Chicago is gripped with terror after three bizarre and savage murders go unsolved; police officers and newspaper reporters are eager to deliver a suspect amidst the public furor.
In what became known as the crime of the century, a boy from one of Chicago's wealthiest families is kidnapped and found murdered; the ensuing investigation zeroes in on the wealthy, thrill-seeking college students, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb.
Heiress Barbara Mackle is kidnapped and buried alive in a coffin-like capsule; local police and the FBI race to Mackle's abductor before her time underground runs out.
A detective struggles to exonerate his black friend from rape allegations pinned on him by the LAPD's all-white brass; he must navigate entrenched racism, lead a stake-out and employ the magic of Hollywood to ensnare the real predator.
Four members of the Mark family are found murdered in their Cedar Falls, Iowa, home, prompting police to suspect someone close to the family; the bizarre outcome shakes the townspeople and devastates the surviving members of the Mark family.
Ten-year-old Leona O'Loughlin fails to show up at school, while her detective father Leo falls violently ill; investigators consider the chilling possibility that someone may be trying to eliminate the entire family.
The blood-soaked body of 76-year-old Franklin Bradshaw is found behind the counter of his auto-parts store, prompting detectives to dig into the strained history of his family and uncover a hotbed of deceit, manipulation and all-consuming greed.
In 1958, two love-struck, sex-crazed teenagers embark on a killing spree in Lincoln, Neb., and it will fall to one local sheriff to put the brakes on this nightmare of a joyride.
Patricia Jones' bullet-ridden body turns up in a secluded spot in Kansas City, Mo., and Detective Browning trails her killer from Missouri to Mexico, taunted by the sly smiles of his arch nemesis.
In 1963, Carol Thompson, church-going wife and devoted mother of four, is found in a bloody heap on her neighbor's doorstep; now, detectives must peel away the layers of her picture-perfect life to reveal the victim's painful secrets.
In Bronx, N.Y., 1941, tea for two ends in murder, and investigators must count on the testimony of a few brave women to bring the killer to justice.
In Los Angeles, 1922, a man is found dead, while his wife is discovered locked in a closet, and detectives soon find themselves caught up in a world of seduction and obsession where the ghosts are all too real.
In 1970, an entire family is discovered shot and drowned in their own swimming pool in Santa Cruz, Calif., and investigators must search psychedelic hippie communes to solve this Manson-style murder.
In Los Angeles, 1968, Cheryl Perveler is found bleeding to death in her sports car with a gunshot wound to the head, then investigators delve into Perveler's life and uncover an outlandish plot that defies belief.
In 1937, a pin-up model and two others are discovered brutally murdered on Easter Sunday.
In Macon, Ga., Mary Burge is found strangled in her bed, and detectives must delve into a world of hooded Klan members and Yankees in which truth is stranger than fiction.
In 1934, Eric Madison is found shot to death in a boarding house at the back of the Warner Bros. lot, and his beautiful widow, Nellie, is convicted of murder and sentenced to death.
An analysis of the 1964 rape and murder of Kitty Genovese and whether it truly exemplifies the psychological phenomenon known as "bystander effect."
When an African-American woman, Ruby McCollum, is accused of murdering a white man, Dr. C. Leroy Adams, in 1952, the case becomes a sensational news story nationwide during a time of segregation and secrets.
In 1966, bullets rain down on students and faculty at the University of Texas, but when the smoke clears there are more questions than answers about the tower shooting.
In 1965, Gretchen and Wendy Fritz disappear, and police must infiltrate a group of teenagers for whom the disturbing truth about what happened to the two sisters is an open secret.
In 1964, investigators suspect Lucille Miller of having a sinister motive for killing her husband after he dies in a fiery car crash.
In Berkeley, Calif, the police must use every tool at their disposal to solve the 1955 disappearance of 14-year-old Stephanie Bryan who vanishes without a trace.
In 1953, 6-year-old Bobby Greenlease is kidnapped and his multi-millionaire father pays the largest ransom in U.S. history at the time to get him back.
After two children are found strangled to death, police immediately suspect their parents, but it will take 12 years to unravel the truth.
Two women are brutally murdered in their apartments; the police make a tragic mistake while investigating.
Investigation into 1955 United Airlines Flight 629 which exploded in mid-air.
A series of young females are murdered.
In 1955, a shooting death occurs in the home of Ann and William Woodward after the couple returns home from a dinner party held for the Duchess of Windsor.