the whole thing." Carmin met Murray at Ohio State University, but it wasn't a typical college romance. Carmin was a junior, and Murray was her English professor.
Episode 1
48 Hours Mystery: Kidnapped
aired: Mon, Apr 2, 2012
On Oct. 6, 2002, 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck wanted to ride his bike to a friend's house - something his parents say he had done many times before. But this bike ride would end very differently than all others: when Shawn turned down a gravel road, he had no idea he was heading straight into the grip of a dangerous kidnapper - Mike Devlin. Shawn was living his days in terror. "I'm not gonna lie, there was times when it seemed like I was better off dead than living through that." Shawn was subjected to unimaginable daily physical and sexual abuse. "From day one, he had the gun, he had the power. I was powerless. There's nothing I could physically do," he explains. FBI agent Lynn Willett and her partner went to check out Mike Devlin in Kirkwood, Mo. over the disappearance of another young boy, Ben Ownby. "When I told Lynn that my name was Shawn Hornbeck, I could see the surprise in her face too and I just - my world was going in circles. I didn't know what was right, what was left, or up and down. It was a whole new feeling, you know. I was confused. I felt light-headed, it was such a rush," says Shawn, who had been waiting for this moment for four and a half years. "I felt like I didn't have that monkey on my back anymore. It was a new feeling for me to say who I really was." Mike Devlin pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 72 life terms and 170 additional years in prison for his crimes. Shawn Hornbeck returned to his family, his life and friends. Correspondent Troy Roberts reports.
