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Hosted by Bill Kurtis, American Justice looks at groundbreaking criminal cases, presenting viewers with an inside look at the case through the eyes of those directly involved, ranging from law enforcement officers to the victims.
1992
The 1978 mass suicide of followers of Rev. Jim Jones, a cult leader who founded Jonestown in Guyana for the work of his People's Temple. Also: the murder of Rep. Leo J. Ryan, who was investigating allegations made by temple members.
The police investigation of "The Boston Strangler," who murdered 13 women from 1962 to 1964. Included: techniques such as psychic consultation and hypnosis.
Profiling Jack Murphy, a.k.a. "Murph the Surf," who was convicted of stealing the Star of India sapphire and other precious gems from New York's American Museum of Natural History in 1964.
Profiling the case of two American serial killers who terrorized Los Angeles between October 1977 and February 1978, with their nicknames originating from the fact that many of the victims' bodies were discovered on the sides of the Hollywood Hills.
Profiling the case of Ted Bundy, who was executed in 1989 for several murders and who was suspected of killing 25 women in six states.
Profiling the case of John Wayne Gacy Jr., who was convicted in 1980 of murdering 33 young men and boys and who was executed by the state of Illinois in 1994.
1993
Examining the case in which a man's wife and children were brutally murdered, he claimed, by drug-crazed hippies.
Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi official captured by Israeli agents in 1960 and taken to Israel to be tried for war crimes.
Organized crime during the Prohibition era, including profiles of Al Capone, Bugs Moran and Lucky Luciano. Brooklyn DA Charles J. Hynes joins host Bill Kurtis.
The case of Jean Harris, the former headmistress convicted of murdering her lover, Dr. Herman Tarnower, in 1980.
Recalling a hoax in the 1970s involving an alleged authorized biography of Howard Hughes by Clifford Irving.
Charles Starkweather, executed in 1959 for committing 11 murders.
The case of Richard Speck, who was convicted of the 1966 murders of eight nurses and student nurses in Chicago.
Wayne Williams, convicted of two of the Atlanta child murders that terrorized the city between 1979 and 1981.
Examining the battles waged against gangland families by the Gambino organized-crime family, led by "Boss of Bosses" Paul Castellano, until his 1985 assassination that was masterminded by John Gotti.
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, whose string of robberies and killings made them two of the most notorious criminals of the 1930s.
Profiling crime during Prohibition. Examining Assistant Attorney General Mabel Walker Willebrandt's efforts to curtail bootlegging; battles between ethnic gangs.
Examining the birth of the American mafia from its origins in Sicily to mob activity during Prohibition. Included: the roles of Al Capone and Charles "Lucky" Luciano; rivalry among Italian, Irish and Jewish gangs.
Examining efforts by President Kennedy and his brother Robert to curtail mob activity; the possible link between JFK's assassination and organized crime.
Profiling "gangbusters" such as Harry Anslinger, first commissioner of the Bureau of Narcotics; and Thomas E. Dewey, who successfully prosecuted Charles "Lucky" Luciano on charges of running a prostitution ring.
Examining mob activity during World War II; the murder of Benjamin Siegel; nightclubs, casinos and racetracks linked to organized crime.
A three-part history of mob activity in Philadelphia. [Part 1 of 3] shows how Nicodemo Scarfo gained power by supplying concrete to the growing casino industry in Atlantic City.
Part 2 of a three-part history of mob activity in Philadelphia. [Part 2 of 3] concerns local and Federal government investigations of Nicodemo Scarfo, which led to his imprisonment. Included: Scarfo's operations —from Philadelphia to Florida.
Part 3 of a three-part history of mob activity in Philadelphia. [Part 3 of 3] examines connections between the Sicilian Mafia and the U.S., and the influence of the incarcerated Nicodemo Scarfo on crime in Philadelphia.
Examining highly publicized rape cases, including the 1992 conviction of Mike Tyson for the rape of a beauty-pageant contestant; and the 1983 gang-rape case in New Bedford, Mass., that inspired the 1988 movie "The Accused."
A graphic account of the crimes of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer who became, his attorney Gerald Boyle says, "the embodiment of evil." Included: footage from Dahmer's trial; comments from experts on serial murder.
Back to the 1950's and an era of the "Red Scare" to examine the evidence against Julius and Ethel Rosenberg that led to their conviction of espionage and ultimately both of their executions in 1953.
Examining two arson cases: the 1990 blaze at the Happy Land club in the Bronx, which claimed 87 lives; and the 1944 Hartford Circus fire, in which 168 people were killed. Included: retired firefighter Rick Davey, who investigated the Hartford fire.
A history of Alcatraz recalls some of the prison's most spectacular breakout attempts, including one that inspired the film "Escape from Alcatraz." Included: the maximum-security prison at Marion, Ill.
Racially motivated crimes in the U.S., such as the murders of three civil-rights workers in Mississippi, and the 1988 beating death of an Ethiopian student in Oregon. Included: comments from attorney Morris Dees.
Cases of vigilantism in the U.S., including the 1984 Bernhard Goetz subway shooting in New York City; the 1984 murder of an alleged child molester; and the 1987 torching of a Detroit crack house.
From the mid to late 70's and throughout the 80's America's war on crime takes a toll on the Mafia. American Justice takes a look at some mob figures and leaders during those years and some of the events that led to their downfall, death, or incarceration.
Crime summit at Apalachin; Castellano seizes Gambino's power.
1994
Charles Whitman kills his mother and wife, then fires from a University of Texas tower.
Prominent cases show how police deal with hostage situations.
Profiles of people who have been falsely accused and imprisoned.
In 1950 the Brinks robbery nets $2.8
How the American legal system deals with fugitives, focusing on John List, a killer who eluded the FBI for more than a decade.
Capital punishment; Caryl Chessman; Gary Gilmore; Sister Helen Prejean ministers to death-row inmates.
Youthful offenders; teens shoot British tourist.
Joseph Valachi and Peter Maas are featured in this look at mobsters who turn against fellow criminals and help law enforcement agencies convict them.
Nuremberg, My Lai and other war-crime trials.
Cases of psychological manipulation.
Increasing violence in society; battered women.
Violence and behavior codes in America's prisons.
John Hinckley Jr.; Daniel Sickles kills Francis Scott Key's son; the McNaughton rule; Kimberly Martin.
Frank Serpico and Robert Leuci uncover corruption in the New York Police Department.
The Supreme Court broadly defines free speech; Nazis march in Skokie, Ill.
Con artists who use religion for gain.
In one of the most daring robberies in history, the 1950 Brink's robbery netted thieves more than $2.7 million.
Media pressure, fear and prejudice may affect jury decisions.
How the authorities may have misjudged David Koresh and the situation at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas.
The Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas case brings sexual-harassment issues under scrutiny.
New York gang moves into Boston; Iowa street gang is implicated in a murder.
Prison uprisings; 1971 Attica riot; New Mexico State Penitentiary.
Private investigators are the cowboys of law enforcement.
Profiling the lives of street-corner hookers and high-class Hollywood call girls and examining how they are brought to justice.
Sting operations; Marion Barry; John DeLorean.
Events leading up to Chicago's 1968 anti-war riots; the "conspiracy to commit riot" trials.
An examination of the evolution of divorce in the United States.
1997
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.
The DEA uses informants and undercover agents in a war against drugs.
Five cases where eyewitness identification played a vital role illustrate its fallibility.
Teenage Amy Fisher shoots the wife of her lover Joey Buttafuoco.
British manhunt results in the 1966 capture of John Duddy, John Witney and Harry Roberts.
Serial killer Richard Ramirez surprises his victims in their homes.
Profiling as a valued tool in criminal investigation.
After 10 years, the murder convictions of Rolando Cruz and Alex Hernandez are overturned.
"Dopey Benny" Fein; Abe "Kid Twist" Reles; Dutch Schultz; Meyer Lansky; Bugsy Siegel.
Immigration and organized crime; Meyer Lansky; Bugsy Siegel; Moe Dalitz; Dutch Schultz.
In 1963 a gang nets over one million pounds in a British train robbery.
Interviews help profile Vito Genovese, whose crime family became one of the most ruthless and powerful in America
The scandalous story of school headmistress Jean Harris, accused of murdering her lover, Dr. Herman Tarnower, author of "The Scarsdale Diet.".
The mysterious case of Claus von Bulow, accused and acquitted twice of the attempted murder of his
An account of how FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone, a.k.a. Donnie Brasco, infiltrated the New York mob in the late 1970s. The undercover operation became the subject of a 1997 feature film starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino. Pistone discusses the operation, various mobsters and the strain on his family.
The story of Pamela Smart, convicted of having her teenage lover kill her husband, explores the darker side of passion.
Story of the Old West's most murderous villains, including the James Younger gang, the first real bank robbers in America; the Dalton Brothers; and, Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch.
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.
The story of the former Delaware prosecutor who was sentenced to death for the murder of his ex-lover.
Hospital worker Robert Diaz is convicted of killing 12 patients by giving them an overdose of a common heart-regulating drug.
Barbara Stager is convicted of murdering her second husband after being acquitted of killing her first.
An examination into the recent outbursts of violence in schools with a focus on the 1998 shooting spree in Jonesboro, Ark.
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.
Murderers claim their victim was killed because he was a ruthless bully.
1995
Quiz-show scandals of the '50s; Clifford Irving's "biography" of Howard Hughes; Tawana Brawley.
The abductions of biathlete Kari Swenson and Exxon executive Sidney Reso are used to explore how law enforcement agencies respond to kidnappings.
The FBI adapts methods to catch racketeers; "most-wanted" list; wiretapping.
Celebrity and equal justice; director John Landis; James Brown; Zsa Zsa Gabor; Christian Brando..
Espionage and national security; Walker family spy ring; Jonathan Pollard and Israel; double agents.
Frank Ragano defends Santo Trafficante, Jimmy Hoffa; Bruce Cutler defends John Gotti.
Witnesses gain new identities in return for testimony.
Convicted murderer Genene Jones is one of a breed of medical professional who harm rather than heal their patients.
Women and organized crime; Virginia Hill and Bugsy Siegel; Arlyne Weiss Brickman; Marianne DelGiorno; Antoinette Giancana.
Publicity and high-profile cases; Scopes trial; Lindbergh case
Medical examiners and forensics experts solve difficult
A businessman has his partner killed; a millionaire has his wife murdered.
Although specifically prohibited by the United States Constitution, instances of cruel and unusual punishment still occur.
Courts-martial of Eddie Slovik, Bobby Garwood and Clayton Lonetree.
The cases of John Lennon, Theresa Saldana and others illustrate the seriousness of stalking, which was not recognized as a crime until
Stings: escort service; money laundering; judicial corruption; art forgery.
Infant abduction: kidnapper profiles; baby-selling.
Prison inmates become legal experts.
Profiles of three assassins: Sirhan Sirhan; James Earl Ray; Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme.
Profile of the Los Angeles Police Department from the 1950s to the present.
Bombs: Unabomber; George Matesky, New York's Mad Bomber; World Trade Center.
A review of controversial cases raises questions about citizens or suspects dying at the hands of law enforcement officials.
A play-by-play chronicle and legal dissection of the O.J. Simpson case and its impact on the judicial system.
1996
Notorious recent cases provide the focus for an examination of cop killings and what can be done to protect those in uniform.
Chicago crime bosses; Al Capone; Anthony "Joe Batters" Accardo; Sam Giancana; Gus Alex.
Dr. Sam Sheppard is convicted of murder in 1954 and retried in the '60s.
The cases of the Freeman brothers and Jeffrey Howarth highlight an examination of murder in the family.
How Bugsy Siegel and others built a glittering gambling mecca from barren desert; includes an interview with former casino manager Frank Rosenthal.
In 1993 Colin Ferguson methodically shoots passengers aboard a Long Island Railroad commuter
Bail bondsmen hire bounty hunters to capture fugitives.
Schoolteacher Pamela Smart enlists a student to kill her husband.
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.
Technology creates police weapons designed to stun rather than kill.
Strict departmental policies govern high-speed police chases.
In the 1950s, England reels over the case of serial killer John Christie.
A British serial killer lures young men to his apartment and dismembers them.
Interviews with Nicholas "The Crow" Caramandi, former hit men and other experts highlight an examination of the mob hit man. Host: Bill Kurtis.
Recalling the Bamber family murder case, considered by some to be almost the perfect crime.
Richard Ramirez rapes, mutilates and tortures more than 25 California victims.
Three juries consider the murder cases against Erik and Lyle Menendez.
The murders of six prostitutes end with a man's suicide.
Confessions play a part in three unique criminal cases; coercion; admissibility.
After James Hanratty is hanged for a murder, a man confesses to the crime.
Profiling the lives of men and women who choose to work as homicide detectives.
The twisted career and mysterious disappearance of the union boss.
Clever criminal who spent the last 12 years of his crusading against execution.
The cruel story of mistaken identity in the Muriel McKay kidnapping case.
A woman is kidnapped and murdered after inheriting a fortune.
The case of Polly Klaas highlights an examination of repeat offenders who are set loose upon society.
Theories abound concerning President Kennedy's death.
The controversial story of the 1918 murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family
How society ultimately copes with the prospect of executing a woman.
Englishman Neville Heath was hanged for murder.
The United States is the only country to provide free legal counsel for poor defendants.
An examination of the Gambino crime family and its bloody 30-year war with the other gangland families of New York.
In the Depression-torn dust bowl of the 1930s, a new kind of desperado is born. Pretty Boy Floyd, John Dillinger, and Bonnie & Clyde become as well-known and admired as movie stars.
For bigger payoffs, criminals turn from bank robbery to kidnapping.
A killer goes on a murder spree while in the witness-protection program.
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.
The tale of Alvin Ridley who was suspected of murder after his wife, who no one knew existed for 30 years, allegedly died in her sleep.
2003
An Ohio teenager turns up in the trunk of her car six days after being reported missing.
A national advocate of health-care reform is accused of trying to keep her child deathly
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 confession can harm a defendant's case in the justice system.
An ex-boyfriend kills a bride on her wedding day.
Phoenix police suspect three men in the robbery of an armoured van.
A surprise witness helps to crack open a mysterious hit-and-run murder case.
When the charred remains of a wealthy Las Vegas real estate developer are discovered, suspicion falls on the least likely of suspects: his sweet, gentle wife who doesn't look anything like a killer.
Two men on trial for killing an elderly man claim that he had abused his family for decades.
2000
Relatives sue after a husband hires a hit man to kill his wife, quadriplegic son and the boy's
How the double-jeopardy law prevented confessed killer Melvin Ignatow from serving time in the death of his fiance.
A mother seeks to uncover the truth behind her son's strange disappearance and his involvement in criminal activities.
The life of Teena Brandon, a drifter who lived as a man, is the basis for the movie "Boys Don't Cry."
The young British nanny cared for Matthew Eappen, who died aged eight months. The case gripped the world and she was convicted of manslaughter.
After serving time for several murder attempts, a woman is free on parole.
A Texas millionaire is believed to have murdered two people and hired a hit man to kill the judge in his divorce
High-profile lawyer Fred Tokars allegedly hired a gunman to murder his wife so he could collect $2 million in insurance money.
Charles Ng and Leonard Lake, responsible for a series of crimes, lived on a property where police found mutilated corpses.
The case against American Indian activist Leonard Peltier, who many believe was wrongly convicted in the deaths of two FBI agents.
The suspiciously convoluted events surrounding the death of a Washington state infant and the murder of a doctor's wife.
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 impeachment process.
Aileen Carol "Lee" Wuornos was an American serial killer and prostitute who murdered seven men in Florida in 1989 and 1990 by shooting them at point-blank range.
2004
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.
A deputy sheriff's dispute with a Texas woman ends in her death.
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.
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.
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?
A teacher is accused of recruiting teens to kill her husband.
Men serving time for the rape and murder of a young woman in Hawaii maintain their innocence.
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.
Several of a Colorado woman's 10 husbands die under mysterious circumstances.
A Florida woman is convicted of masterminding the killing of her philandering husband.
A Virginia woman is in and out of prison trying to prove herself innocent of killing her husband.
A probe into how the justice system uses psychics to solve tough cases.
Crusading attorney Juliet Yackel tries to save her client, Darnell Williams, from execution.
An Ohio man is convicted of murder after his girlfriend, a former cheerleader, disappears.
A man recants his partial confession to the murder of his parents.
An electrician is convicted of bludgeoning an investment banker to death.
A shooting victim's husband takes out an extraordinary amount of life insurance on her before the incident.
A man on trial for a violent crime attacks a sheriff's deputy and takes a gun, then stalks the courthouse, guns down the judge, a court reporter and another deputy, and makes his escape.
A nurse is suspected of killing babies; a doctor is charged with murder; the owner of plastic surgery centres is accused of allowing his chauffeur to perform medical duties.
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2021
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
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
In a murder case that makes headlines around the globe, a professional football player stands accused of killing his friend in cold blood.
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.
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.
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
When a woman is found brutally murdered in her workplace, a long list of suspects and a lack of DNA evidence means prosecutors must persuade a jury to send a man to prison based on circumstantial evidence alone.
After a devoted mother and her two children vanish suddenly, investigators work to expose the truth behind why they never came home.
When a brutal triple-homicide case with alleged ties to witchcraft heads to trial, questions about religious bias and the real motive-to-kill take centre stage.
When a white off-duty police officer, Amber Guyger, kills an unarmed black man, Botham Jean, in his own home in Dallas, racial tensions and calls for justice
2022
When two separate cases run cold for women who have been abducted and murdered, it takes the courage of a third unsuspecting victim, to unveil a killer hiding in plain
When an up-and-coming defense attorney is murdered in her office, her colleagues vow to seek justice and "make this
Small town detectives are frightened by what may come next after a young girl is brutally murdered in the woods; with a chance encounter and a digital trail, they must catch the child murderer at large.
When a local deputy sheriff's pregnant daughter is shot and killed in her bed, the search for answers gets personal, as investigators suspect a killer close to home.
When a loving wife and mother is found stabbed to death inside her home, a team of investigators dedicate eight years to finding her killer. Ultimately, an undercover sting operation uncovers a world of lies, betrayal, and
When a 13-year-old girl goes missing and is found murdered, virtual evidence she leaves behind leads to two shocking arrests.
When an Army Sergeant is gunned down at home on New Year's Eve, investigators are at a loss on who would harm the beloved family man, until fellow soldiers in his unit confess shocking secrets to solve his
When an Ohio man emerges from a remote forest with a bullet lodged in his arm having survived a murder attempt, investigators uncover a deadly scheme to lure men with an online job posting only to kill them for financial gain.
A relentless detective leaves no stone unturned until the entire truth behind a young woman' s brutal death is exposed and everyone responsible for taking her life is brought to justice
Bill Kurtis
Self - Host
