Back to American Justice
Season 5
34 Episodes1996
A look 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.
Episodes (34)
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Ep 1
Cop Killers
1996-01-17•43m
Notorious recent cases provide the focus for an examination of cop killings and what can be done to protect those in uniform.
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Ep 2
The Chicago Mob
1996-02-07•43m
Chicago crime bosses; Al Capone; Anthony "Joe Batters" Accardo; Sam Giancana; Gus Alex.
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Ep 3
The Sam Sheppard Story
1996-02-15•43m
Dr. Sam Sheppard is convicted of murder in 1954 and retried in the '60s.
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Ep 4
Murder in the Family
1996-03-06•43m
The cases of the Freeman brothers and Jeffrey Howarth highlight an examination of murder in the family.
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Ep 5
Vegas and the Mob
1996-04-10•43m
How Bugsy Siegel and others built a glittering gambling mecca from barren desert; includes an interview with former casino manager Frank Rosenthal.
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Ep 6
Long Island Railroad Massacre
1996-04-24•43m
In 1993 Colin Ferguson methodically shoots passengers aboard a Long Island Railroad commuter
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Ep 7
Bounty Hunters
1996-05-11•43m
Bail bondsmen hire bounty hunters to capture fugitives.
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Ep 8
The Pamela Smart Story
1996-05-25•43m
Schoolteacher Pamela Smart enlists a student to kill her husband.
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Ep 9
John Wayne Gacy: Buried Secrets
1996-06-05•43m
John Wayne Gacy's lawyers discuss the man, the crimes and the case now that his execution has lifted the constraints of their attorney-client privilege.
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Ep 10
When Cops Kill
1996-06-19•43m
Technology creates police weapons designed to stun rather than kill.
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Ep 11
Hot Pursuit
1996-07-17•43m
Strict departmental policies govern high-speed police chases.
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Ep 12
Great Crimes & Trials: John Christie of Rillington Place
1996-07-28•43m
In the 1950s, England reels over the case of serial killer John Christie.
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Ep 13
Denis Nilsen: The Kindly Killer
1996-08-18•43m
A British serial killer lures young men to his apartment and dismembers them.
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Ep 14
Mob Hit Men
1996-08-21•43m
Interviews with Nicholas "The Crow" Caramandi, former hit men and other experts highlight an examination of the mob hit man. Host: Bill Kurtis.
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Ep 15
Bamber Family Murders
1996-08-25•43m
Recalling the Bamber family murder case, considered by some to be almost the perfect crime.
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Ep 16
Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker
1996-09-01•43m
Richard Ramirez rapes, mutilates and tortures more than 25 California victims.
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Ep 17
The Menendez Murders
1996-09-04•43m
Three juries consider the murder cases against Erik and Lyle Menendez.
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Ep 18
Hammersmith Murders: Jack the Stripper
1996-09-22•43m
The murders of six prostitutes end with a man's suicide.
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Ep 19
I Confess
1996-09-25•43m
Confessions play a part in three unique criminal cases; coercion; admissibility.
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Ep 20
James Hanratty: A6 Murder
1996-09-29•43m
After James Hanratty is hanged for a murder, a man confesses to the crime.
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Ep 21
To Catch a Killer: Homicide Detectives
1996-10-02•43m
Profiling the lives of men and women who choose to work as homicide detectives.
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Ep 22
Disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa
1996-10-06•43m
The twisted career and mysterious disappearance of the union boss.
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Ep 23
Caryl Chessman
1996-10-13•43m
Clever criminal who spent the last 12 years of his crusading against execution.
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Ep 24
The McKay Kidnapping
1996-10-20•43m
The cruel story of mistaken identity in the Muriel McKay kidnapping case.
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Ep 25
Black Panther
1996-10-20•43m
A woman is kidnapped and murdered after inheriting a fortune.
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Ep 26
Free to Kill: The Polly Klaas Murder
1996-10-23•43m
The case of Polly Klaas highlights an examination of repeat offenders who are set loose upon society.
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Ep 27
Kennedy Assassination
1996-11-17•43m
Theories abound concerning President Kennedy's death.
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Ep 28
Massacre of the Tsar
1996-11-17•43m
The controversial story of the 1918 murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family
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Ep 29
Death Row Women
1996-11-20•43m
How society ultimately copes with the prospect of executing a woman.
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Ep 30
Neville Heath: The Lady Killer
1996-11-24•43m
Englishman Neville Heath was hanged for murder.
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Ep 31
The Defenders
1996-12-04•43m
The United States is the only country to provide free legal counsel for poor defendants.
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Ep 32
Rise of the Mafia
1996-12-08•43m
An examination of the Gambino crime family and its bloody 30-year war with the other gangland families of New York.
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Ep 101
The Great Midwest Gangs
1996-02-10•43m
In the Depression-torn dust bowl of the 1930s, a new kind of desperado is born. Pretty Boy Floyd, John Dillinger, and Bonnie & Clyde become as well-known and admired as movie stars.
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Ep 102
The Kidnappers
1996-03-09•43m
For bigger payoffs, criminals turn from bank robbery to kidnapping.