In Dallas, Detective Eddie Ibarra used surveillance video to track down Jose Castro who was accused of brutally murdering a fifty-one year-old woman in the lobby of her office building. Castro now faced the death penalty, but his defense team would come up with an unexpected counter argument that could change the outcome of the case.

In San Antonio, TX, Det. Tim Angell and his partners find a nameless man beaten to death floating in a creek. They must race to identify the victim and find anyone who may have known him. And in Phoenix, Det. Mike Polk and his team painstakingly reconstruct the final hours of a man found dead hogtied in a hotel room.

Ashes and Snow: A strangled woman is found in a partially burned car. Backyard Murder: A murder is born from a gun sale that went wrong.

In Dallas, Texas in 2007 Darell Billingsela was charged with brutally attacking and killing twenty-two-year old Jessica Lewalling in a jealous rage. Billingslea was a two-time convicted murderer out on parole. Prosecutor Jennifer Bennett was determined to make sure Billingslea would not slip through the system again. And, in February 2007, thirty-six-year old Antoine, “Tony” Hamilton was found shot dead, and left behind a vacant house. His friend, Carlos Mitchell, confessed to the crime. Prosecutor Jenni Morse thought she had a slam dunk case–until the verdict in a similar case shook her confidence in getting a conviction.

In November 2006, Dallas detectives investigated the murder of a twenty-nine-year-old mother of four, found burned beyond recognition in her car behind a remote warehouse. Detectives soon discovered that the victim’s former boyfriend and father of her infant son, had been stalking her for months, leading up to her death. After tracking down two homeless witnesses and finding a piece of crucial evidence, police were able to charge James Bartley with capital murder. The Dallas DA’s office was responsible for bringing the case to a close. In order to do that successfully, the prosecutor and her investigator had to keep close tabs on their key homeless witnesses for years, while the cased awaited trial. When Bartley finally stood trial in 2009, the prosecution worried the jury wouldn’t believe the testimony of two homeless crack addicts and find the evidence insufficient to prove Bartley guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Suspects in the case of a cab driver who was robbed and murdered face their day in court.

Now that some of our strongest cases have been adjudicated, we can take viewers inside the powerful and dramatic events that unfolded after the arrest, up to and including the conviction.

Now that some of our strongest cases have been adjudicated, we can take viewers inside the powerful and dramatic events that unfolded after the arrest, up to and including the conviction.

Cases involving a football game murder and a shooting at an illegal dentist office go to court.

In 2008, 19-year old Mikael Hudson was shot in Texas, two suspects were arrest. In 2005, Virginia Rodriguez was murdered, and her husband was caught and extradited to the US, but Prosecutor Treena Kay had concerns about getting a conviction.

University of Memphis football star Taylor Bradford was killed in his beloved Lincoln Town Car. At first police thought the motive was robbery. Then as they investigated, a love triangle emerged. Finally four men were charged with Bradford’s murder. The first to go on trial wasn’t even at the crime scene. Could prosecutors convince a jury to find him guilty of murder?

In September of 2010, Jessie Dotson went on trial for one of the worst mass murders in Memphis history. He wasn’t accused of killing strangers–he was brother, friend and uncle to the six people he’d allegedly murdered and three surviving children he’d allegedly beaten and stabbed. Even seasoned detectives were horrified by the bloody crime scene. Now, all of Memphis wanted an answer to the same question: How could only one man be responsible for such brutal carnage?

When a robbery goes bad in south Memphis, one man is dead and very little physical evidence is left at the scene. Detectives track down several witnesses, but the one person who saw the shooting was a 10-year-old boy. Fast forward five years to a dramatic murder trial. The witness is now 15 and well aware of the dangers of testifying. Will he do the right thing? Or not…

A Louisville, Kentucky family awakes before dawn as a barrage of gunfire rips through their home. When the smoke clears, three teenage boys are bleeding from bullet wounds. One would not survive. The lives of two others would be forever altered. Now, a family friend with violent tendencies stands trial for the shooting, but a lack of eyewitnesses threatens to derail the whole case. Will a jury find him guilty or will the angry suspect walk free?

Detectives link Martin Seay to several killings–but he only goes on trial for one. The state’s key witness is his former girlfriend, Kandi Hawkins. Hawkins was paralyzed from the neck down when Seay ordered a hit on her. Will her testimony be enough to convict the ruthless killer?

Fifteen-year-old Juanita Payne was killed outside a party by a stray round from an AK-47. Detectives arrest a man they are sure is the killer. But the case begins to fall apart soon after. Will the alleged killer walk free?

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.

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 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 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 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 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.

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.

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?

In Harris County, Texas, an innocent fifteen year old is heartlessly murdered by another teenager during a robbery. But when witnesses to the crime are shown photos of the killer, they fail to identify him. Will he get away with murder? And in Memphis, Tennessee, an innocent bystander, trying to break up a fight is killed when he is caught in the crossfire. But the more police question the suspect in the shooting, the more he adamantly proclaims his innocence. Did the police actually have the wrong man?