Episode
Forensic Files: Within a Hair
Overview
A look back at the case of the River Park Rapist, who sexually assaulted four women in South Bend, IN, during 1996. Law enforcement officers arrested Richard Alexander, who was convicted in 1998 and sentenced to 70 years in prison. In 2001, Michael Murphy confessed to one of the two rapes of which Alexander had been convicted and forensic developments reveal new facts about the case.
Details
- Series
- Forensic Files
- Season
- Season 7
- Episode
- Episode 16
- Air date
- 2002-07-31
- Runtime
- 23 min
Episode context
Within a Hair is Episode 16 in Season 7 of Forensic Files. It aired on 2002-07-31. The runtime is 23 min.
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Episode 15: Partners in Crime
How Illinois scientists solved a 1992 murder case involving cremation. It takes a long time and a very hot fire to cremate a human body, and thus destroy all evidence of foul play, but the coroner who performed the autopsy on the badly burned body of Charles "Jack" Lynch found telltale clues. Not only had the victim been burned, he’d also been stabbed -- 24 times, with two different knives. Police knew that a person, acting alone, would probably use only one weapon. So investigators were on the lookout for a couple of killers.
Episode 17: Chief Evidence
The 1996 Seattle murder of suburban couple Raquel Rivera and Jay Johnson is detailed. Investigators first believe the slayings were the result of a drug deal gone bad. However, no drugs are found in the house and the victims' blood isn't present on the clothing of the suspects. Evidence from the couple's dog Chief, who was also killed, eventually ties one of the murderers to the scene. This is one of the first cases where dog DNA was used to convict.
More episodes from this season
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Episode 18: A Bitter Pill to Swallow
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Episode 13: A Touching Recollection
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Episode 19: Sip of Sins
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Episode 12: Scout's Honor
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Episode 20: Telltale Tracks
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Episode 11: A Clutch of Witnesses
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Episode 21: Ghost in the Machine
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Episode 10: Without a Prayer
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Episode 22: Frozen in Time
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