Could a strapping prep school athlete have been so afraid for his life that he strangled his sex partner as an act of self-defense during a late-night tryst? That was the question posed to jurors the winter of 1988 during the 'Preppy Killer' murder trial in New York City.

What happens to a young child who murders? The answer largely depends on whether they're tried as a juvenile or as an adult. And, in 33 of the 50 states, there's no minimum age for prosecuting child offenders, which means you can prosecute 3-year-olds.

Most people know Amber Alerts as child-abduction emergency notifications that help law enforcement find missing kids. But the tragic abduction and murder case behind the notorious alert system was never solved—and police are still looking for clues.

Before they're caught, serial killers often fly under-the-radar. But just because police and the public aren't aware of a killing spree, doesn't mean it isn't happening. We look at five unsolved serial killer cases, the murders connected to them and some of the information we do (and don't) know.

Lee Boyd Malvo, part of the D.C. Sniper duo who terrorized the D.C. area in a series of murders, is serving life in prison without parole. But Malvo, who was 17 at the time of the killing spree, may be up for parole in 2022 due to a new Virginia state law.

After escaping a Colorado jail in December 1977, serial killer Ted Bundy fled to Tallahassee, Florida, and went on a rampage, attacking and killing sleeping coeds at the Chi Omega sorority house at Florida State University. One of the survivors of that attack, Kathy Kleiner, spoke with us about getting over her mistrust of men and how authorities can help victims.

Derrick Jamison, who spent 20 years in prison for murder before being exonerated on his execution day, and Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, tell us what it's like in the final hours leading up to an execution.

Ethan Brown, a reporter who spent years investigating the murders of eight sex workers in Jennings, Louisiana and wrote the book 'Murder in the Bayou,' says there's credible evidence to suggest that several offenders have blood on their hands, and that Jefferson Davis Parish's own law enforcement may be implicated in the crimes.

The true crime audience skews largely female, sparking some to question why the genre is so popular among some women. But in Rachel Monroe's book 'Savage Appetites,' she reverses that gaze, turning the lens toward four women who she thinks embody or challenge four classic archetypes of the genre: Detective, Victim, Defender and Killer.

On August 20, 1989, brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez killed their wealthy parents, Jose and Kitty, with a shotgun in their Beverly Hills home. Upon the 30 year anniversary of the murders, we take a look back on the most memorable moments from the intriguing double-murder trial.