Friday

When a family was murdered in Arkansas, it seemed like an isolated event. But soon the crime was revealed to be part of an ever-widening circle of violence that defined a new age of domestic terrorism.

In 1995, our nation’s capital was also our nation’s murder capital. Even the police weren’t safe. While Washington, DC, law enforcement targeted criminals, the criminals targeted law enforcement, even gunning down officers on patrol.

Blood was found on the ground in front of an abandoned vehicle that police learn was driven by a college woman. The victim’s body was found in a neighborhood away from the vehicle. Tire impressions are taken, as well as other evidence. Investigators receive a tip about a man with a history of impersonating police officers. Investigators take tire samples of the man’s car, and find blood matching that of the dead woman. Dna samples from the man also match those found in the victim.

Florida v. Grant Amato. The Amatos were a close knit, middle class family with three professional sons, who enjoyed Florida Gators football games together. So it was a shock when Margaret and Chad Amato and their youngest son Cody were found dead, shot execution-style in their suburban Seminole Florida home. Suspicion quickly turned to middle son Grant, a trained nurse, who had quarrelled with his family over money he had stolen from them to pay for the attentions of a Buglarian sex model on a pay-per-view website. Grant’s high powered public defense team argued that despite the horrific bloody scene there was no blood found on their client and no forensic evidence of any kind linking him to the murders. The drama in the courtroom heightened as Grant’s sole surviving brother, Jason Amato, took the stand.

Celebs find themselves in sticky situations when fame meets misfortune.

Florida v. Russell Holbrook. The quiet community of Crestview, Florida was shaken following the vicious murder of beautiful 33 year old nurse Melissa Howard, described as a caring angel, found with her throat slashed in her own living room. Friends were immediately suspicious of Melissa’s ex-husband who had just lost a nasty custody battle over their son Taylor but he had a strong alibi. The case remained unsolved for ten years, until Florida State Agent Detective Meaghan Palumbo, newly assigned to the homicide squad, took a personal interest in the cold case. Using modern day forensics, Palumbo re-tested Melissa’s sweatshirt preserved all those years and found clues to lead them to the DNA of her ex-husband’s best friend, Russell Holbrook, and a dramatic trial as witnesses recounted the true story of Melissa’s last days.

Michigan v. Kemia Hassel. New Year’s Eve and a seemingly random murder, in the small town of Benton Harbor , on the western shore of Lake Michigan. Police body cam video captured the heartbroken cries of young Army Sergeant Kemia Hessel as she cradled her handsome, dying young husband in her arms, as he was loaded into an ambulance. But despite the happy outward appearance of the attractive young military couple, investigators soon accused Kemia of directing a murder-for-hire plot with the help of a lover she met while deployed in Korea. Her boyfriend quickly confessed and in a dramatic, videotaped jail house phone call, laid out the murder plot to the victim’s father. Kemia at first denied involvement and despite admissions in a lie detector exam, strongly defended her innocence, claiming her comments to police came from exhaustion and grief. She pointed the finger of blame at her jealous boyfriend who she said acted alone.

Wisconsin v. Prokopovitz. When Victoria Prokopovitz went missing in 2013, her three grown children were beside themselves with worry. Her husband, James Prokopovitz, seemed oddly unconcerned about his wife’s disappearance, telling police she often wandered off and had twice tried to commit suicide. Despite a massive search, Victoria was never found. But a private detective who saw news reports of the missing woman offered his help to Victoria’s eldest daughter Marsha who kept up a Facebook campaign over the years hoping for clues about her mother’s disappearance.

Florida v. Henry Segura. When Brandi Peters and her three children were found murdered in Tallahassee in 2010, prosecutors pointed the finger at her ex-boyfriend, Henry Segura, who owed her more than $20,000 in child support. But as the trial got underway, an imprisoned drug dealer came forward, saying he had ordered the murders from prison saying Peters had worked as a drug mule and helped herself to more than $90,000 worth of drugs and cash. It sounded like an outlandish claim but DNA evidence found in her bedroom came back as a possible match to a Colombian cocaine trafficker.

A quiet Tennessee couple returns home to a nightmare—burglars lurking in the shadows, a home invasion turning deadly. In a crime of chilling brutality, their peaceful life is shattered, leaving behind a family desperate for justice and a town forever changed.

The brutal rape and murder of a young woman leads Lt Joe Kenda on a late night hunt where the clues point to a dangerous rendevous. Then a stunning second murder in the same apartment building throws the investigation into turmoil. Who was the killer; the suspect or the witness?

When a family was murdered in Arkansas, it seemed like an isolated event. But soon the crime was revealed to be part of an ever-widening circle of violence that defined a new age of domestic terrorism.

In 1995, our nation’s capital was also our nation’s murder capital. Even the police weren’t safe. While Washington, DC, law enforcement targeted criminals, the criminals targeted law enforcement, even gunning down officers on patrol.

A New York attorney successfully manages to defend a female client and he underestimates the lengths that she will go to show him her gratitude.