A&E Video – 2005

Disc 1: Volume 1

"One Night on the Bayou" – is the southern tale of a child molester’s body that was found wrapped up in a tarp floating in a swamp. Alligators had been eating the body before it could be fished out. Three guys were linked to the killing. Forensics experts and detectives try to narrow it down to who actually murdered the molester. It’s strange because it’s not easy or even necessary to feel sympathy for the deceased (the child molester) but even more bizarre is the difficulty of trying to figure exactly who murdered him. The three suspects are interviewed but no answer is obvious. They each have their own take on what went down, each had a history of crime so how can you trust a killer?

"Killer in the County" - Three young women are murdered in Wichita County, Texas. All three cases go cold. One detective catches the Killer with the help of cheese crackers and a coffee cup.

"Frozen in Time" - 23-year old Denise Huber goes missing after her car breaks down on the side of a freeway in Corona del Mar, California. Three years later her body is found inside a freezer stored in a parked Ryder rental truck in Dewey, Arizona. Police trace the forensic path to figure out the horrific details of how Huber was bludgeoned and sodomized in a Laguna Hills, California storage warehouse, before she was handcuffed, wrapped in plastic and stored in the freezer.

"A Map to Murder" – In St. Louis, Missouri African American prostitutes are getting murdered and the killer is leaving their bodies in desolate areas around town. The police investigate but can’t come up with a suspect. That is until a writer at a local newspaper writes a humane story about one of the slain women and this article incites the killer to respond with a letter. Besides the letter, the killer includes a map detailing where the 17^th victim is located. The writer hands the letter over to the police and they dissect the letter, envelope and the map. Amazingly, Internet Forensics experts are able to trace the map, which was printed out from Expedia, to the home of the killer. The house looks unassuming on the outside but police discover the man’s basement has been used as a torture dungeon and is stocked with videotape recordings of the women he murdered.

"The Zodiac Killer" – This could be the most unusual COLD CASE FILE I’ve seen because the killer was never caught. In the late 60s a man murdered five people and terrorized the city of San Francisco with threats of bombing a school bus and shooting the children as they come out of the bus. The man was described as 5’8, stocky and at times wore a long executioner’s mask with the symbol of the Zodiac on it. He sent letters into the San Francisco newspaper describing his killings and made threats using diagrams showing how he would construct bombs, where he would plant them and how they would disable a school bus. The police had to take these threats seriously, so officers and parents of the children escorted each school bus as the city felt the grip of Zodiac Killer. There was one man who seemed to be the obvious suspect, but after he died one of the policemen had DNA tissue samples taken from his brain and after testing it against the evidence they had from the Zodiac killer, the DNA did not match. Nether did his handwriting comparison to the letters. Authorities believe that the man who acted as the Zodiac Killer is either dead or in prison.

Disc 2: Volume 2

"The Green River Killer" – an episode focusing on the disturbing facts around the case of the Green River Killer. A truck painter named Gary Ridgeway killed 48 women near the area of the Green River (20 miles south of Seattle) in the state Washington. This one really hit home with me because I grew up just North of Seattle when this was happening. The case couldn’t be solved. Ted Bundy contacted Police Officials to tell them what they should do to get the killer. Bundy suggested leaving one of fresh bodies where it was found, because he was certain that the killer would return to see the body and have sex with it. Later when Ridgeway was apprehended, they found out that Bundy was right. It was pretty bizarre to hear that when police went to Ridgeway’s house to arrest him they said, "We are here to arrest you for the Green River killings." Ridgeway’s response was, "Oh, okay."

"Weepy-Voiced Killer" – a 37-year-old man brutally attacks four women in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota area. Right after he attack he calls the police department stating, "Don't talk. Just listen," then proceeds to describe what he’s done nearly crying over the phone. This episode is pretty disturbing as you hear the Weepy-Voiced Killer as he confesses to murder and begs police to make him stop.

"The Lady Killer" – In the mid 70s, a man waits along a wooded trail and ambushes a young mother and smashes her skull in the state of Massachusetts. The killer goes free for nearly 20 years until a new detective is assigned to the case and miraculously uncovers information about a husband and wife who had seen a frightening looking man on the day of the shooting. The detective contacts the couple who are able to pick the man out of a group of suspects and are able to identify the car he was driving, mentioning the dents on the car, which leads to apprehending the murderer.

"Kidnapped" – An 8-year-old boy Chad Choice is abducted from his home one night and a ransom note is sent. The mother has a family member go to the location with a suitcase of money and the cops stake out the Greyhound bus terminal. Nobody ever shows. The case goes cold until the family receives a package that contains a chilling note and the boy’s skull. At this point police have no leads to the kidnapper and it ends up taking years before two bank robbers get caught and spill the beans on a fellow criminal, who ends up being a friend of the boys family. It is very emotional seeing the boy’s mother state with complete conviction that she doesn’t believe in the death penalty and that killing the kidnapper wouldn’t bring back her son. It must be added that the family has created an outreach program called "Chad’s Home" which focuses on helping young children who are physically and emotionally abused.

"Love Triangle" – a young man moves from Nebraska to San Diego. He’s there a little over a year before striking up a relationship with a young Asian girl. Unbeknownst to the man the young woman is already in a relationship with a hotheaded married man. The case goes cold until the two lovers who murdered the man start pointing fingers at each other and implicate each other responsible.

As my wife and I were watching the DVD, we felt there were many places that A&E could have inserted extras that would have given the viewer the opportunity to learn more about each particular case. As it is the DVD comes with no extras of any kind, which in today’s DVD climate is something that leaves most DVD buyers cold.

Bill Kurtis brings real authority to this show. The tone of his voice along with his ability to tell these stories brings real creditability to the show. In comparison to the image you normal see on TV, the DVD picture is stunning. Crystal clear with rich colors, this is real upgrade in terms of picture and the audio stands out as well.