American Justice

The 1978 mass suicide of followers of Rev. Jim Jones, a cult leader who founded Jonestown in Guyana for the work of his People's Temple. Also: the murder of Rep. Leo J. Ryan, who was investigating allegations made by temple members.

The police investigation of "The Boston Strangler," who murdered 13 women from 1962 to 1964. Included: techniques such as psychic consultation and hypnosis.

Profiling Jack Murphy, a.k.a. "Murph the Surf," who was convicted of stealing the Star of India sapphire and other precious gems from New York's American Museum of Natural History in 1964.

Profiling the case of two American serial killers who terrorized Los Angeles between October 1977 and February 1978, with their nicknames originating from the fact that many of the victims' bodies were discovered on the sides of the Hollywood Hills.

Profiling the case of Ted Bundy, who was executed in 1989 for several murders and who was suspected of killing 25 women in six states.

Profiling the case of John Wayne Gacy Jr., who was convicted in 1980 of murdering 33 young men and boys and who was executed by the state of Illinois in 1994.

Examining the case in which a man's wife and children were brutally murdered, he claimed, by drug-crazed hippies.

Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi official captured by Israeli agents in 1960 and taken to Israel to be tried for war crimes.

Organized crime during the Prohibition era, including profiles of Al Capone, Bugs Moran and Lucky Luciano. Brooklyn DA Charles J. Hynes joins host Bill Kurtis.

The case of Jean Harris, the former headmistress convicted of murdering her lover, Dr. Herman Tarnower, in 1980.

Recalling a hoax in the 1970s involving an alleged authorized biography of Howard Hughes by Clifford Irving.

Charles Starkweather, executed in 1959 for committing 11 murders.

Charles Whitman kills his mother and wife, then fires from a University of Texas tower.

Prominent cases show how police deal with hostage situations.

Profiles of people who have been falsely accused and imprisoned.

In 1950 the Brinks robbery nets $2.8

How the American legal system deals with fugitives, focusing on John List, a killer who eluded the FBI for more than a decade.

Capital punishment; Caryl Chessman; Gary Gilmore; Sister Helen Prejean ministers to death-row inmates.

Quiz-show scandals of the '50s; Clifford Irving's "biography" of Howard Hughes; Tawana Brawley.

The abductions of biathlete Kari Swenson and Exxon executive Sidney Reso are used to explore how law enforcement agencies respond to kidnappings.

The FBI adapts methods to catch racketeers; "most-wanted" list; wiretapping.

Celebrity and equal justice; director John Landis; James Brown; Zsa Zsa Gabor; Christian Brando..

Espionage and national security; Walker family spy ring; Jonathan Pollard and Israel; double agents.

Frank Ragano defends Santo Trafficante, Jimmy Hoffa; Bruce Cutler defends John Gotti.

Notorious recent cases provide the focus for an examination of cop killings and what can be done to protect those in uniform.

Chicago crime bosses; Al Capone; Anthony "Joe Batters" Accardo; Sam Giancana; Gus Alex.

Dr. Sam Sheppard is convicted of murder in 1954 and retried in the '60s.

The cases of the Freeman brothers and Jeffrey Howarth highlight an examination of murder in the family.

How Bugsy Siegel and others built a glittering gambling mecca from barren desert; includes an interview with former casino manager Frank Rosenthal.

In 1993 Colin Ferguson methodically shoots passengers aboard a Long Island Railroad commuter

Chronicling the case of the Yorkshire Ripper, a serial killer who preyed upon young women (some of them prostitutes) in the 1970s. A manhunt led to the arrest of Peter Sutcliffe, who was convicted of 13 murders in 1981.

The DEA uses informants and undercover agents in a war against drugs.

Five cases where eyewitness identification played a vital role illustrate its fallibility.

Teenage Amy Fisher shoots the wife of her lover Joey Buttafuoco.

British manhunt results in the 1966 capture of John Duddy, John Witney and Harry Roberts.

Serial killer Richard Ramirez surprises his victims in their homes.

DNA evidence finally proves the innocence of Gary Dotson, a man sentenced to prison for the rape of a woman who admitted she had falsely accused him.

The impeachment process.

Aileen Carol "Lee" Wuornos was an American serial killer and prostitute who murdered seven men in Florida in 1989 and 1990 by shooting them at point-blank range.

The marriage of David Davis and Shannon Mohr comes to an abrupt end when Shannon is killed in what was believed to have been a horseback-riding accident.

The story of the former Delaware prosecutor who was sentenced to death for the murder of his ex-lover.

Hospital worker Robert Diaz is convicted of killing 12 patients by giving them an overdose of a common heart-regulating drug.

Barbara Stager is convicted of murdering her second husband after being acquitted of killing her first.

An examination into the recent outbursts of violence in schools with a focus on the 1998 shooting spree in Jonesboro, Ark.

Former high-school wrestling star Alex Kelly spends eight years as a fugitive in Europe, charged with the rape of two teenage girls in 1986.

Relatives sue after a husband hires a hit man to kill his wife, quadriplegic son and the boy's

How the double-jeopardy law prevented confessed killer Melvin Ignatow from serving time in the death of his fiance.

A mother seeks to uncover the truth behind her son's strange disappearance and his involvement in criminal activities.

The life of Teena Brandon, a drifter who lived as a man, is the basis for the movie "Boys Don't Cry."

The young British nanny cared for Matthew Eappen, who died aged eight months. The case gripped the world and she was convicted of manslaughter.

After serving time for several murder attempts, a woman is free on parole.

A killer goes on a murder spree while in the witness-protection program.

Ronald Cotton was freed after 11 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, thanks to DNA evidence that cleared his name, and he later became friends with the victim.

The tale of Alvin Ridley who was suspected of murder after his wife, who no one knew existed for 30 years, allegedly died in her sleep.

A surprise witness helps to crack open a mysterious hit-and-run murder case.

When the charred remains of a wealthy Las Vegas real estate developer are discovered, suspicion falls on the least likely of suspects: his sweet, gentle wife who doesn't look anything like a killer.

Two men on trial for killing an elderly man claim that he had abused his family for decades.

An Ohio teenager turns up in the trunk of her car six days after being reported missing.

A national advocate of health-care reform is accused of trying to keep her child deathly

A defense attorney persuades an appeals court to issue a highly unusual ruling in the trial of a doctor convicted of killing elderly patients.

A confession can harm a defendant's case in the justice system.

An ex-boyfriend kills a bride on her wedding day.

Phoenix police suspect three men in the robbery of an armoured van.

Did Brian Eftenoff force wife Judi to overdose on cocaine? Or was she simply a drug addict who took one gamble too many? The evidence is examined.

Scot Kenny Richey was jailed in America for murder. Despite evidence of his innocence all appeals have been denied and his execution date is just months away.

When police arrested Erika and Benjamin Sifrit for hustling, they found guns, knives and the ID of a missing couple. Both claimed the other was a brutal killer.

In 1990, Stacey Lannert shot and killed her unconscious father as he lay drunk. She claims she snapped after years of sexual abuse. Does she belong in jail?

A teacher is accused of recruiting teens to kill her husband.

Men serving time for the rape and murder of a young woman in Hawaii maintain their innocence.

A deputy sheriff's dispute with a Texas woman ends in her death.

Crusading attorney Juliet Yackel tries to save her client, Darnell Williams, from execution.

An Ohio man is convicted of murder after his girlfriend, a former cheerleader, disappears.

A man recants his partial confession to the murder of his parents.

An electrician is convicted of bludgeoning an investment banker to death.

A shooting victim's husband takes out an extraordinary amount of life insurance on her before the incident.

When 19-year-old aspiring artist Sarah Stern goes missing just weeks before Christmas 2016, investigators initially suspect she may have committed suicide or run away from

Beloved 60-year-old chiropractor Mary Yoder falls violently ill and is rushed to the hospital; two days later, she dies, leaving her family and friends in a state of stunned disbelief; Mary's autopsy report reveals she didn't die of natural causes.

On October 20, 2014, white Chicago PD Officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shoots 17-year-old African American Laquan McDonald in an act that he and the Chicago PD called self-defense.

In February 2014, Houston police receive a tip from a conscientious bail bondsman that a murder-for-hire plot is in the works and a woman's life may be in danger.

When 18-year-old Conrad Roy is found asphyxiated in his pickup truck, his death is quickly ruled a suicide; as detectives retrace Conrad's final moments, texts left on his cell phone reveal a toxic romance between him and Michelle Carter.

In 2012, 37-year-old single mother Cari Farver mysteriously vanishes into thin air; by the time police piece together the shocking, twisted truth behind her disappearance, one woman is dead and another woman stands accused of her murder.

When two separate cases run cold for women who have been abducted and murdered, it takes the courage of a third unsuspecting victim, to unveil a killer hiding in plain

When an up-and-coming defense attorney is murdered in her office, her colleagues vow to seek justice and "make this

Small town detectives are frightened by what may come next after a young girl is brutally murdered in the woods; with a chance encounter and a digital trail, they must catch the child murderer at large.

When a local deputy sheriff's pregnant daughter is shot and killed in her bed, the search for answers gets personal, as investigators suspect a killer close to home.

When a loving wife and mother is found stabbed to death inside her home, a team of investigators dedicate eight years to finding her killer. Ultimately, an undercover sting operation uncovers a world of lies, betrayal, and

When a 13-year-old girl goes missing and is found murdered, virtual evidence she leaves behind leads to two shocking arrests.