Former ballerina and bikini model Ashley Benefield went on trial in July for killing her husband, Doug Benefield, and 48 HOURS was there for every moment of the gripping testimony. Now, for the first time on network television, viewers will be able to see her tell a jury at length what she says happened, in a special two-part 48 HOURS: "The Case of the Black Swan".
Former ballerina and bikini model Ashley Benefield went on trial in July for killing her husband, Doug Benefield, and 48 HOURS was there for every moment of the gripping testimony. Now, for the first time on network television, viewers will be able to see her tell a jury at length what she says happened, in a special two-part 48 HOURS: "The Case of the Black Swan,"
Correspondent Tracy Smith and 48 HOURS report on the murder of Blaze Bernstein, an Ivy League student allegedly murdered because he was gay and Jewish, and the trial of former high school classmate Sam Woodward.
Correspondent Erin Moriarty and 48 HOURS take viewers inside law enforcement's 30-year game of cat and mouse with a convicted child serial killer to get him to reveal where he left the body of a girl he murdered.
When sheriff's deputies were called to the northern Idaho home of distraught former state trooper Dan Howard, something didn't seem right. Howard told investigators he found his wife dead in their bathtub, with a gunshot wound to her head.
Sarah Harris was a bright, young Maryland woman who dreamed of a career in medicine. On the morning of Jan. 26, 2022, she was found unresponsive on the floor of the home she shared with her boyfriend, Dr. James Ryan. Ryan told police it was an overdose, but Harris' family believed he was responsible.
Police have searched for 23-year-old missing mom Jermain Charlo since she vanished in June 2018 from Missoula, Mont. Now, six years after she disappeared, 48 HOURS will feature never-before-seen images of the missing woman.
In April 2018, in the Florida Gulf Coast town of Eastpoint, a killer had struck. Aileen Seiden's beaten body was found dumped near a highway. The next day, a bloody motel room was discovered nearby. The back-to-back scenes prompted investigators to see if the two were connected.
Police were called to the Minnesota apartment of 32-year-old nurse Alex Pennig in December 2022. Her friend, Matthew Ecker, told first responders that Pennig had shot herself in the head. Officers arrived to find Pennig lying on her back in the bathroom. However, officers noted unusual findings, including the position Alex was found in. The gun was found with her left hand on it, but Alex was right-handed. So, was it a tragic, self-inflicted act, or something more sinister?
The 2021 incident in Farmersville, Ill., began like any other date night. Smith and Reeves met online and decided to go on their first date the night before Thanksgiving. But their evening together ended in horror, when an intruder entered Smith's home sometime after 1:00 AM. Reeves was shot and killed, while Smith, who was shot in the head, barely survived.
48 HOURS delves into the gripping case that haunted the Beaumont, Texas, police department for over 25 years.In 1995, Edwards was found murdered in her home – an act that sent shockwaves through the community. The crime scene was harrowing. Texas Ranger Brandon Bess called it "unusual," describing how they found her over the bathtub and handcuffed behind her back.The investigation went cold for years, leaving friends and family without answers. However, recent advances in forensic science and tireless work by investigators revealed a startling twist: Edwards had been a bridesmaid at the killer's wedding.
Burkett was in the middle of a bitter custody dispute with Andrew Beard, the father of her 1-year-old daughter. On the day of the murder, Burkett's mother, Teresa Collard, is heard on police body cam video recalling something Burkett said about Beard, "… She even said, ‘I think he's the kind of person that's gonna try to kill me,' and he did. And he did. Oh my God." The all-new episode explores how the investigation quickly zeroed in on Beard. Carrollton Police detective Jeremy Chevallier recalls that the case took a clear direction from the start. "Within an hour of getting to the crime scene, we knew that we had needed to look for Andrew Beard," he says. But as it turned out, Beard was only the beginning of this complex story. Over the course of the investigation, detectives uncovered a twisted plot involving Beard's new fiancée, Holly Elkins. Police came to conclude she was the mastermind.
On Thanksgiving Eve in 2020, a horrifying scene unfolded in Mt. Morris, Ill. The home of 27-year-old Melissa Lamesch was engulfed in flames. Inside, firefighters discovered Lamesch's lifeless body on the kitchen floor. Initially, it was not clear if the fire killed her, and the investigation would uncover secrets.
A woman was attacked in her home by a masked intruder disguising his voice to sound like Batman. Her ex-husband came to her aid, but was he a hero?
Nearly 28 years after the murder of JonBenét Ramsey, the case remains unsolved; Erin Moriarty dives into the case she's covered since 1999, uncovering fresh perspectives and exploring new clues.
On Oct. 31, 2020, in the small town of Hemphill, Texas, Darci Bass received devastating news: her daughter Livye Lewis had been shot in her car on the side of a road. Nearby, investigators found Lewis' ex-boyfriend Matthew Edgar bloodied and disoriented. From a hospital bed, Edgar insisted he had no recollection of what had happened. Captured in sheriff's office bodycam footage, he appears confused, saying, "I have no clue why I'm here."
Spivey, best known to viewers as the bailiff on "Justice for All with Judge Christina Perez," was charged with killing his wife in 2019. Spivey told the 911 operator he accidentally shot his wife during a fight over a gun.
Melissa Calusinski has been behind bars since 2009 when, at the age of 22, she was arrested for murdering 16-month-old Benjamin Kingan at a suburban Chicago daycare center where she worked. She has long maintained her innocence.
A bright future was shattered when newly engaged Kevin Jiang, 26, a Yale graduate student and former Army National Guardsman, was gunned down in New Haven, Conn. What appeared to be a road rage incident soon unraveled into a story of obsession and premeditation.
For three years, Dee Warner, a Michigan mother and businesswoman, was missing and presumed dead. Her family was convinced she was murdered, but they knew that without a body or physical evidence, it would be difficult to prove.
For years, the death of 15-year-old Danni Houchins had been shrouded in mystery. Investigators initially said it could have been a tragic accident, but her family always suspected something more sinister. 48 HOURS and correspondent Peter Van Sant report on the case in "It's About Danni,"
The brutal murder of 17-year-old Justine Vanderschoot in 2003 devastated the community of Auburn, Calif. Twenty-two years later, Vanderschoot's family continues to fight to keep her killers behind bars after a change in state law provided a loophole that could set one of them free.
Investigators suspected that oil on the road had come from the vehicle that struck McClendon. Following the oil trail, the sheriff's deputies were led to the home where Ackerman lived. Ackerman had spent the day with his three children, but investigators quickly noticed red flags, including his Ford pickup, which was leaking oil in the driveway. Its front grille was broken, and a palm print was visible on the hood.
The body of 22-year-old Cati Blauvelt was discovered in an abandoned farmhouse in Simpsonville, S.C., on Oct. 26, 2016. Almost immediately, her friends had one suspect in mind, John Blauvelt, Cati Blauvelt's estranged husband and a once-respected army recruiter. Their brief marriage had ended in turmoil, with Cati Blauvelt filing a domestic violence report against him. As police investigated, another name entered the picture, 17-year-old Hannah Thompson, who had moved in with John Blauvelt as his marriage unraveled. With no hard evidence to hold him, authorities were powerless to stop what happened next. Declared armed and dangerous, John Blauvelt vanished into the night, taking Thompson with him … and then the manhunt began.
When Angela Prichard was terrorized by her husband, she turned to the police for help. Prichard called repeatedly as he stalked, harassed and threatened her. But none of this stopped him from murdering her.
A Los Angeles man, David Pearce, is awaiting sentencing after he was found guilty last month of murdering two young women and sexually assaulting seven others. 48 HOURS and correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti have been investigating this case for more than three years. He speaks exclusively with one survivor who is now bravely sharing her story.
For most of his life, Reggie Reed has wrestled with the question of who murdered his mother decades ago. A fresh look at the evidence ultimately implicated Reed's father Reginald Reed Sr., the man who raised him after his mother's tragic death.
After Aaron Friar and his 15-year-old daughter Ellie vanished from their Medford, Ore., home, police arrived to discover a horrific scene. An 11-year-old witness proves critical to the investigation and points detectives toward multiple suspects. Natalie Morales reports on how Ellie's forbidden teen relationship may have led to a murder.
This week on 48 HOURS, correspondent Peter Van Sant sits down for an exclusive interview with Melody Farris, a woman convicted of killing her husband on their Georgia farm. The only thing more shocking than the crime is who Farris says is the real killer… her son. However, Scott Farris denies any involvement in his father's death.
The case of a college student, Catina Salarno, who was murdered by her high school sweetheart who lived across the street. As Salarno's family seeks justice, they embark on a decades-long battle to keep her killer, Steven Burns, behind bars.
At just 18 years old, C.C. Opanowski survived a vicious attack by her ex-boyfriend, Shawn Doyle, a man she once trusted and loved. Doyle pleaded guilty to menacing in the second degree and was sentenced to three years' probation. Opanowski tried to put the traumatic incident behind her until she learned years later that Doyle murdered Lori Leonard, a mother of two young boys. Now, for the first time, Opanowski shares her powerful story with 48 HOURS, speaking out about the attack, her long road to healing and the strength it took to face her attacker in court. Correspondent Anne-Marie Green reports on a case that spans nearly three decades in "Facing a Monster."
In June 1993, 35-year-old Jeanie Childs was found murdered in her apartment. Amongst the clues, there was a particularly unique one: bloody bare footprints. Investigators knew they had to belong to the killer because Childs had been found with her socks on. With no DNA match and no fingerprints to go on, the case went cold for decades. Years later, when the case was re-opened, investigators say those footprints helped them convict her killer.
In the season finale of 48 HOURS, a woman suspects her mother of a double murder. Years later, courtroom drama and new testimony reignite the case.
Mike Sisco and his girlfriend Karen Harkness were gunned down in her Topeka, Kansas, home in 2002. Authorities believed it was a crime of passion. Sisco's daughter set out to help prove it was her mother, Dana Chandler, who was responsible.
