Facilitated through investigators' detailed accounts, Motives and Murders: Cracking the Case digs into the background of horrific crimes that have captivated communities and the headlines to determine just what kind of person is driven to commit murder.
A beautiful, young violinist is murdered at the venerable Metropolitan Opera House in Manhattan, and the story becomes an international scandal. Police interview everyone behind the scenes, and the search is on for the real "Phantom of the Opera."
2. One Stormy Night
October 8, 2013
43min
TV-14
Subtitles
English [CC]
Audio languages
English
With a thriving business and a baby on the way, a Florida couple is strangled to death in their home. Suspicions about drug smuggling and an aviation deal gone wrong lead detectives to Belize, but the real killer might be located closer to home.
3. Nightmares in Babysitting
October 15, 2013
43min
TV-14
Subtitles
English [CC]
Audio languages
English
Fourteen-year-old Karen Slattery is brutally stabbed and raped while babysitting in South Florida's upscale Delray Beach. Police follow up on dozens of tips, but the case goes cold until a nearly identical crime strikes terror in nearby Boca Raton.
4. Before He Kills Again
October 22, 2013
44min
TV-14
Subtitles
English [CC]
Audio languages
English
A woman's body is dumped alongside a road near Tampa, Florida, and within a year, the bodies of two more women are found at the side of the road. Detectives fear a serial predator is on the loose, but the search for the killer will take years.
5. An Orphan's Ordeal
October 29, 2013
43min
TV-14
Subtitles
English [CC]
Audio languages
English
In Boston, 18-year-old Amy Roman is found slaughtered in her South End apartment. Police believe the victim knew her assailant, but when the case goes cold, her determined family undertakes an investigation of their own.
6. A Secret Life
November 5, 2013
43min
TV-14
Subtitles
English [CC]
Audio languages
English
A pillar of the Haitian community in Spring Valley, New York, is gunned down in his driveway, and the suspects include the victim's terminally ill but wealthy second wife, his alleged mistress and his lover's gun-toting ex-husband.
7. No Reason to Die
November 12, 2013
43min
TV-14
Subtitles
English [CC]
Audio languages
English
When John and Nancy Bosco are shot at close range in their Bigfork, Montana, home, the search is on for a cold-blooded killer. With few clues and no suspects the case stalls, and John's mother eventually turns to an unorthodox source for help.
8. Bad Things Happen to Good
November 19, 2013
43min
TV-14
Subtitles
English [CC]
Audio languages
English
Bob Henry is gunned down in broad daylight outside the Tacoma, Washington, warehouse where he works. The execution-style murder looks like a professional hit, but to solve the crime, police need to find the murder weapon.
9. Bad for Business
December 3, 2013
42min
TV-14
Subtitles
English [CC]
Audio languages
English
Kathleen Smith is bludgeoned to death and her Tempe, Arizona, home is then set on fire. Investigators have two suspects but no hard evidence to tie either to the murder, and it will take 15 years before a jailhouse tip finally leads cops to the killer.
10. Into Thin Air
December 10, 2013
43min
TV-14
Subtitles
English [CC]
Audio languages
English
A glamorous flight attendant disappears, and the story makes headlines. An intense search reveals few clues, but a graveside discovery eventually forces police to take a second look at some already familiar faces.