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Private Notes
An examination of four modern hoaxes, including the quiz-show scandals of the late 1950s, Clifford Irving's fraudulent biography of Howard Hughes, the so-called "Mormon murders" of 1985 that centered on forgeries of rare documents. Also: the Tawana Brawley case, in which an African American teen alleged that she was raped by whites.
Examining law-enforcement efforts to eliminate organized crime. This expanded edition traces the rise of New York's Gambino family, whose members included Carlo Gambino and John Gotti; Thomas Dewey's successful prosecution of Charles “Lucky” Luciano; and Attorney General Robert Kennedy's investigations into the activities of Carlos Marcello.
"Do celebrities get equal justice?" asks Bill Kurtis in a report that looks at criminal cases involving well-known personalities. Included: the 1983 trial of director John Landis for the deaths of three actors (including Vic Morrow) on the set of "Twilight Zone: The Movie."
Reviewing the cases of spies. Included: CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames; Jonathan Pollard, who spied for Israel; and John Walker, who sold secrets to the Soviets for 17 years before his arrest in 1985.
Profiling lawyers who have defended those allegedly involved in organized crime. Included: Jimmy Hoffa's former lawyer, Frank Ragano. Also: a segment on mob-style justice, and an interview with John Gotti's defense attorney, Bruce Cutler.
Profiles of participants in the Federal Witness Protection Program include a one-time "gangster in training" in New York's Gambino mob family who testified against his uncle. Also: the case of mobster Salvatore ("Sammy the Bull") Gravano, who "flipped" on John Gotti and whose testimony was insturmental in Gotti's conviction.
Examining kidnapping cases, including the 1984 abduction of Olympic hopeful Kari Swenson by two mountain men; the 1992 kidnapping and murder of Exxon executive Sidney Reso; and the disappearance of a New Yorker's two children at the hands of his ex-wife.
Revealing the pros and cons of being “married” to the mob. Included: interviews with Arlyne Weiss Brickman, and Beatrice Sedway, who says, according to host Bill Kurtis, “women don't use the mob, it uses them.”
A review of cameras in courtrooms, from the 1925 Scopes "monkey" trial through the O.J. Simpson case. Also included: 1935's Lindbergh kidnapping trial; the William Kennedy Smith date-rape trial; and Theodore Bundy's 1979 Florida murder trial. Interviewed: Court TV founder Steven Brill; Constitutional expert Floyd Abrams.
Examining cases in which pathologists have unraveled murder mysteries. A pathologist “is the dead's advocate,” says King County (Wash.) medical examiner Donald Reay, who was instrumental in winning a conviction in a serial-killer case.
Case studies of people who were murdered by contract killers include a New York journalist whose death was ordered by Colombian drug barons in 1992. Also: a history of organized crime's “Murder, Inc.” in the 1930s.
An examination of allegations of cruel and unusual punishment in the U.S., including a case in which an Alcatraz inmate charged that, in 1941, his harsh treatment at the prison drove him mad; and another involving an Illinois prisoner who claimed that guards broke his back during a 1988 beating.
Military cases are examined. Included: the trials of Eddie Slovik, the only U.S. soldier executed for desertion during WWII; Vietnam POW Robert Garwood, convicted of collaborating with the enemy; and Clayton Lonetree, a Marine guard found guilty of espionage in 1987.
Prominent stalking cases are explored, including John Lennon's murder by Mark David Chapman; actress Theresa Saldana's near-fatal encounter with a stalker; and Illinois housewife Dawn Wilson's assault by her ex-husband.
Probing the world of covert investigation in "Undercover: The Infiltrators." Included: a case of suspected fraud; a DEA sting operation; and allegations of court corruption.
Four women convicted of abducting infants are profiled, along with a couple involved in a baby-selling scheme. Those interviewed include one of the women, police officials and prosecutors.
The contributions and excesses of jailhouse inmates who become legal experts are examined. Interviewed: Jerry Rosenberg, the “dean of jailhouse lawyers”; and Colorado prisoner Richard Demarest, who took a case to the Supreme Court from his cell---and won.
A study of assassins probes the cases of Sirhan Sirhan, who killed Sen. Robert Kennedy in 1968; Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, who attempted to shoot President Ford in 1975; and James Earl Ray, who claims he's innocent of the 1968 murder of Martin Luther King Jr. Included: comments from prosecutors, defense attorneys and political scientists.
The legacy of the Los Angeles Police Department is examined in a review of some of its biggest cases since the 1950s---including the O.J. Simpson case. Interviewed: police chief Willie Williams and former chief Daryl Gates.
An examination of notorious U.S. bombing incidents, including the case of Michael Stevens, who sent six bombs to members of the same family in 1993. Also: George Metesky, New York City's "Mad Bomber" of the 1940s and 50s and Robert Chambliss, convicted of an Alabama church bombing in 1963.
An examination of incidents in which suspects or citizens have allegedly been killed by police, FBI or other government enforcers in the line of duty. Included: cases in Philadelphia, New York and Idaho.
The O.J. Simpson murder trial is examined, including its impact on the legal system, the motivation for the jury's verdict; the effect the case had on society; and the lingering question of who killed Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
