S03.E20: Up in Flames (Johnson County, IA)

[cooksdelight]

 

The body of a mother and artist is found in her burning car, prompting the Cold Justice team's investigation 20 years later.

 

[cooksdelight]

FINALLY!! Someone's ass is thrown in jail!

[walnutqueen]

Any decent defense attorney could make mincemeat out of this totally circumstantial case.  Again.

 

One witness who changed her story after 20 years - NOW she remembers the phone went dead?  

[andromeda331]

 On the board looked like there was something they had made fuzzy I wondered what it was. Maybe it was a

number or something but it was listed as they were writing reasons why he was a suspect. Hopefully its

something that makes the case stronger. Did he do it? Most likely. But getting a conviction. Its interesting

to see which cases the DAs decide to go forward with. There are some that seem to have a lot that

they either don't go forward with or are still reviewing. Then there's one like this one where there's

not a lot there but they go forward.

 

It was nice to see someone arrested.

[Ohmo]

It was nice to see someone arrested.

 

Is it wrong of me to think "it's about FREAKING time that this show was able to actually get a suspect arrested"?  Cause that's exactly what I thought...along with the fact that Steve is guilty.

 

I felt badly for Jason, and I commend him for being willing to show that he has been overtly, outwardly affected.  Women are socially allowed to show that emotion.  Men are not, and I'm glad that Jason was brave enough to show hmself to the cameras.

 

ETA:

 

On the board looked like there was something they had made fuzzy I wondered what it was.

 

Ditto.

Edited August 22, 2015 by Ohmo

[KHenry14]

Unlike the previous weeks' shows, this case is a lot more solid. Especially telling in the phone call when the line goes dead, and the phone cord clearly pulled from the wall. Add in the lame excuse Steve gave about the babies pulling the cord from the wall, and you  are 3/4 of the way to the conviction IMO. The other 1/4 is the women's story about how Steve told her he knew how to fake a car fire and I'm sold. 

 

I'm sure the defense will throw Bob Gump at the jury, but IMO he came off as credible and just a drunk. Contrast Bob's willingness to talk to Steve's unwillingness, and as a juror I have a good idea about who to believe. 

 

I hope they nail this guy.      But if they do, I sure hope those twins get some therapy, because they will need it.  

[attica]

I sure hope those twins get some therapy, because they will need it.

 

Yeah, no kidding. Something tells me that a dude willing to kill somebody over $300 a month might not be the most stable at child-rearing.

[auntjess]

Why didn't that woman tell them about the phone interruption at the time?  And none of this "they didn't ask."
How could she not think it was important?
"I tried to call her back at 10, when the movie was over."

These damn dumb people.
On a show the other night, a woman saw another woman being forced into a car, and never called 911.

[walnutqueen]

Why didn't that woman tell them about the phone interruption at the time?  And none of this "they didn't ask."

How could she not think it was important?

 

Yup.  I call BS on this one.  Suddenly, after 20 years, not only is the baby daddy yelling at her, but the phone goes dead and so does the victim, but that isn't ever mentioned before now?  Because?

 

Shenanigans.

[TribbleTrouble]

Well, Steve certainly seems to be the most likely suspect and he was clearly a jerk then and is still a jerk now based on what his current neighbors were saying, but the case is pretty thin. Then again, there are certainly plenty of people serving long sentences right now that were put away on equally thin circumstantial evidence. I agree that the flighty cousin's sudden new testimony will likely be ripped to shreds by any competent defense attorney. However, the firefighter ex-girlfriend is very credible and, surprisingly, Gump's wife in particular is actually pretty credible as well and she said she saw Steve's car there that night before and after the fire.

Once again though I am mystified why this case was cold for 20 years. What did the show bring to it that the cops couldn't have put together themselves long ago? It doesn't appear that the show even brought the benefit of additional forensic testing that hadn't already been done on this one. The case appears to be resting almost entirely on witness testimony which those cops certainly didn't need Kelly and the team for. I get it when the departments are small and severely cash-strapped, and I suppose on the cases that they are not able to lock down the show brings publicity that might bring some witnesses out of the woodwork, but beyond that I just don't really get what the show is bringing to these cases beyond what basically amounts to consulting. I don't know, maybe that's enough for some of these departments that are really hoping to clear some of these cold cases off their books and for whatever reasons they haven't previously been able to devote sufficient time or resources to do it.

Edited August 25, 2015 by TribbleTrouble