The First 48 - General Discussion

[Stealthy]

I feel terrible for that woman. What she did was absolutely wrong, but I believe she felt threatened and she was obviously remorseful. Not sure what kind of representation she had, but seems like she should have gotten a deal better than that by pleading guilty. Awful. 

Edited February 29, 2020 by Stealthy
Grammar

[charming]

They've featured some great cases in Tulsa this season.

I was shocked at the Arby's manager 25 year sentence. That seems incredibly harsh. I too wonder if she had previous convictions or something. 

This show rarely paints victims in a negative light so it was interesting to me that they aired so many soundbites about what a jerk this guy was. I googled some articles that talked about the victim's extensive criminal history but nothing about her. 

He terrorized this woman and the other employees, threw a drink, spit on her, left and came back.  She shouldn't have followed him and needs to be punished but I've seen rapists, child molesters and other killers get less time. 

[mythoughtis]

You don’t get to chase someone down and murder them because they treated you extremely badly an hour earlier. Even the second incident was over before she went after him.  Even with a self defense claim, the defensive action has to be in the moment. And in line with what the aggressor was doing.  Yelling and spitting isn’t equal to killing him.   What she did was premeditated murder.   She needed to leave it at filing the police report.  She got an appropriate sentence. 

She didn’t show remorse when the police talked to her at Arby’s and for quite a while at the police station. She lied thru her teeth. She threw away the gun knowing she was in the wrong. 

Edited March 1, 2020 by mythoughtis

[TVbitch]

Glad to see Ronnie Leatherman back! And he got a confession. WTF with that woman going all ganster on that guy. Yeah he was a dick, but you could have gotten yourself, him and others killed. And how would she ever think she was not going to get caught given the earlier altercations that the police knew about! She was a very cool customer during their first interview. 

But this is why I would never confess. The cops are all "tell us the truth so we can help you!!!" The woman came clean and pleaded guilty, but the cops are just high-fiving over the confession, they rarely are actually going to go to bat for you.  

I agree the Tulsa cases have been interesting lately. Lots of variety and follow through. 

[Soobs]

I was shocked that the manager of Arby's actually did it! She seemed totally legit in the beginning. Even the older detective bought her story at first. As an aside, it's always interesting to me that the direction a case takes often involves the gut feelings of the detectives. It's necessary I suppose but also is potentially problematic.

This past episode about the brothers being gunned down was also very compelling. I really thought the worker's sons were involved but it was totally random. The wives on the phone with the detectives identifying their bodies really broke my heart. They seemed like good men who were just going about their day and they happened to cross paths with a psychopath.  His smiling and laughing at the end was so creepy. I hope the girlfriend that turned on him gets some help. I can't imagine going through all that (tied up during the murders, two swollen shut black eyes and who knows what else) and living a normal life without a lot of help.

Almost every case this season could be made into a movie.

[NJRadioGuy]

18 hours ago, Soobs said:

This past episode about the brothers being gunned down was also very compelling. I really thought the worker's sons were involved but it was totally random. The wives on the phone with the detectives identifying their bodies really broke my heart. They seemed like good men who were just going about their day and they happened to cross paths with a psychopath.  His smiling and laughing at the end was so creepy. I hope the girlfriend that turned on him gets some help. I can't imagine going through all that (tied up during the murders, two swollen shut black eyes and who knows what else) and living a normal life without a lot of help.

Almost every case this season could be made into a movie.

Just read that the D.A. is seeking the death penalty for Smith. My gut says this will be used as a bargaining chip to get him to plead to life without parole. I don't know if they'd have enough evidence to get a guilty verdict with a death penalty recommendation from a jury based on what was shown on the show, and what's in the news. I think both sides would be rolling the dice if this went to verdict, so threaten him with a hot shot and persuade him to accept LWOP, and put paid to everything.

[Chalby]

On 2/28/2020 at 4:46 PM, Stealthy said:

I feel terrible for that woman. What she did was absolutely wrong, but I believe she felt threatened and she was obviously remorseful. 

This is the first time I also cried for the criminal while watching. 25 years... wow!

At the same time, Yes, he was an a**hole, yes, he acted like an entitled jerk, and yes he manhandled and SPIT on a woman he'd never met before. Who TF does this? (And come on, I don't see him as being a 'loving mate' with that temper.) Yes, I get her (the Manager's) anger, especially the 2nd time he came back ranting. Some big guy demanding to know my car, and threatening to come back and jump me because I wasn't polite enough in the drive-through? Also, when you are the leader of a group, sometimes you (subconsciously) behave in ways that assure your workers that you've got this. So, I cannot tell you how I would have responded in her situation, because I have experienced both intense fear/hiding, and murderous rage/confronting while placed in terrifying situations. I'm afraid to say, I would probably have responded closer to option b, so I cried for her.

However, she did not have to follow him to Target. He never flashed any gun at her (but spitting is an assault). It's hard to claim self defence when you are chasing someone's car with a loaded gun. Her actions of further breaking up the gun will not allow anyone on the jury (or judge/ lawyers etc.) to just give her 5 years. Lastly, given her workers were witnesses, she still got a lengthy sentence. I think that her rage may have tipped her beyond the presumed threat. Here's a woman who just will NOT put up with being disrespected and assaulted ever again. And, she's paying the price.

Clearly the police didn't bother pursuing the situation - even though the guy was right there?

I know this isn't a popular view for many, but I truly am glad Canada's laws are such that I wouldn't bother, or feel a need, to possess a gun. With my kneejerk, 'back-at-ya' temper, that could easily have been me - and only one shot was made and needed.

There but for the grace of God, go I. My heart aches for both families.

[Chalby]

On 8/6/2016 at 6:05 PM, auntjess said:

Miami seems to have the most gang violence, and Minneapolis seems to have more violence among the homeless.  (And can you imagine being homeless in Minneapolis?)

I am always surprised by the amount of murders committed in Texas. I've always felt that the majority of the world knows that Texan sentences /jails are brutal, appeals are pretty much ignored, the death penalty remains legal, and unlawful or corrupt colluding was often the norm (especially in the days of that devil DA, Connick). Despite this, the murders and crime continue, and not even sentences of 400 years can alleviate what's happening. Now what?  What should be put in place?

It seems nowhere have police ever been paid well enough (although it's much better than in the '70s & '80s) so it's no wonder some of them end up corrupt. You know what is important to a society when you see where the top dollars are being paid. That's when you see it certainly isn't the police, teachers, or childcare/ nursing home workers. I remember bitching about the cost of daycare, then stopping myself to wonder why my child's care wasn't the top expense from my cheque given he was my top priority. It's just a tough financial world we live in.

[AuntiePam]

Can someone help me out with the Carnage episode in Mobile?  DeMarcus was killed when Carey Weets (Wee Wee) drove by and shot up his house.  (DeMarcus wasn't the target.)  Wee Wee was then killed in retaliation by DeMarcus's brothers, LaCedrick and Raheem.  This all had something to do with a dice game where someone was cheated out of five dollars.

So who was Courtney and what did he have to do with anything?

I was more than a bit confused when this one was finished.

[Chalby]

Years ago, before police reality shows became popular, I used to feel offended when cops would laugh and dismiss every criminals claims of innocence. After watching this and other shows for years, it is surprising how most of them lie through their teeth. It's always refreshing when someone straight up confesses or outlines what really happened. How can cops ever believe anyone?

On 3/12/2020 at 8:00 PM, AuntiePam said:

  This all had something to do with a dice game where someone was cheated out of five dollars.

So who was Courtney and what did he have to do with anything?

And still they all feel justified in participating in street justice retaliation because they are all armed. What ever happened to fighting it out, or calling a draw? Shooting up homes? Gawd...And wanting the police to interject when they're dead...

[El maestro]

In the case where the Tulsa teen killed a teacher he didn’t seem very bright.,Telling the detectives that he was going to see his girlfriend at work, but then, not knowing where she worked set the whole situation.

[AuntiePam]

On 3/27/2020 at 10:41 PM, El maestro said:

In the case where the Tulsa teen killed a teacher he didn’t seem very bright.,Telling the detectives that he was going to see his girlfriend at work, but then, not knowing where she worked set the whole situation.

Was that the dead-eyed 16-year-old who also raped an 81-year-old woman?  There was something seriously wrong with that kid.  And after confessing to murder, rape, and robbery, he acts like they're going to just let him go.  "Do I have to stay here?" 

We hear the term "sociopath" a lot.  I think this kid truly is one. 

Hearts breaking for the four-year-old who witnessed her father kill her mother.  What was it she said? "He better not come by my house any more."  And then at the end, she's telling her grandma "Stop that cryin'!"  I don't know child psychology, but I wonder if her age will make it easier for her to get through this.  At four, you really don't understand.  Do you? 

[El maestro]

On 4/3/2020 at 10:58 AM, AuntiePam said:

Was that the dead-eyed 16-year-old who also raped an 81-year-old woman?  There was something seriously wrong with that kid.  And after confessing to murder, rape, and robbery, he acts like they're going to just let him go.  "Do I have to stay here?" 

We hear the term "sociopath" a lot.  I think this kid truly is one. 

Hearts breaking for the four-year-old who witnessed her father kill her mother.  What was it she said? "He better not come by my house any more."  And then at the end, she's telling her grandma "Stop that cryin'!"  I don't know child psychology, but I wonder if her age will make it easier for her to get through this.  At four, you really don't understand.  Do you? 

I was reading the news about his conviction and it seems that he is almost illiterate. The family should have never allowed him to roam the streets unsupervised knowing his cognitive problems.

 

 

[mythoughtis]

I’m watching a Tulsa episode about a man killed in his driveway after a visit to a casino.  
One of the people interviewed loaned a truck ( used in the robbery/murder) to a guy whose real name he  didn’t know, whose address he didn’t know.  In fact, all he knew about the guy was his street name.    I couldn’t tell you the last time I loaned a vehicle to anyone who wasn’t a close family  member.  

[El maestro]

I just watched the episode where the Arby’s manager killed the bully customer. I feel sorry for her, but she should have never killed him. Even his family admitted that the victim was frequently in trouble with other people.

[AuntiePam]

What's the significance to all those shots of shoes dangling on power lines?  We see them in more than one city.

People tied shoes together and tossed them on chain-link fences at a factory where I worked, when the factory closed down. 

But these shoes on power lines seem pretty random. 

[TVbitch]

They changed the opening! 😲 I don't know how I feel about it. Now it looks like every other show. And I miss the old style clock with its clicking tiles. I've had a few of those in my day! 

 

 

Edited April 10, 2020 by TVbitch

[Enero]

 

Quote

I’m watching a Tulsa episode about a man killed in his driveway after a visit to a casino.  
One of the people interviewed loaned a truck ( used in the robbery/murder) to a guy whose real name he  didn’t know, whose address he didn’t know.  In fact, all he knew about the guy was his street name.    I couldn’t tell you the last time I loaned a vehicle to anyone who wasn’t a close family  member.  

I’ve seen this type of stuff before on this show. Usually the individuals will loan out their car to unknowns in exchange for drugs. Though I don’t recall that being mentioned in this case. 

Just watched the Cruel Intentions episode. This was probably one of the most interesting cases profiled. It played like something straight out of Law & Order. The victim, Leila Smith, was a beautiful young woman, who sounds like had promise. It’s sad that she’d been reduced to stripping for a living and dealing with a married piece of sh*t.  

The killer, obviously didn’t account for the intelligence of detectives investigating the case or how much technology has improved in the 10 years since he was suspected of killing his first wife. Now there are not only cell phone towers everywhere that can track your whereabouts but cameras. 

Its crazy that he previously tried to kill her via drive by shooting months earlier, when that didn’t work I guess he then decided to just kill her himself one night after she got off work. Again, what a piece of sh*t to do that to the mother of his child. 

Edited April 11, 2020 by Enero

[andromeda331]

An old First 48 Hours on Mystery last night was crazy stupid. Two people killed including a woman in her fifties who was paralyzed all over a fight between two young teenage boys. They were about thirteen and fourteen. One of them when home and told his mother he was jumped by the other boy and someone else. That mom claimed she didn't go over there intending to kill anyone but she wanted to talk to the other boy's mom and ask her to let the two boys fight. What? How is that a response to finding out your boy got jumped? Wouldn't you be over there yelling at the parents about their son attacking her son? Apparently not. I did love the expressions on the Detectives faces when she said that. They looked just as surprised by that as I was. But she also brought along her boyfriend and waited for another man named Marcus Green who was a convicted felon to show up and then go confront the boy's family. Somehow neither she, her boyfriend nor Marcus seemed to know where the shooting was coming from. Amazing, they went and argued with the boy's father and brother (uncertain if Mom said anything since she was found shot in the apartment. ) but somehow almost everyone from the other family was injured or dead.  Witnesses identified Marcus as the shooter. I did love Marcus wondering why thought he was the shooter. The Detectives are all 'we have witnesses and there a video of his rental car there. He seemed annoyed asking the Detective what about his car. The Detective pointing out that his car wasn't at a shooting When they went to arrest him they pulled over his car in an apartment complex and pulled a man out, who actually wasn't Marcus but Marcus had loaned him his car. That'll probably be the last time that poor man ever borrows a car. They end up finding him at the day care center he worked at. Yes, a convicted felon was working at a daycare as a janitor. He said at first he worked afternoon into the evening shift but that was switched at some point to after it closed. When the Detectives were wondering who would hire a convicted felon to work at daycare it turned out he was married to the owner of the daycare. I can't imagine the parents' reactions when they learned that bit of news about the daycare their kids were at not to mention that he ended up shooting two people. He tried to run but they arrested him. He apparently gave his gun to his wife who gave it to an employee to try to get out without the police catching her. Well, naturally the police searched her. I can't imagine being told by my boss to hide a gun and not saying no. That seems like a really bad idea. They arrested the wife too and tried to convince her to talk by saying how her husband was going to ruin her business. Which while true I'm pretty sure the business is going to be ruin as soon is ran on the news that the daycare owner's husband who also worked there was arrested for shooting two people. She refused to say anything except try to claim all the guns they owned were hers. She ended up serving a year of jail for trying to hide evidence, her husband got twenty years, and the mom also got one year for facilitation. All for two young teenage boys who got into a fight. I did feel bad for the poor husband and father so devastated over his wife and son death and the stupidity of it.

Edited April 23, 2020 by andromeda331

[etexlady]

I was poking around on the Pluto channels and discovered they had The First 48 seasons all the way back to the beginning.  Those early shows in Miami with Detective Joe Schillaci and the way they dealt with suspects was so different from what is done today.  They even had my favorite episode, The House On Medrano Street, with the Atlanta crew.  That was a really creepy episode. I wish they had shown some of the New Orleans episodes.  

[El maestro]

The episode with the 3 Hispanic teenagers in Tulsa depressed me. A shopkeeper dead and  3 wasted lives, for nothing. They should show this episode to all kids in alternative schools and all the gangster wannabes.

[auntjess]

I see a lot of First 48s on Lifetime tonight.   Look like the same shows usually on A&E.
https://www.mylifetime.com/schedule

[andromeda331]

Anyone see the episode about a week ago with the home invasion and murder? A woman opens her door to leave only to be faced with a guy and gun. He forces them inside. Her husband fights him and ends up shot and killed. The robber takes off. The police show up and canvas the area and find the same robber went into an elderly couple's house nearby held them at gun point. Forced them to drive him to bank to steal money off their card, while there sees a woman at the bank goes and robs her, takes the couple back home, rapes the wife and leaves. The police are shocked by the brazen, the speed and start looking for suspects. They get footage from the Bank which shows the robber but doesn't show his face to well. He had covered himself up with a hoodie pretty well. But they put it out. They find one guy who turns out not to have been involved. Then cops get a call about another robbery this time a couple who'd been sitting in their car in a parking lot talking he gets in the car robs the boyfriend and molests the woman.  He most likely would have raped her if not for the cop car that showed up. He tries to leave but is caught. The robber? He's sixteen. Sixteen! In one day he robbed four people, raped a woman, molested another, and murdered a man. He of course is tried as an adult and convicted for the rest of his life. He confessed to most of it. He wouldn't admit to raping the woman. He did admit to the robberies and murdered while acting like it was really no big deal. I'll never understand teens who commit such big crimes. I know teens have no concept of life in prison or anything. But its still hard to see someone so young committing so many crimes and in one day. In one day he threw his entire life away. Did he just wake up and decide to rob or had he started out with smaller crimes?  They did mention there was a group that had been robbing the area but nothing really came from that so I don't know if he was part of it or not. Usually if something doesn't go anywhere or they can't prove it they'll say that. 

One thing that is really annoying whether its new or old episodes is how often the recap even when there's only one case. We don't need so many in one episode. 

[andromeda331]

Buried Secrets was on A&E tonight. The killer sure was stupid. A 68 year old woman who liked to gamble was missing after going to a casino. They interview her neighbor and learn she had a son who moved back in with her. They go to her son who allows them to look around her house and take him down to ask questions about his mother. He shows zero signs of worry or concern for his mother and then ends the questioning even though so far they had just started to ask questions about his mother. Her routine, friends, the usual. Back at her house they find his mother's suitcase which she had taken with her to the casino because she planned to stay for a couple days, her purse, her wallet, and cellphone. Gee, that's odd. They search the house but find no blood or anything. They get tapes from the casino which shows her arriving at the casino with her suitcase and leave the next day but without her suitcase. And guess who walks in sometime later? Yep, her son. He goes to her room and gets her things and takes them back with him. Had he not done that the cops would have no reason to suspect him. They would just think what they had thought from the beginning and confirmed from the casino cameras that she left the casino in her car and disappeared. 

[nokat]

2 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

Gee, that's odd.

I like the stupid criminals. I don't like what they do, but it's easy to make them regret their dumbness.
 

[TVbitch]

I remember that one @andromeda331, but I forget why he killed his mom. For the money I would guess. 

The killler this week was also really stupid. The guy claimed he shot his ex-girlfriend (who was coming to see him and on his porch) from inside the house through a window. He said he thought she was a burglar trying to get in and he was defending his home ...but oops all but one of the six bullets he pumped into her were from an angle of him standing directly over her and they found shell casings outside. 

[andromeda331]

59 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

I remember that one @andromeda331, but I forget why he killed his mom. For the money I would guess. 

Yeah, it was money. His mom was losing tons of money at the casinos and he was pissed he wanted that money.

Quote

The killler this week was also really stupid. The guy claimed he shot his ex-girlfriend (who was coming to see him and on his porch) from inside the house through a window. He said he thought she was a burglar trying to get in and he was defending his home ...but oops all but one of the six bullets he pumped into her were from an angle of him standing directly over her and they found shell casings outside. 

Yeah, I saw that. Another idiot. They proved she was down with first bullet and he had to stand over her to fire five or six bullets into her.  That's not self-defense.

[NJRadioGuy]

In the last few weeks I've DVR'd and rewatched some of the older episodes that they run during the day on Thursday. I'll occasionally go online and see if they appealed their conviction, or maybe to learn more about the various stories. In about a third or more of the bigger cases that have gone to verdict there are transcripts of appeals courts' decisions. I don't think a single one of them ever had their appeals granted and their convictions vacated or sentences reduced. In some cases there's much more going on that never makes it on screen, while in many others what your see on TV is essentially everything.

And speaking of appeals court rulings, this is an interesting ruling regarding The First 48 that came down recently. Someone who was blurred out onscreen when he gave information in the interview room ended up getting shot for his troubles. He survived and sued the production company. He lost at trial and on appeal. This is interesting reading: First Amendment Protects True-Crime Show From Negligence Liability

 

[Enero]

On 7/23/2020 at 12:28 AM, andromeda331 said:

Buried Secrets was on A&E tonight. The killer sure was stupid. A 68 year old woman who liked to gamble was missing after going to a casino. They interview her neighbor and learn she had a son who moved back in with her. They go to her son who allows them to look around her house and take him down to ask questions about his mother. He shows zero signs of worry or concern for his mother and then ends the questioning even though so far they had just started to ask questions about his mother. Her routine, friends, the usual. Back at her house they find his mother's suitcase which she had taken with her to the casino because she planned to stay for a couple days, her purse, her wallet, and cellphone. Gee, that's odd. They search the house but find no blood or anything. They get tapes from the casino which shows her arriving at the casino with her suitcase and leave the next day but without her suitcase. And guess who walks in sometime later? Yep, her son. He goes to her room and gets her things and takes them back with him. Had he not done that the cops would have no reason to suspect him. They would just think what they had thought from the beginning and confirmed from the casino cameras that she left the casino in her car and disappeared. 

What was crazy about this case was that even though they had him on tape at the casino with his mother’s luggage and subsequently found it back at her home with her nowhere in sight, they still couldn’t charge him. The detectives felt like they needed a body in order for the DA to bring about murder charges. 

The son likely would’ve got away with it had he not returned to the spot where he’d buried his mother’s body. 
 

I just finished watching Thursday’s episode Night of Lies. I was appalled when the DA decided to charge the 18-year old girlfriend with felony murder. Yes. She wasn’t straight forward about what happened when the detectives first began to question her but understandably she was scared, and it was obvious that she had no idea that her boyfriend was planning a murder when he went to go get his gun from the victim. I was relieved to see that the charges against her were dropped. I hope she will pick her future friends/boyfriends carefully. 

Despite Ryland, the boyfriend, killing over nonsense, at least he did whatever he could to ensure she’d not be charged with any thing. That proved that he at least had a conscious and at least cared about her, even if he did make a terrible mistake in killing Justin. I’ve seen other cases where the boyfriend couldn’t have cared less about the oblivious girlfriend and would either blame the crime on her or let her go down with him without a thought. 

Edited August 2, 2020 by Enero

[NJRadioGuy]

23 hours ago, Enero said:

I just finished watching Thursday’s episode Night of Lies. I was appalled when the DA decided to charge the 18-year old girlfriend with felony murder.

More likely this was a tactic to elicit her testimony at trial. Cooperate with us and give us everything or we'll hang murder one on you. A scared kid will search for any lifeline they can find, especially if they know they didn't participate in the crime.

[andromeda331]

On 8/2/2020 at 11:39 AM, Enero said:

What was crazy about this case was that even though they had him on tape at the casino with his mother’s luggage and subsequently found it back at her home with her nowhere in sight, they still couldn’t charge him. The detectives felt like they needed a body in order for the DA to bring about murder charges. 

The son likely would’ve got away with it had he not returned to the spot where he’d buried his mother’s body. 

That was crazy. You'd think that would be enough to charge him. Plus they had that tape from Money Gram where he clearly was pretending to be his mom to try and get some money. It didn't work. But those all should have been enough to charge him without a body. 

Quote

 

I just finished watching Thursday’s episode Night of Lies. I was appalled when the DA decided to charge the 18-year old girlfriend with felony murder. Yes. She wasn’t straight forward about what happened when the detectives first began to question her but understandably she was scared, and it was obvious that she had no idea that her boyfriend was planning a murder when he went to go get his gun from the victim. I was relieved to see that the charges against her were dropped. I hope she will pick her future friends/boyfriends carefully. 

Despite Ryland, the boyfriend, killing over nonsense, at least he did whatever he could to ensure she’d not be charged with any thing. That proved that he at least had a conscious and at least cared about her, even if he did make a terrible mistake in killing Justin. I’ve seen other cases where the boyfriend couldn’t have cared less about the oblivious girlfriend and would either blame the crime on her or let her go down with him without a thought. 

 

I was surprised the boyfriend did that. When they went to talk to him after talking to her I wasn't sure if he would or not. Good for him doing that. I hope she picks better boyfriends in the future too. 

[mythoughtis]

I don’t think she would have been charged had she not lied to the police and only changed her story after they called her on it.  Even then, the police had the  district attorneys’ office determine the charges.  I’m truly amazed these offenders don’t understand that just being there can make you guilty by association.  

Edited August 4, 2020 by mythoughtis

[NJRadioGuy]

On 8/3/2020 at 11:09 PM, mythoughtis said:

 I’m truly amazed these offenders don’t understand that just being there can make you guilty by association.  

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

[NJRadioGuy]

This week's Special Friend (Darrell Watts, from Point of No Return) may have dug his own grave by (a) taking the victim's gun, and (b) giving a statement the second time--especially after he was in custody. He might have a better chance on a self defense claim at trial if the vic still had the 9mm weapon on his body and he could produce the .38 that he allegedly used to shoot him with.

I don't recall if they said whether or not the M.E. conclusively determined the murder weapon was a 9 (if so, how did Watts get it from him to shoot him with it) or a .38. And if it was a .38, did they recover the spent projectiles from either body or inside the car? And if he did shoot him with a .38, why were there 9mm casings in the car. There's a lot that isn't adding up to me; either the production editors messed up or something's amiss.

Unlike many other suspects we've seen on the show (and undoubtedly many more that we haven't), Watts can communicate well and comes off as quite intelligent. Other than the fact that the show identified him at first (BIG clue that that's the bad guy in the case), I saw him as a good witness. An excellent defense attorney may have been able to impugn the girlfriend's testimony or get it suppressed under hearsay laws, which might be enough to get the case kicked or secure an acquittal. But the fact he confessed voluntarily (even if the facts don't seem to add up) was a profoundly dumb move on his part. 

[Dock Green]

I much prefer the episodes that concentrate on only one case - sometimes it's difficult to follow two, changing back and forth.  I read on here a post which said Sgt Dave Walker was retiring - surely not?   I feel as if I personally know all the members of the Tulsa team, also Atlanta and New Orleans.   Quinny is a cool dude........

[Enero]

Just caught up on the latest episodes:

Cover Story: My heart broke for those three kids who lost their mother. She was young, still had her life ahead of her. Sad that she got caught up in a relationship with abusive trash. The brothers who were behind the murder are POS. I guess it’s something that the one brother - Terry, pleaded guilty to accessory to murder and witness intimidation. I’m assuming he’ll be testifying against his brother. But both should be in jail and never get out. They truly are a menace to society .

Death In Desire: Great to see the New Orleans detectives again. But goodness, I’d forgot how brutal the crimes in NO can be. I think some of the most brutal cases profiled on the show have happened in NO and sadly those cases have always entailed crimes against women.  With regard to this case, drugs will always lead to no good end, even for something as “harmless” as marijuana.  Very sad that the victim lost her life the way she did. 

Tell No Tales / Unfair Fight: Again another brutal murder case in NO where a woman was the victim. I wonder how the victim ended up alone in NO, into prostitution, robbery, using a fake identity and doing god knows what else, all the way from Canada? She was a beautiful young woman, only 29 years old. The NO detectives said she had prostitution charges back to age 16. SMH. I’m guessing addiction likely played a role in her choices and ultimately her death. Very sad. 

I don’t know how the guys who attempted to have a weapon free confrontation/fight expected that incident to end other than the way it did. The days when you can confront someone and the worst that can happen is a cursing out or an ass beating are long gone. If you get into a confrontation with anyone nowadays, the risk is higher , I think, that someone will pull a weapon and use it. It’s very unfortunate that someone lost their life over this situation. 

While watching these episodes it was interesting to note that the cases were from as far back as 2014. They appeared ON DEMAND as new episodes. However, it looks like all these cases were recently resolved. So maybe that’s why the producers pulled them out the vault to air for the first time because they had resolutions? Or perhaps I missed these episodes when they first aired? 

[mythoughtis]

They are repeating old cases with added talking heads from some of the detectives featured over the years, and new themes. Such as ‘detectives  first homicide, family betrayal, unique confessions’, etc.  It’s then classified as new rather than a repeat. 

[TVbitch]

I wasn't even going to watch those "Critical Moments" episodes cuz I thought it would be just clips, but they were actually pretty good. Just featuring a couple cases each. 

I believe Sgt. Walker did retire, cuz they showed it. I think any new episodes featuring him at this point were filmed earlier. 

[NJRadioGuy]

On 12/19/2020 at 6:30 PM, mythoughtis said:

They are repeating old cases with added talking heads from some of the detectives featured over the years, and new themes. Such as ‘detectives  first homicide, family betrayal, unique confessions’, etc.  It’s then classified as new rather than a repeat. 

I'm guessing they can't embed with the squads with Covid restrictions so they need to come up with something to keep interest up. I wish they'd do more "After the First 48" to follow up on interesting cases.

5 hours ago, TVbitch said:

I believe Sgt. Walker did retire, cuz they showed it. I think any new episodes featuring him at this point were filmed earlier. 

He did, and now he has his own podcast. He's very camera-friendly and has the personality to pull it off. He's one of the superstars the show has managed to feature. My favourite of all time is Tom Armelli in Cleveland, and I'd rank Dave a very close second. I also really liked Nate Sowa (CLE) since he and I both love our cigars. Caroline Mason (Nashville), Timothy Bender (NOLA), Rob Barerre (NOLA), Dave Quinn, Scott Berhalter, Summer Benton, and Scott DeMeester (all Atlanta) are also great on camera and are or were excellent detectives. Cleveland, Atlanta, and Tulsa are my favourite cities. 

I'm pretty sure that the new shows since Sgt. Walker's retirement were from cases not broadcast because there was no resolution. Looks like they managed to make arrests in a few and I think at least one or two convictions IIRC.

[NJRadioGuy]

Yesterday I watched the "My First Homicide" episode featuring Det. Rayell Johnson in NOLA, with the case "Dead Wrong" from S16 being featured. This was one of those episodes where only a very, very small fraction of what actually happened made it to air. I googled the name of the one perp who ended up getting life without parole (not the shooter, but the ringleader), Tavis Leonard. Reading the ruling from that LA Court of Appeals that upheld his LWOP sentence was something you could make a movie from. 

The un-named "friend" and the friend's father who owned the house where it all happened were really big-shot drug dealers. The father and another member of the family ended up getting whacked because the son cooperated. The son never testified and bugged out for parts unknown (I don't blame him). This crew was not playing around and everybody involved, perps and vics, were hardcore. They managed to rip off a brick of coke and $90k in cash. The two victims were being taken to a secluded spot to get popped. The one made a run for it and got killed on the street, the other got lucky (for various definitions of the word).

You can read the whole sordid sequence of events here. I found it pretty gripping, and the appeals court made things very plain.

 

[mythoughtis]

5 hours ago, NJRadioGuy said:

 

 He's one of the superstars the show has managed to feature. My favourite of all time is Tom Armelli in Cleveland, and I'd rank Dave a very close second. I also really liked Nate Sowa (CLE) since he and I both love our cigars. Caroline Mason (Nashville), Timothy Bender (NOLA), Rob Barerre (NOLA), Dave Quinn, Scott Berhalter, Summer Benton, and Scott DeMeester (all Atlanta) are also great on camera and are or were excellent detectives. Cleveland, Atlanta, and Tulsa are my favourite cities. 

Hey- I like all those detectives too! 

Edited January 4, 2021 by mythoughtis

[NJRadioGuy]

20 hours ago, mythoughtis said:

Hey- I like all those detectives too! 

I should qualify that by saying that anyone who's earned their way onto a Homicide squad has my absolute respect, but I've known some real-life murder police and other U/Cs, and some are guys who are just a blast to be around. Larger than life, gregarious, and sharing a bottle of Scotch and a box of cigars, they'll tell the best war stories (true or otherwise) for hours on end. One was a neighbor of mine who worked drugs, gangs, and (briefly) homicide. He retired and moved to the desert southwest but man, our BS sessions were things you could write a book over. I can bet that half of my TV favorites would fit right into that category.

[dkirkwood206]

On 8/7/2020 at 5:15 PM, NJRadioGuy said:

This week's Special Friend (Darrell Watts, from Point of No Return) may have dug his own grave by (a) taking the victim's gun, and (b) giving a statement the second time--especially after he was in custody. He might have a better chance on a self defense claim at trial if the vic still had the 9mm weapon on his body and he could produce the .38 that he allegedly used to shoot him with.

I don't recall if they said whether or not the M.E. conclusively determined the murder weapon was a 9 (if so, how did Watts get it from him to shoot him with it) or a .38. And if it was a .38, did they recover the spent projectiles from either body or inside the car? And if he did shoot him with a .38, why were there 9mm casings in the car. There's a lot that isn't adding up to me; either the production editors messed up or something's amiss.

Unlike many other suspects we've seen on the show (and undoubtedly many more that we haven't), Watts can communicate well and comes off as quite intelligent. Other than the fact that the show identified him at first (BIG clue that that's the bad guy in the case), I saw him as a good witness. An excellent defense attorney may have been able to impugn the girlfriend's testimony or get it suppressed under hearsay laws, which might be enough to get the case kicked or secure an acquittal. But the fact he confessed voluntarily (even if the facts don't seem to add up) was a profoundly dumb move on his part. 

The 9mm casings found in Kenny's car were determined to be unrelated to the case.

It says it at the very end of credits, directly after the graduation ceremony.... 

[Khae88]

Can someone help me find the episode where a girl is killed in the back of car, something about her boyfriend is going to kill her? I think she was going on a double date? I started watching it and didn’t finish, but now I can’t find it! So annoying! 

[auntjess]

On 1/29/2021 at 2:47 AM, Khae88 said:

Can someone help me find the episode where a girl is killed in the back of car, something about her boyfriend is going to kill her? I think she was going on a double date? I started watching it and didn’t finish, but now I can’t find it! So annoying! 

Which city?  
And you can try IMDB, but there are a LOT of episodes.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0423652/episodes?season=19

[auntjess]

On 12/18/2020 at 10:36 AM, Dock Green said:

I much prefer the episodes that concentrate on only one case - sometimes it's difficult to follow two, changing back and forth.  I read on here a post which said Sgt Dave Walker was retiring - surely not?   I feel as if I personally know all the members of the Tulsa team, also Atlanta and New Orleans.   Quinny is a cool dude........

Quinn and Velasquez have a really good cop show on TV1, called ATL Homicide.  They're in every scene it seems, and it has a great pace, no need to ff except for commercials.
Do try it!  

[Lindz]

OMG!!! The dogS didn't find his body!! They're FIRED!! 😅 Their handlers did a better job. They said they smelled decomp. They should've used ground penetrating radar to be sure! Something! Such a failure! They're lucky that boy told them anything. Shame on that neighbor for not calling police! They woulda caught them before he was even buried! UGH! Did he even have a knife? Boy's story kept changing. Evidence doesn't lie. He was also stabbed multiple times in the back. Over payment. So ridiculous. I was concerned his girlfriend gave his killers a defense. I hope they get life sentences. Smh

Edited April 25, 2021 by Lindz

[BookWitch]

Yeah, they obviously need to retrain the dogs. I wonder how deep a dog is supposed to smell it tho.  

And the neighbor was a real winner. 

[NJRadioGuy]

5 hours ago, BookWitch said:

Yeah, they obviously need to retrain the dogs. I wonder how deep a dog is supposed to smell it tho.  

And the neighbor was a real winner. 

Dogs are trained to smell for decomp, but the perp said he used some sort of blocking agent that threw them off. What irked me is that if the investigators were initially convinced that he victim was buried in the back that they didn't clean off all the debris and look for signs of the earth being freshly disturbed. 

[Enero]

On 4/24/2021 at 9:44 AM, Lindz said:

OMG!!! The dogS didn't find his body!! They're FIRED!! 😅 Their handlers did a better job. They said they smelled decomp. They should've used ground penetrating radar to be sure! Something! Such a failure! They're lucky that boy told them anything. Shame on that neighbor for not calling police! They woulda caught them before he was even buried! UGH! Did he even have a knife? Boy's story kept changing. Evidence doesn't lie. He was also stabbed multiple times in the back. Over payment. So ridiculous. I was concerned his girlfriend gave his killers a defense. I hope they get life sentences. Smh

Indeed about the dogs! This case was a mess. All over $380. SMH. I understand Trace wanting his money but going to that house to demand what he was owed was a bad move. 

And I don’t understand why Marcos and the older dude, can’t recall his name, didn’t just pay Trace the $380. The murder was just senseless as nearly  all the murders on this show are. 

I also watched the case about the college professor who was murdered over a game stick. Yes. You read right, a game stick. Just sickening and senseless. Lives ruined over nothing.