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 Kennedys and the Mob

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

Boston Strangler

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.

Murph the Surf

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.

The Hillside Stranglers

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.

Ted Bundy

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.

John Wayne Gacy

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

Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald: The Green Beret Killer

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

The Trial of Adolf Eichmann

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.

City Killer Gangs

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

Jean Harris

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

Howard Hughes Biography Hoax

Charles Starkweather, executed in 1959 for committing 11 murders.

Charles Starkweather

The case of Richard Speck, who was convicted of the 1966 murders of eight nurses and student nurses in Chicago.

Richard Speck

Wayne Williams, convicted of two of the Atlanta child murders that terrorized the city between 1979 and 1981.

Wayne Williams

Examining the battles waged against gangland families by the Gambino organized-crime family, led by "Boss of Bosses" Paul Castellano, until his 1985 assassination that was masterminded by John Gotti.

Mafia Wars

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, whose string of robberies and killings made them two of the most notorious criminals of the 1930s.

Bonnie and Clyde

Profiling crime during Prohibition. Examining Assistant Attorney General Mabel Walker Willebrandt's efforts to curtail bootlegging; battles between ethnic gangs.

Target: Mafia (The Prohibition Years)

Examining  the birth of the American mafia from its origins in Sicily to mob activity during Prohibition. Included: the roles of Al Capone and Charles "Lucky" Luciano; rivalry among Italian, Irish and Jewish gangs.

Target: Mafia (Birth of the American Mafia)

Examining efforts by President Kennedy and his brother Robert to curtail mob activity; the possible link between JFK's assassination and organized crime.

Target: Mafia (The Kennedys and the Mob)

Profiling "gangbusters" such as Harry Anslinger, first commissioner of the Bureau of Narcotics; and Thomas E. Dewey, who successfully prosecuted Charles "Lucky" Luciano on charges of running a prostitution ring.

Target: Mafia (Gangbusters)

Examining mob activity during World War II; the murder of Benjamin Siegel; nightclubs, casinos and racetracks linked to organized crime.

Target: Mafia (Empire of Crime)

A three-part history of mob activity in Philadelphia. [Part 1 of 3] shows how Nicodemo Scarfo gained power by supplying concrete to the growing casino industry in Atlantic City.

Mobfathers, Part 1

Part 2 of a three-part history of mob activity in Philadelphia. [Part 2 of 3] concerns local and Federal government investigations of Nicodemo Scarfo, which led to his imprisonment. Included: Scarfo's operations —from Philadelphia to Florida.

Mobfathers, Part 2

Part 3 of a three-part history of mob activity in Philadelphia. [Part 3 of 3] examines connections between the Sicilian Mafia and the U.S., and the influence of the incarcerated Nicodemo Scarfo on crime in Philadelphia.

Mobfathers, Part 3

Examining highly publicized rape cases, including the 1992 conviction of Mike Tyson for the rape of a beauty-pageant contestant; and the 1983 gang-rape case in New Bedford, Mass., that inspired the 1988 movie "The Accused."

Rape on Trial

A graphic account of the crimes of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer who became, his attorney Gerald Boyle says, "the embodiment of evil." Included: footage from Dahmer's trial; comments from experts on serial murder.

Dahmer: Mystery of a Serial Killer

Back to the 1950's and an era of the "Red Scare" to examine the evidence against Julius and Ethel Rosenberg that led to their conviction of espionage and ultimately both of their executions in 1953.

The Rosenbergs

Examining two arson cases: the 1990 blaze at the Happy Land club in the Bronx, which claimed 87 lives; and the 1944 Hartford Circus fire, in which 168 people were killed. Included: retired firefighter Rick Davey, who investigated the Hartford fire.

Fire Starters

A history of Alcatraz recalls some of the prison's most spectacular breakout attempts, including one that inspired the film "Escape from Alcatraz." Included: the maximum-security prison at Marion, Ill.

Alcatraz: Escaping America's Toughest Prison

Racially motivated crimes in the U.S., such as the murders of three civil-rights workers in Mississippi, and the 1988 beating death of an Ethiopian student in Oregon. Included: comments from attorney Morris Dees.

KKK: Hate Crimes in America

Cases of vigilantism in the U.S., including the 1984 Bernhard Goetz subway shooting in New York City; the 1984 murder of an alleged child molester; and the 1987 torching of a Detroit crack house.

Vigilante Justice

Mobsters in the labor movement; Socks Lanza; Jimmy Hoffa; Willie Bioff and Hollywood; Murder Incorporated.

Target Mafia: Unions and the Mob

Crime summit at Apalachin; Castellano seizes Gambino's power.

Target Mafia: Secrets Unveiled

Federal government battles the mob; Rico statutes; Castellano tapes.

Target Mafia: The Showdown

Prisoners at Alcatraz conspire to escape.

Escape From Alcatraz

The story of the tragic assault on the Branch Davidian compound in Texas and the subsequent efforts to determine the facts and assign blame

Attack at Waco

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 Yorkshire Ripper

An account of how FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone, a.k.a. Donnie Brasco, infiltrated the New York mob in the late 1970s. The undercover operation became the subject of a 1997 feature film starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino. Pistone discusses the operation, various mobsters and the strain on his family.

Donnie Brasco

A look at the twisted mind of Mark David Chapman, the deranged Beatles fan who grew up worshipping John Lennon, then stalked and murdered him in December 1980.

The John Lennon Assassination

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.

Death Row Prostitute: Aileen Wuornos

Hosted by Bill Kurtis, American Justice looks at groundbreaking criminal cases, presenting viewers with an inside look at the case through the eyes of those directly involved, ranging from law enforcement officers to the victims.

All Episodes of American Justice

Browse all episodes of American Justice

Season 1

The Kennedys and the Mob

Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 10/7/1992

Boston Strangler

Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 11/4/1992

Murph the Surf

Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 11/11/1992

The Hillside Stranglers

Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 11/18/1992

Ted Bundy

Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 12/2/1992

John Wayne Gacy

Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 12/16/1992