Forensic Files
Upcoming episodes
Jun 10th
1100a
The Sniper's Trail
In the fall of 2002, the eyes of the world were on Virginia and Maryland. A serial sniper was on the loose, killing innocent, unsuspecting citizens as they went about their normal activities. By the time it was over, 13 people had been shot, and 11 died. This program examines the behind-the-scenes forensic tests which led to the capture of the killers, including geographic and behavioral profiling, ballistics, crime scene animation, handwriting analysis, DNA testing and fingerprinting. Viewers will also see an exact replica of the car – the mobile bunker the alleged killers called home.
Jun 10th
1130a
Plastic Fire
Sheila Bryan was convicted of killing her own mother in a car fire, and sentenced to life in prison. She was set free after appealing to the Georgia Supreme Court, but retried a few months later. Her chances of winning seemed slim – until an expert witness advanced a different theory of how the fire started.
Jun 10th
1200p
Last Will
Seventeen-year-old Shari Faye Smith was abducted in broad daylight, in front of her own home. The kidnapper tormented her family with phone calls, leading them to believe Shari was alive – and then they received a letter he’d forced Shari to write, her “last will and testament.” This document would lead investigators to Shari’s killer, a fitting postscript to a heinous crime.
Jun 10th
1230p
Dessert Served Cold
When a Massachusetts man dropped dead of an apparent heart attack, no one thought foul play was a possibility until police looked into his girlfriend’s odd behavior in the days before his death. Controversy surrounded the case for almost a decade, which pitted competing teams of toxicologists against each other: One claimed the death was due to natural causes, and the other said it was cold-blooded murder.
Jun 11th
1100a
The Music Case
When 12-year-old Cally Jo Larson was found dead in her own home, it shattered the sense of security residents associated with Waseca, Minnesota. Despite a meticulous search of the Larson home and an exhaustive investigation, police had no suspects. Then a string of burglaries several months after the murder led police to a cache of stolen goods which included CD cases similar to those belonging to Cally Jo. That evidence would “make the case,” and bring a killer to justice.
Jun 11th
1130a
Paintball
In 1962, the people of the small town of Hanford, California lost their sense of peace when one of their own, 15‑year-old Marlene Miller, was murdered. It would take 24 years and countless retrials before forensic scientists discovered the microscopic evidence that brought the killer to justice.
Jun 11th
1200p
Sign Here
A mother of two vanished after a shopping trip, and her body was discovered a month later. Witnesses said they saw her being forced into a car by an unknown person. Police later learned that car had been rented, but the signature on the rental agreement did not match that of their prime suspect. And then a forensic handwriting expert showed investigators the signs which clearly pointed to the murderer.
Jun 11th
1230p
Shadow of a Doubt
A woman was shot to death just one day before she was to testify against a man accused of robbing her. The robber became the prime suspect, but he had a solid alibi: a time-stamped videotape of his outdoor activities on the day of the murder. Police asked a local physics professor to help them authenticate the videotape, and he enabled them to see the killer who was hiding in the shadows.
Jun 12th
1100a
Tourist Trap
In 1993, the state of Florida was known for more than swimsuits, sun, and Disney. Worldwide attention focused on a rash of robberies which targeted tourists. Some vacationers were killed in these attacks; some fought and survived, despite severe injuries. One of those injuries, a bite mark, would be the key piece of evidence used to convict a determinedly uncooperative suspect, who ran into an even more determined detective.
Jun 12th
1130a
Once Bitten
During the early morning hours of December 29, 1991, a woman was murdered in a Phoenix bar. At the crime scene, investigators found a shoe-print, several foreign hairs, and unknown fingerprints. But they believed the most incriminating piece of evidence was the bite mark found on the victim. On the strength of that evidence, a local postman was convicted of murder, but he continued to maintain his innocence. Ten years into his sentence, improved technology yielded new information about old evidence, and earned him another trial.