Everything is bigger in Texas, even the crime. The Lone Star state is home to some of the most brutal crimes in the country, and the most bizarre and …
In July 2018, the manhunt for a summer spree killer terrorizing the city of Houston became a race against time. First, a woman in her sixties was robbed and shot to death inside her home. Not long after, two workers at separate mattress stores were violently killed. Police connected the murders with other violent robberies after seeing the attacker’s movements documented on video. See how the search for a dangerous fugitive came to a dramatic end - and how his rampage exposed cracks in the criminal justice system.
In June of 1982, a successful Houston attorney, James Campbell, and his wife of 40 years, Virginia, were shot to death in their bed. With no witnesses and only allegations of family greed, the murder remained unsolved for years. Police suspected the victims' youngest daughter Cindy and her boyfriend, David West - but both had alibis the police could not crack. Until, West began dating someone new - someone who was actually a private investigator working undercover.
On Halloween 1985, 11-year-old Mary Stiles went to school dressed in a Care Bear costume. It was the last time anyone in her family ever saw her. That night, Mary vanished from her apartment complex in Baytown, Texas. Just days later, police began to receive bizarre letters from her killer, containing riddles and a map that ultimately led them to her body. Her violent murder sent shockwaves through her community, as police revealed what happened to her - and the identity of a killer no one expected.
In 1979, a series of horrific killings terrified Houston and left detectives baffled. Five young people were violently slain – and in some cases, their bodies were left headless. For more than 45 years, the families of those five victims have lived with the heartache of not knowing who killed their loved ones in such a gruesome way. Today, detectives are still searching for answers – was there a serial decapitator in Houston back in 1979, or was more than one killer involved?
It was supposed to be a fun night out. 21-year-old Andy Atkinson and 22-year-old Cheryl Henry had their whole lives ahead of them and just started dating each other in August of 1990. But one night, they never returned from a night out dancing. It wasn’t long before Houston Police made a gruesome discovery in an area known as Lovers’ Lane. Cheryl had been sexually assaulted and stabbed to death. Andy had been tied to a tree and was nearly decapitated. 35 years later, their families are still searching for an answer - who killed Cheryl and Andy?
In the summer of 2003, the quadruple murder of four teenagers left the Houston suburb of Clear Lake stunned. Rachael Koloroutis, Tiffany Rowell, Marcus Precella and Adelbert Sanchez had just graduated high school and were looking forward to starting college - until someone shot the four friends to death at a house party. The case went cold for several years, until a tip led police to a teen girl whose life had transformed throughout high school. Christine Paolilla suffered from alopecia and was bullied growing up. But after two of the victims befriended her, she became popular in school and was even voted "Miss Irresistible" by her senior class. Still, police believe she became jealous - and one night, decided to turn on her friends.