8.6/1012 votesLoading...#1 - Susan Smith: Someone Stole My Babies (Part 1)
Season 4 Episode 5 - Aired 8/25/2019
On October 25, 1994, Susan Smith reports that a carjacker has abducted her two young sons, Michael and Alexander. This report sets off a nationwide search for the boys. While the world waits for news about the boys, investigators deliver shocking news.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.5/1010 votesLoading...
#2 - Susan Smith: The Shocking Truth (Part 2)
Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 8/25/2019
For nine days, the nation waits for news as to the whereabouts of missing 3-year-Michael and 14-month-old Alex Smith. Then, there's a shocking break in the case. The boys' father, David, shares his heartbreaking story.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.5/106 votesLoading...
#3 - Gardner Art Heist: Stealing Beauty
Season 8 Episode 5 - Aired 5/19/2024
Saint Patrick's Day 1990, robbers stormed Boston's Gardner Museum, making off with 13 priceless artworks, never to be recovered. Valued at half a billion dollars, the whereabouts of the missing pieces remain a mystery.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.3/1019 votesLoading...
#4 - The Menendez Brothers: Murder in Beverly Hills: The Aftermath
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 1/27/2017
Lyle Menendez speaks from behind bars to Chris Cuomo, more than 25 years after he and his brother Erik were convicted of first degree murder.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.2/1014 votesLoading...
#5 - The Bombing of Oklahoma City: The Explosion (Part 1)
Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 9/15/2019
On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh, a 26-year-old U.S. army veteran, detonated a 7,000 pound truck bomb outside the Alfred Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, claiming the lives of 168 innocent people.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.2/1013 votesLoading...
#6 - The Bombing of Oklahoma City: McVeigh's Shocking Confession (Part 2)
Season 4 Episode 10 - Aired 9/15/2019
In an exclusive prison interview, Timothy McVeigh himself describes how events in his personal life - and in the ever-changing world around him - inspired him to take action against his fellow Americans.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.1/1022 votesLoading...
#7 - The Menendez Brothers: Murder in Beverly Hills, Part 1
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 1/27/2017
HLN highlights the shocking motive that turned these brothers into killers.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.1/1013 votesLoading...
#8 - Ted Bundy Part 3: The Murder Trials
Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 10/14/2018
The murder trials and appeals. Ted Bundy helped prepare his own defense, but would his amateur lawyering help him beat the rap or send him to the electric chair?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.1/1013 votesLoading...
#9 - Ted Bundy Part 4: The Death Row Confessions
Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 10/14/2018
Ted Bundy maintains his innocence. As the clock wound down on his final death warrant, Ted Bundy made a last attempt to save his life. He began to talk. Were his confessions too late or a could this save him from the electric chair?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.1/1014 votesLoading...
#10 - Finding Susan Powell: What the Children Saw (Part 2)
Season 6 Episode 2 - Aired 3/14/2021
Authorities search for missing mother of two, Susan Powell, in every nook and cranny of the desert in Western Utah while her friends and family wait for a break in the case. Her husband Josh is named a person of interest as suspicion about his involvement in her disappearance grows. He and his father wage a counter-attack and a war between Susan and Josh's families erupts in the glare of the public spotlight. Shocking revelations about Josh and his family come to light--evidence of violence, obsession and sexual perversion. The family drama leads up to a shocking and unimaginable conclusion.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.1/109 votesLoading...
#11 - Titanic (1): A Clear and Starry Night
Season 8 Episode 1 - Aired 4/28/2024
The fateful Titanic shipwreck of 1912 intertwines with a recent underwater OceanGate voyage that cost more human lives. Interviews with historians, wreck analysts, and descendants of Titanic passengers shed light on both tragedies.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/1010 votesLoading...
#12 - Prince: The End
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 2/10/2017
Uncovering Prince's secret struggles from his earlier years to the final days leading up to his shocking death.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/1016 votesLoading...
#13 - Capturing the Unabomber
Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 4/7/2017
David Kaczynski, the brother of convicted Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, discusses the hunt that led to the capture of his infamous sibling.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/1017 votesLoading...
#14 - The Strange Case of the Killer Nanny
Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 11/12/2017
An eight-month-old baby is fatally injured while in the care of a family's au pair, Louise Woodward. Was it child abuse or a tragic accident? Doctors suspect the former, a case of 'shaken impact syndrome,' and detectives arrest the infant's 19-year-old British nanny who cared for him in the hours and minutes before his demise. But, was the baby's death a case of intentional murder or a tragic accident that occurred under Woodward's watch?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/1011 votesLoading...
#15 - Jodi Arias Part 1: Sex, Lies and Photographs
Season 3 Episode 5 - Aired 10/21/2018
Jodi Arias is a small town waitress and aspiring photographer. Travis Alexander is a handsome, devout Mormon and successful businessman. Almost two years after their romance began, Travis was found brutally murdered in his shower at home.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/1011 votesLoading...
#16 - David Cassidy: Fatal Secret
Season 4 Episode 8 - Aired 9/8/2019
Actor-musician David Cassidy ("The Partridge Family") experiences the pressures of fame as a teen idol in the 1970s. In the end, his death is surrounded by mystery, leaving his family, friends and fans with more questions than answers.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/1015 votesLoading...
#17 - The Boston Marathon: Reconstructing the Crime Scene Pt. 1
Season 5 Episode 7 - Aired 9/13/2020
On April 15th, 2013, two bombs explode during the iconic Boston Marathon, killing three spectators and injuring hundreds of others. In a race against time, investigators, using state-of-the-art technology, circulate images to the public of the two suspects dubbed "black hat" and "white hat."
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/1015 votesLoading...
#18 - The Boston Marathon: The Manhunt Pt. 2
Season 5 Episode 8 - Aired 9/13/2020
With the Boston Bombing suspects identified as domestic terrorist brothers, the manhunt begins, a terrifying crime spree ensues, and new information sheds light on the heinous crime.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/107 votesLoading...
#19 - Lorena Bobbitt: Tick Tick Boom
Season 7 Episode 8 - Aired 10/2/2022
In the dark hours of June 23, 1993, in Manassas, Virginia, a man lies fast asleep on his bed, while a woman looms over his prone body with a kitchen knife and proceeds to slice off his manhood. A stunning end to the broken marriage of Lorena and John Bobbitt, but what outrageous situation led two young people to a horrifying silent scream in the night?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/107 votesLoading...
#20 - Titanic (2): The Last Moments
Season 8 Episode 2 - Aired 4/28/2024
Recent scientific advances have uncovered new secrets around the Titanic sinking, challenging previous notions about the ship's fate. This chapter continues to analyze the wreck and a recent underwater expedition that claimed more lives.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/105 votesLoading...
#21 - Oscar Pistorius: The Bladerunner
Season 8 Episode 4 - Aired 5/12/2024
The shocking killing of Reeva Steenkamp by Olympic superstar Oscar Pistorius on Valentine's Day 2013 shattered the illusion of a storybook romance between a celebrated Hollywood couple. Was it a terrible accident or a callous murder?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/1010 votesLoading...
#22 - DC Madam: The Woman Who Knew Too Much
Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 4/21/2017
Deborah Jean Palfrey threatened to expose names on her client list and was found hanging on her mother's property.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/1020 votesLoading...
#23 - The Casey Anthony Story Part 1
Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 10/15/2017
In 2008, two-year-old Florida toddler, Caylee Anthony, vanishes. Her mother, Casey Anthony tells investigators Caylee has been kidnapped by her nanny, a woman Casey's family has never actually seen. But why?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/1018 votesLoading...
#24 - Did Scott Peterson Murder Laci? (Part 1)
Season 2 Episode 10 - Aired 12/10/2017
A tale of murder, adultery, courtroom drama, and ultimately the death penalty. The story of Scott and Laci Peterson as told by those who lived it. Did Scott Peterson murder Laci?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/1014 votesLoading...
#25 - Ted Bundy Part 2: Ted Escapes
Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 10/7/2018
While serving time for aggravated kidnapping in Utah and facing first degree murder charges in Colorado, Ted Bundy escaped not once but twice from authorities.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of How It Really Happened
Every episode of How It Really Happened ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of How It Really Happened!
Jesse L. Martin takes an in-depth look at some of the most notorious crimes, mysteries, trials and celebrity tragedies of our time.
Genres:CrimeMysteryDocumentary
Best Episodes Summary
"Susan Smith: Someone Stole My Babies (Part 1)" is the best rated episode of "How It Really Happened". It scored 8.6/10 based on 12 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 8/25/2019. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Susan Smith: The Shocking Truth (Part 2)".