True CSI

Respected neurosurgeon Sam Sheppard is found guilty of brutally killing his wife, despite his pleas of innocence. His story captures a nation and becomes the basis for the hugely popular television series and film, The Fugitive. Years later, after a lengthy investigation of the case, he is freed but not fully exonerated. For the forty years that the case lived in the public eye, it presented a virtual road map to the development and the role of forensic science in criminal investigations.

July 28, 1996. A bloated, decomposing corpse is hauled out of the English Channel. There is little to go on. Police don’t know whether this is a murder, a suicide, or just a tragic accident. They don’t even know who their victim is. Tiny clues and dogged detective work finally identify the body. Trouble is, the "corpse" is still walking around doing business and raising a family. Forensic evidence unlocks a tale of greed, incest, identity fraud, and murder.

Between 1980 and 1988 a triangle in Northeastern France becomes an unlikely field of prey for a serial killer. More than six soldiers are murdered, all with the same MO. Mounting forensic evidence points a finger at Pierre Chanal, but the military refuses to investigate. Chanal is one of the 4th Dragoon Regiment’s most distinguished officers. Who will win the day – science or a man’s reputation?

On June 6, 1996, Darlie Routier places a panicked 911 call – her two young sons have been stabbed by an intruder. She herself has also been wounded. Thus begins a twisted forensic tale that ends with Darlie found guilty of the murders. Today, she sits on death row in a Texas prison. Think that’s the end? Think again.

One night, Las Vegas casino mogul, Ted Binion tells his lawyer: "Take Sandy out of the will, if she doesn't kill me tonight". Next morning, Binion shows up very dead and his girlfriend Sandy is the top suspect. When Sandy's secret lover is caught digging up one of Binion's secret safes hidden in the desert, both are tried and put away for murder. End of story? Hardly. Today, Sandy and boyfriend, Rick Tabish are out free.