Season 18

2004–2005

Sep 25, 2004 · 60m

An investigation into whether a screenplay about a murder written by two boys is fact or fiction. Lesley Stahl is the host.

E2. The Ghosts of El Segundo

Oct 2, 2004 · 60m

In July 1957 two young police officers on a routine traffic stop in El Segundo, Calif., a Los Angeles suburb, were gunned down and murdered by a man who the police did not know had just committed robbery and rape at a nearby lover's lane. The gunman fled, triggering one of the largest manhunts in California's history. It would take detectives and modern science close to half a century to bring this case to a startling conclusion. Correspondent Bill Lagattuta reports

E3. Dark Side of the Mesa

Oct 9, 2004 · 60m

In the high desert, on the Rockies western slope, the Mesas tower over the town of Grand Junction, Colo., protected from the outside world. But on June 4, 2002, Grand Junction saw the unearthing of a shocking secret at the local landfill. The decomposed body of 34-year-old Jennifer Blagg was found wrapped in a red and black plastic tent. Jennifer and her six-year-old daughter, Abby, had been missing for seven months. Correspondent Susan Spencer reports.

E4. Who Killed Stephanie Crowe?

Oct 16, 2004 · 60m

Fourteen-year-old Michael Crowe of Escondido, Calif. confessed to murdering his 12-year-old sister, Stephanie, in her bedroom in January 1998. But was he telling the truth or was it another man, a drifter named Richard Tuite, who stabbed Stephanie while she slept? 48 HOURS Correspondent Bill Lagattuta has been following this case since it began in 1998 and reports for 48 HOURS MYSTERY: "Who Killed Stephanie Crowe?

E5. American Taboo

Oct 23, 2004 · 60m

In late 1975, a young Peace Corps volunteer named Deb Gardner arrived in Tonga, and so began a story of adventure and love and ultimately, of murder. Correspondent Susan Spencer talked to many people who still remembered the night of Oct. 14, 1976, when Gardner was stabbed to death in her hut. Those who weren't around then have heard the stories told and retold.

E6. The Canal Street Brothel; On the Verge of a Verdict

Oct 30, 2004 · 60m

Amber Frey's father, Ron, tells CBS News that for four weeks, Scott Peterson "was the greatest thing that ever happened" in his daughter's life. Contributor Maureen Maher and correspondents Erin Moriarty and Troy Roberts report on the trial and a special mock jury that 48 Hours assembled for a 48 Hours Mystery: "On the Verge of a Verdict."

E7. Right to Kill

Nov 6, 2004 · 60m

Cherry Hammock says she had no choice but to shoot her husband, Jay. "The reason I pulled the trigger is because he was coming after me," says Hammock, who believes she would have been killed the night her husband died. But Jay's parents, Pete and Wyolene Hammock, bristle at the notion that their son had a violent and dangerous past. They insist that Jay, a skilled mechanic with a fondness for racing high-performance, high-priced motorcycles, didn't deserve to die.

E8. Vanished

Nov 13, 2004 · 60m

Maria Cruz, a successful, 35-year-old New York City financial analyst, disappeared on the afternoon of April 13, 2003. For 10 months, police were unable to find Cruz, but the trail of evidence finally pointed to a man named Dean Faiello, who posed as a doctor and is believed to have treated Cruz for a mouth infection the day she went missing. In February 2004, acting on a tip from Faiello's former lover, Greg Bach, authorities found Cruz's body stuffed in a suitcase and buried in the cement in the garage of Faiello's former home in Newark, N. J. Just one month later -- 11 months after Maria Cruz was reported missing -- Dean Faiello was under arrest for Cruz's murder in Costa Rica. In an exclusive television interview, correspondent Harold Dow talks with Faiello, who speaks out for the first time since being charged with murder. Faiello remains in a Costa Rican prison as he awaits extradition proceedings.

E9. Eye of the Beholder

Nov 20, 2004 · 60m

It happened in the summer of 2002 during a wild July 4th weekend of partying in the wealthy community of Newport Beach, Calif. When it was over, three teenage boys would be accused of rape and face the prospect of spending life in prison. The critical evidence was a videotape the defendants made themselves. Correspondent Bill Lagattuta has the first network television interviews with the three defendants -- Greg Haidl, Keith Spann and Kyle Nachreiner -- and the alleged victim, "Jane Doe".

E10. Black Dahlia Confidential

Nov 27, 2004 · 60m

48 HOURS MYSTERY has new clues in Los Angeles' most famous unsolved murder, the 57-year-old Black Dahlia case. The brutal murder of Elizabeth Short, a young, beautiful, struggling actress whose body was discovered in a vacant lot in January 1947, has baffled the Los Angeles Police Department for decades. Correspondent Erin Moriarty reports.

E11. Why Did Eric Kill

Dec 11, 2004 · 60m

In August 1993, 13-year-old Eric Smith made national headlines as a red-haired, freckle-faced killer. Smith's looks and age were so completely at odds with the horrific crime -- he was convicted of murdering four-year-old Derrick Robie -- that he nearly got away it. Until now, Smith has never explained why he killed Robie. Police investigators and veteran prosecutors found it difficult to comprehend that this child could kill another child in such a brutal way. CBS News' Dan Rather reported on this story 11 years ago and revisits it as Smith becomes eligible for parole and speaks out for the first times about the crime.

E12. JonBenet: Prime Suspects

Dec 18, 2004 · 60m

New evidence that investigators hope will lead to a break in the almost eight-year-old unsolved murder case of JonBenet Ramsey is reported by correspondent Erin Moriarty.

E13. A Shot in the Dark

Jan 8, 2005 · 60m

Dr. Richard Illes, a successful heart surgeon, and his wife, Miriam, a homemaker and mother to their young son, were a prominent couple in their small community of Williamsport, Pa. Then, on Jan. 15, 1999, Miriam, who seemingly had no enemies, was shot as she stood in front of her kitchen window - a bullet went straight through her heart. Who wanted the surgeon's wife dead? Correspondent Susan Spencer reports.

E14. Where's Our Baby

Jan 15, 2005 · 60m

Sabrina, the youngest daughter of Marlene and Steve Aisenberg, has not been seen or heard from since Nov. 24, 1997. It's been more than ten long years since the five-month-old baby seemingly vanished. "I have dreams often that she's coming home, and that we're playing, and the dreams are as vivid as they are real," says Steve. "I believe she's just a beautiful young lady, 7 years old," says Marlene. "She's not a baby anymore." They've tried to rebuild their lives, but Marlene says, "We are as happy as we can be until she comes home. … We will be an ecstatic family when we're all together like we should be." For the Aisenbergs, the ordeal began in Valrico, Fla., just outside of Tampa. On the morning of Nov. 24, 1997, at 6:30 a.m., Marlene noticed that something had gone terribly wrong.

E15. Hostage

Jan 22, 2005 · 60m

48 HOURS has obtained never-before-seen videotape shot by the terrorists who took 1,200 people hostage on Sept. 1, 2004 for three days at a school in Beslan, Russia. Roughly half of the hostages are believed to have been children. Correspondent Peter Van Sant speaks to the hostage negotiator, Ruslan Aushev, who is seen in the new video negotiating with the terrorists leader. The footage also captures the dramatic moment when the terrorists let mothers leave captivity with their babies, some of whom were forced to leave their older children behind.

E16. Michael Jackson: Critical Stage

Jan 29, 2005 · 60m

Joe Jackson, father of superstar Michael Jackson, believes racism is a motivational factor in the case against his son. 48 HOURS MYSTERY has obtained the rights to an exclusive interview with Jackson's parents, Joe and Katherine Jackson, on the eve of their son's trial. Jackson's parents weigh in on the accusations against their son. International interviewer Daphne Barak spoke with Joe and Katharine recently at their home in Las Vegas.

E17. Postmarked For Murder

Feb 12, 2005 · 60m

Texas multimillionaire Herb Vest is searching for who killed his father almost 60 years ago. Twenty-five-year-old Harold "Buddy" Vest was found hanging in his cabinet shop in June 1946 in the small town of Gainesville, Texas, and although the police ruled his death a suicide at the time, Herb always thought there was more to it. Now, he has launched his own investigation, hiring a team of experts to search for the truth. Vest receives a mysterious letter that claims that someone who was on the Gainesville police force was responsible for Buddy's death. Will Vest find his father's supposed killer? Correspondent Harold Dow reports.

E19. Rescued From the Shadows

Feb 26, 2005 · 60m

CBS News' 48 HOURS investigates the shadowy underworld of human sex slaves and rescues a young woman. Correspondent Peter Van Sant infiltrates the billion dollar business of human trafficking to reveal how easy it is in the 21st century to purchase a human being -- not for an hour, but forever -- and bring her to the United States.

E20. Secrets of the Well aka Cold Case Clay

Mar 5, 2005 · 60m

Criminal investigator Clay Bryant, also known as "Cold Case Clay," earned his nickname from the LaGrange, Ga. district attorney's office. When 48 HOURS MYSTERY caught up with Bryant, he was working on two separate and unsolved murders with some strange similarities -- both bodies had been found in wells. Correspondent Susan Spencer reports.

E21. Prime Suspects

Mar 12, 2005 · 60m

Will new witnesses convince a judge to grant a new trial to Marty Tankleff, who was convicted of murdering his parents in 1988? Now 33, Tankleff was 17 when he was accused of killing Seymour and Arlene Tankleff in their Belle Terre, Long Island home. Tankleff's relatives, who have always believed in his innocence, hope that this hearing will finally set him free. Correspondent Erin Moriarty speaks to several key witnesses and reports.

E22. A Question of Murder

Mar 26, 2005 · 60m

John Maloney, a Green Bay, Wis. police officer, was convicted of murdering his estranged wife, Sandy, in 1999, though he has always maintained his innocence. But after Maloney's conviction, the story took an unexpected turn when the prosecutor in his case, Joe Paulus, pled guilty to accepting bribes to fix more than 20 cases. This question now is, did Maloney get a fair trial, and, if not, should he get a new one? Correspondent Susan Spencer reports.

E23. Blood Feud

Apr 9, 2005 · 60m

An investigation into the 2004 Michigan murder of Bob Seaman in which his wife, Nancy, a fourth-grade teacher, is charged. Maureen Maher is the correspondent.

E24. A Prescription For Murder?

Apr 16, 2005 · 60m

Chris Pittman shoots his grandparents at a close range and sets their house on fire.

E25. Terror at the Morgue

Apr 23, 2005 · 60m

Dr. O.C. Smith, a popular medical examiner in Memphis, Tenn., was apparently attacked on June 1, 2002, as he was leaving work. He was found wrapped head-to-toe in barbed wire with a bomb strapped to his neck. Dr. Smith survived, but he lives in fear that his assailant is waiting to attack again. Who wants to harm the city's medical examiner? Correspondent Troy Roberts reports.

E26. The Man Who Knew Too Much

Apr 30, 2005 · 60m

American journalist Paul Klebnikov was shot nine times on July 9, 2004 in a contract killing as he left Forbes magazine's Moscow headquarters. Klebnikov, as editor-in-chief, wanted to expose the corruption in Russia's new economy, where the rich and powerful often operate beyond the law. As Klebnikov searched for the truth, did the secrets he uncovered cost him his life? Correspondent Susan Spencer reports.

E27. Secrets From the Grave

May 7, 2005 · 60m

Described as a gentle, caring man, Bill Flint was an electrical engineer near Houston, Texas, who spent his life cheating death: he was shot, the bullet passing through his neck; then a hit man was hired to kill him; and he even survived a serious workplace accident. So, when he suddenly became violently ill and died of an apparent heart attack on May 3, 2002, Bill Flint's friends and family couldn't help wondering, was it murder? Correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports.

E28. A Mind for Murder

May 14, 2005 · 60m

When they talk about Carmin, the oldest of their four daughters, Danny and Judy Ross are never at a loss for words. "She's bubbly, she's fun to be around. She makes the room warm. She's the sunshine," recalls Judy Ross, who even put together a list of words that come to her mind when she thinks of Carmin. "Brilliant, empathetic, thoughtful, spiritual, patient, political, loving, peaceful, delightful, silly, playful, courageous," reads Judy. "Full of life -- daughter of our youth." Looking back, Danny and Judy say their daughter's 1985 wedding to her sweetheart, Tom Murray, was one of the best days they ever had. "Both of them wrote their wedding vows," recalls Danny. "I stood there and cried through the whole thing."

E29. Two Wigs, a Gun and a Murder

May 21, 2005 · 60m

When Fred Jablin, a beloved Richmond University professor and devoted father, goes out to retrieve the morning newspaper on Oct. 30, 2004 and is gunned down in his driveway, his ex-wife, Piper Rountree, is the prime suspect. But, before investigators in Richmond, Va. can make their case, they must deal with a trail of confusing clues and an unusual relationship between Rountree and her sister, Tina Rountree. Correspondent Harold Dow reports.

E30. The Pretender

May 31, 2005 · 60m

In 2001, Finkel was a prize-winning feature writer for the New York Times. He had a gorgeous home in Bozeman, Mont., and a beautiful, intelligent girlfriend who had moved all the way from Alabama to be with him. "We felt like there was something deeper here that had to be explored," says Jill Barker, Finkel's girlfriend. "It just seemed like we should give this a chance." But Finkel's ambition had a darker side. "He had built his self-esteem around being Michael Finkel of The New York Times, and he was starting to get really intoxicated with all the attention," says Barker. "Pretty soon, I realized that I had to walk away from this relationship." His drive to outdo his competition and himself resulted in Finkel fabricating a portion of a story on child slavery in West Africa. His bosses found out and he was fired. "It was something I wish I could take back," says Finkel. "Really badly." In an instant, Finkel lost the career he'd been building his entire life. Scorned by his colleagues, Finkel retreated to Montana, awaiting the merciless media inquiries that were sure to come. The first call came sooner than expected, but the reporter wasn't interested in Finkel's fall from grace. Instead, he was calling about a murder of a family in Oregon.

E31. Perfectly Executed

Aug 6, 2005 · 60m