Add
Private Notes
How the use of forensics and technology has helped to solve baffling real-life murders. When fishermen found the body of a man off the coast of Devon, police were able to use his watch and study wave patterns to estimate a time and place of death - but it took an unlikely stroke of luck for them to solve the case and uncover multiple cases of identity theft
The real-life case that inspired TV series The Fugitive, which saw Dr Sam Sheppard jailed for the murder of his wife, only to be released less than a decade later. The brain surgeon claimed an intruder beat his wife to death, but the revelation at his first trial that he was having an affair is said to have swayed the jury against him. He was acquitted two years after release, but died at the age of only 46
The forensic work used to convict military instructor Pierre Chanal, who was accused of several murders in northern France during the 1980s. He was arrested when police caught him kidnapping a Hungarian man, but detectives were convinced he had previously killed at least eight times, prompting an intensive investigation to find evidence linking him to the crimes
How forensic evidence was used to investigate the murder of two young boys in their Texas home. Detectives first thought the crime had been a violent burglary, but on testing the crime scene arrested the children's mother, who was found guilty and sentenced to death. She has subsequently appealed, her lawyer insisting the boys' father was to blame
How forensic work helped catch the killer of Shirley Andronowich, who was raped and beaten to death in a park after leaving a bar where she had spent the night. While under questioning, her husband confessed he may have been responsible for his wife's death, but was unable to remember because he was so drunk. However, none of the evidence found tallied with his story
The 1998 investigation into casino mogul Ted Binion's death, which was initially attributed to an accidental overdose. His family were unconvinced, and hired a private detective, who uncovered evidence casting suspicion on the millionaire's younger wife Sandy Murphy, and his business partner, with whom she was having an affair. Last in series
In Georgetown, Indiana, a woman and her two children are found dead, and her former state trooper husband is arrested when inconsistencies emerge in his story. Using dramatised reconstructions, eyewitness accounts and details from the police, experts try to get to the bottom of this true story
The case of Mark Winger, who in August 1995 called police to report that he had shot dead an intruder he found was attacking his wife. Although officers closed the case the next day, the emergence of blood spatter analysis and a new witness led to the investigation being reopened
Reconstructing the death of a man at an Ohio petrol station when a motorcyclist pulled up alongside him and shot him in the head. The case revealed a web of secrets and lies connected to one of the richest families in the community. It transpired the victim had told his son to look to a wealthy man named Ed George if anything ever happened to him. Docu-drama, starring Tony Porfillo
An investigation into how detectives used forensic evidence to solve the murder of Betty Jeanne Solomon, who was found shot dead in her home in Greenburgh, New York, in 1989. The case appeared straightforward as the finger of suspicion pointed to her unfaithful husband, but further examination of the crime scene led detectives to the door of his mistress
In 1994, police in Bellevue near Seattle received a call reporting the deaths of three members of the Rafay family. The father, Tariq, was discovered to have sustained fifteen vicious blows to the head, which led detectives to conclude that his murder was commited not by professional hitmen, but by an individual with a vendetta against their vitcims
A case dating from 2001, when police in the small Welsh village of Llanfairpwll discovered the mutilated body of 90-year-old Mabel Leyshon, drained of blood and with her heart cut out. As the scraps of evidence began to come together, the authorities suspected the involvement of a seemingly well-mannered teenager with a penchant for vampire mythology
Focusing on the murder of a trainee nurse in the Canadian city of Saskatoon in 1969. The programme shows how new forensic methods threw doubt on the convicted killer's guilt
An eight-year investigation into a murder, assessing forensic evidence from the scene which appears to contradict the eyewitness testimony that led to a conviction. The evidence points to another suspect, but obtaining a DNA sample from him proves to be far more difficult than anticipated
Investigating the 1974 murder of art student Cheryl Miller, who was found lying dead in her own bedroom. While initial findings indicated the victim had died from strangulation and been sexually assaulted, the case was only solved 20 years later when the wife of the prime suspect discredited his alibi and the original forensic methods, which stipulated the assailant was sterile, were re-examined
The murder of an elderly lady in 1984, which at the time was linked to rumours relating to anti-nuclear activitsts and government officials. However, the emergence of new evidence suggested the crime was committed by a 16-year-old during a bungled attempt at robbery. Last in series
An anti-crime activist is murdered in his own home.
A New Jersey rabbi returns home to find his 52-year-old wife dead on the living room floor. Who committed the crime?
When a woman disappears from Portland, Maine's bar district in 2001, her mother suspects foul play and launches a missing person poster campaign.
Investigation into the brutal rape and murder of university student Sarah Whitehead in 1997.
