American Justice

A string of murders targeting prominent law officials leaves a small Texas town gripped in fear and investigators in a race against time to stop the killer before he strikes

Model and mother Samira Frasch loved the spotlight, but when her glamorous life ends unexpectedly in her mansion pool, investigators turn their eyes toward the web of heated relationships surrounding her family.

When a hostile online feud turns deadly, detectives hunt for a mysterious CIA operative leading to the discovery of a jaw-dropping and vengeful catfishing scheme.

In a murder case that makes headlines around the globe, a professional football player stands accused of killing his friend in cold blood.

In 2012, 37-year-old single mother Cari Farver mysteriously vanishes into thin air; by the time police piece together the shocking, twisted truth behind her disappearance, one woman is dead and another woman stands accused of her murder.

When 18-year-old Conrad Roy is found asphyxiated in his pickup truck, his death is quickly ruled a suicide; as detectives retrace Conrad's final moments, texts left on his cell phone reveal a toxic romance between him and Michelle Carter.

In February 2014, Houston police receive a tip from a conscientious bail bondsman that a murder-for-hire plot is in the works and a woman's life may be in danger.

On October 20, 2014, white Chicago PD Officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shoots 17-year-old African American Laquan McDonald in an act that he and the Chicago PD called self-defense.

Beloved 60-year-old chiropractor Mary Yoder falls violently ill and is rushed to the hospital; two days later, she dies, leaving her family and friends in a state of stunned disbelief; Mary's autopsy report reveals she didn't die of natural causes.

When 19-year-old aspiring artist Sarah Stern goes missing just weeks before Christmas 2016, investigators initially suspect she may have committed suicide or run away from

A shooting victim's husband takes out an extraordinary amount of life insurance on her before the incident.

An electrician is convicted of bludgeoning an investment banker to death.

A man recants his partial confession to the murder of his parents.

An Ohio man is convicted of murder after his girlfriend, a former cheerleader, disappears.

Crusading attorney Juliet Yackel tries to save her client, Darnell Williams, from execution.

A deputy sheriff's dispute with a Texas woman ends in her death.

The story of Michigan lawyer Michael Fletcher, who was charged with murdering his pregnant wife, Leann, so he could carry on an affair with a high-ranking judge. The highly publicized trial, with its tales of sex, guns, and politics involving the very people who uphold American Justice, shocked the public right down to the verdict.

Jeff Zack is shot dead at a gas station in broad daylight, execution style. There are no fingerprints, no weapon, and no witnesses that could even come close to identifying the assailant. When police begin to dig into the victim's background, they find a long laundry list of enemies and criminal behavior, including involvement in a teen prostitution ring.

The case of Susan Smith who murdered her two young boys is examined. In 1994 the 23 year old mother from South Carolina claimed that she had been the victim of a carjacking and the perpetrator had taken off with her two young boys still in the car. It is later discovered that there was no carjacking and that she had in fact rolled her car into a lake while her children were still strapped in the car.

Linda Sobek, a pretty, vivacious Los Angeles model turns up missing after a photo shoot; the police investigation leads to photographer Charles Rathbun, who, after much back-and-forth, says he killed her by accident.

A look at the shocking case of 15-year-old Valessa Robinson, who was accused of killing her mother Vicki after she objected to Valessa's wild lifestyle of drugs and sex. We examine the relationship between the mother and daughter to determine how and why a young girl could take part in her own mother's brutal death.

In November 1995, close friends Halima Jones and Ruby Joyner went out shopping together in Peachtree City, Georgia, but never came home. An all-out manhunt was launched, and four days later, an abandoned mini-van was found in the long-term parking lot at Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport, with the dead bodies of Halima and Ruby inside.

Lionel Tate was a 170-pound, 12-year-old boy who played rough one day with his friend, 48-pound, 6-year-old Tiffany Eunick. When Tiffany died from injuries, Lionel claimed that he only used wrestling holds that he'd seen on TV. But prosecutors charged Lionel with first-degree murder. Would the jury believe that Tiffany died of innocent child's play--or would they put Lionel behind bars? Interviewees include defense attorney James Lewis, who used the controversial "wrestling defense" strategy

Men serving time for the rape and murder of a young woman in Hawaii maintain their innocence.

A teacher is accused of recruiting teens to kill her husband.

In 1990, Stacey Lannert shot and killed her unconscious father as he lay drunk. She claims she snapped after years of sexual abuse. Does she belong in jail?

When police arrested Erika and Benjamin Sifrit for hustling, they found guns, knives and the ID of a missing couple. Both claimed the other was a brutal killer.

Scot Kenny Richey was jailed in America for murder. Despite evidence of his innocence all appeals have been denied and his execution date is just months away.

Did Brian Eftenoff force wife Judi to overdose on cocaine? Or was she simply a drug addict who took one gamble too many? The evidence is examined.

The shocking story of how two young boys were led to kill their father, and the unique way that the State of Florida delivered justice in the case.

Phoenix police suspect three men in the robbery of an armoured van.

A look at the sensational case of Diane Whipple, who was mauled to death by her neighbors' dog. When the judge threw out the 2nd-degree murder conviction of one of the dogs' owners, questions were raised about how fair American justice can be when a case receives intense media coverage.

An ex-boyfriend kills a bride on her wedding day.

A confession can harm a defendant's case in the justice system.

The small town of Waurika, Okla. is rocked by the sexual assault and murder of a 16 year old girl at the hands of three of her acquaintances. American Justice examines the case with interviews from her mother and one of the accused.

A defense attorney persuades an appeals court to issue a highly unusual ruling in the trial of a doctor convicted of killing elderly patients.

A national advocate of health-care reform is accused of trying to keep her child deathly

An Ohio teenager turns up in the trunk of her car six days after being reported missing.

Tim Boczkowski is accused of murdering his first wife in a bathtub and his second wife in a hot tub. Included in this episode are interviews with Tim's children Randy, Sandy, and Todd.

The controversial case of William Heirens, the "Lipstick Killer" convicted of murdering two women and a 6-year-old girl in Chicago in the late 1940s. He's been jailed ever since, but insists that he's innocent. We'll explore the troubling case, from the near-hysteria of the media coverage to the inconsistencies in the physical evidence used to wring a confession from Heirens.

A surprise witness helps to crack open a mysterious hit-and-run murder case.

An 8 year old boy was brutally killed in order to hide his testimony for witnessing murder.

Examining the case of Michael Pardue, convicted of 3 murders in 1973 Alabama.

Ronald Cotton was freed after 11 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, thanks to DNA evidence that cleared his name, and he later became friends with the victim.

A killer goes on a murder spree while in the witness-protection program.

While in the government witness protection program in 1981, Marion "Mad Dog" Pruett goes on a crime spree across several states. AKA Sonny Pearson while in the witness protection program he committed a series of robberies and at least five murders that included his wife Pamela Sue Barker. American Justice looks this case and examines how many blamed the government for allowing this to happen while on their watch.

Charles Ng and Leonard Lake, responsible for a series of crimes, lived on a property where police found mutilated corpses.

The notorious case of Kenneth McDuff, the most infamous sexual predator in Texas history, who was sent to death row for three murders, released because of prison overcrowding, and then raped and killed two more women.

High-profile lawyer Fred Tokars allegedly hired a gunman to murder his wife so he could collect $2 million in insurance money.

A female detective, working undercover, gathers the evidence needed to convict a man who killed a neighbor by putting poison in her Coca-Cola.

A Texas millionaire is believed to have murdered two people and hired a hit man to kill the judge in his divorce

After serving time for several murder attempts, a woman is free on parole.

The young British nanny cared for Matthew Eappen, who died aged eight months. The case gripped the world and she was convicted of manslaughter.

The life of Teena Brandon, a drifter who lived as a man, is the basis for the movie "Boys Don't Cry."

A mother seeks to uncover the truth behind her son's strange disappearance and his involvement in criminal activities.

How the double-jeopardy law prevented confessed killer Melvin Ignatow from serving time in the death of his fiance.

Relatives sue after a husband hires a hit man to kill his wife, quadriplegic son and the boy's

It is the attorney's job to create a defense strategy for their client; it is the judge's place to decide whether or not it is a worthy argument. Over the years, some truly unusual defenses have been put forth by innovative lawyers; some have carried the day. Alan Dershowitz, famed trial attorney and author of Abuse Excuses, leads us through three cases that illustrate the bizarre extremes and potential traps of STRANGE DEFENSES.

David Graham and Diane Zamora were two teenagers who were intensely devoted to each other during high school and had both joined the U.S Naval Academy in Annapolis. While at the academy, Diane confides in roommates that her and David had murdered Adrianne Jones while they were in high school in Mansfield, TX.

Former high-school wrestling star Alex Kelly spends eight years as a fugitive in Europe, charged with the rape of two teenage girls in 1986.

An examination into the recent outbursts of violence in schools with a focus on the 1998 shooting spree in Jonesboro, Ark.

Barbara Stager is convicted of murdering her second husband after being acquitted of killing her first.

Hospital worker Robert Diaz is convicted of killing 12 patients by giving them an overdose of a common heart-regulating drug.

The story of the former Delaware prosecutor who was sentenced to death for the murder of his ex-lover.

The marriage of David Davis and Shannon Mohr comes to an abrupt end when Shannon is killed in what was believed to have been a horseback-riding accident.

A bludgeoning kills a Connecticut girl; suspects include Kennedy nephews.

Elisabeth Anne "Betty" Broderick (born November 7, 1947) is an American former suburban housewife convicted of the November 5, 1989 murders of her ex-husband, Daniel T. Broderick III, and his second wife, Linda (Kolkena) Broderick.

The impeachment process.

DNA evidence finally proves the innocence of Gary Dotson, a man sentenced to prison for the rape of a woman who admitted she had falsely accused him.

The mysterious case of Claus von Bulow, accused and acquitted twice of the attempted murder of his

The scandalous story of school headmistress Jean Harris, accused of murdering her lover, Dr. Herman Tarnower, author of "The Scarsdale Diet.".

Interviews help profile Vito Genovese, whose crime family became one of the most ruthless and powerful in America

In 1963 a gang nets over one million pounds in a British train robbery.

Immigration and organized crime; Meyer Lansky; Bugsy Siegel; Moe Dalitz; Dutch Schultz.

"Dopey Benny" Fein; Abe "Kid Twist" Reles; Dutch Schultz; Meyer Lansky; Bugsy Siegel.

After 10 years, the murder convictions of Rolando Cruz and Alex Hernandez are overturned.

Profiling as a valued tool in criminal investigation.

Serial killer Richard Ramirez surprises his victims in their homes.

British manhunt results in the 1966 capture of John Duddy, John Witney and Harry Roberts.

Teenage Amy Fisher shoots the wife of her lover Joey Buttafuoco.

Five cases where eyewitness identification played a vital role illustrate its fallibility.

The DEA uses informants and undercover agents in a war against drugs.

Chronicling the case of the Yorkshire Ripper, a serial killer who preyed upon young women (some of them prostitutes) in the 1970s. A manhunt led to the arrest of Peter Sutcliffe, who was convicted of 13 murders in 1981.

Englishman Neville Heath was hanged for murder.

How society ultimately copes with the prospect of executing a woman.

The controversial story of the 1918 murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family

Theories abound concerning President Kennedy's death.

The case of Polly Klaas highlights an examination of repeat offenders who are set loose upon society.

A woman is kidnapped and murdered after inheriting a fortune.

The cruel story of mistaken identity in the Muriel McKay kidnapping case.

Clever criminal who spent the last 12 years of his crusading against execution.

The twisted career and mysterious disappearance of the union boss.

Profiling the lives of men and women who choose to work as homicide detectives.

After James Hanratty is hanged for a murder, a man confesses to the crime.

Confessions play a part in three unique criminal cases; coercion; admissibility.

The murders of six prostitutes end with a man's suicide.

Three juries consider the murder cases against Erik and Lyle Menendez.

Richard Ramirez rapes, mutilates and tortures more than 25 California victims.

Recalling the Bamber family murder case, considered by some to be almost the perfect crime.

Interviews with Nicholas "The Crow" Caramandi, former hit men and other experts highlight an examination of the mob hit man. Host: Bill Kurtis.

A British serial killer lures young men to his apartment and dismembers them.

In the 1950s, England reels over the case of serial killer John Christie.

Strict departmental policies govern high-speed police chases.

Technology creates police weapons designed to stun rather than kill.

John Wayne Gacy's lawyers discuss the man, the crimes and the case now that his execution has lifted the constraints of their attorney-client privilege.

Schoolteacher Pamela Smart enlists a student to kill her husband.

Bail bondsmen hire bounty hunters to capture fugitives.

In 1993 Colin Ferguson methodically shoots passengers aboard a Long Island Railroad commuter

How Bugsy Siegel and others built a glittering gambling mecca from barren desert; includes an interview with former casino manager Frank Rosenthal.

The cases of the Freeman brothers and Jeffrey Howarth highlight an examination of murder in the family.

Dr. Sam Sheppard is convicted of murder in 1954 and retried in the '60s.

Chicago crime bosses; Al Capone; Anthony "Joe Batters" Accardo; Sam Giancana; Gus Alex.

Notorious recent cases provide the focus for an examination of cop killings and what can be done to protect those in uniform.

Profiles of three assassins: Sirhan Sirhan; James Earl Ray; Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme.

Prison inmates become legal experts.

Infant abduction: kidnapper profiles; baby-selling.

Stings: escort service; money laundering; judicial corruption; art forgery.