After the First 48

A brutal shooting in Memphis leaves a single mom mourning her only son. The main suspect is a high-ranking gang member. Will his violent reputation keep witnesses from testifying? Then–a Birmingham motorist calls 911 in the middle of the night after his car is run off the road. But when responders arrive, they find the caller shot dead. A lone eyewitness steps forward, but will his testimony be enough to convince a jury to convict?

When a popular local celebrity in Louisville is murdered during a drug deal, homicide detectives Brenda Wescott and John Lesher search for his killer. Lashawn “Shizz” Talbert created a popular dance called “The Shizz.” In August, 2010 he was driven to a drug deal by a local club promoter named David Curd. They drove to a quiet neighborhood and met a dealer named Kenneth Brown. Brown claimed that Talbert robbed him at gunpoint. Detectives unravel the case and learn about the role of Curd. And in an exclusive interview after his trial, Brown claims self-defense.

In Memphis, TN, Lt. Caroline Mason revisits the 2007 homicide of a 19-year-old man shot to death during a street fight that got out of hand. But when 26-year-old DeMario Thomas went to trial in 2009, the victim’s mother surprised everyone. While in Louisville, KY, a prosecutor’s case comes close to collapse when an unforeseen twist of fate threatens to let an alleged murderer walk.

In Miami, Detective Freddie Ponce arrests a man who tortured and killed his childhood friend. The case is strong–until an unexpected event in the first days of trial puts the whole thing in jeopardy. In Birmingham, a young mother is killed in front of her children. The killer is a young woman with no criminal history. Will this unlikely defendant win the jury’s sympathy–and a verdict of self-defense?

In January of 2009, Louisville resident Billy Wagner was killed in the street by a single bullet to the back of the head. After nearly two weeks, Det. Rick Arnold charged 20-year-old Gary Lindsey with murder, but the story was far from over. At trial, a young prosecutor faced off against a power veteran defense attorney. And the jury had to decide: Was the killing self-defense or murder?

In 2009, John Craig Froelich, II was shot and killed while taking his girlfriend to buy drugs in south Houston. Sgt. Craig Clopton charged the shooter and his girlfriend with capital murder. Without forensic evidence, prosecutor Terrence Windham had to rely on three eyewitnesses who all had credibility issues. Would the jury believe them on the stand? Or would the shooter walk?

In Memphis, a 79-year-old man is shot dead. When the young man accused of the killing comes to trial, his defense attorney argues an unusual defense. Also, a female tattoo artist is killed in her shop. The alleged shooter faces the death penalty.

In 2008 Mohamed Abdelrahman, a Darfurian immigrant, was killed in his store during a robbery. Det. Arnold charged three suspects with his murder. Mohamed’s widow watches and worries that the jury will let her husband’s alleged killers go free.