Episode
Forensic Files: Over a Barrel
Overview
California police had several suspects in the robbery and brutal murder of an elderly couple. Unfortunately, the forensic evidence was inconclusive, and the crime went unsolved. Ten years later, a determined forensic scientist used material from a dentist's office to uncover ballistic evidence which had been overlooked. He not only solved the crime, he also made scientific history.
Details
- Series
- Forensic Files
- Season
- Season 9
- Episode
- Episode 14
- Air date
- 2004-08-24
- Runtime
- 23 min
Episode context
Over a Barrel is Episode 14 in Season 9 of Forensic Files. It aired on 2004-08-24. The runtime is 23 min.
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Episode 13: A Daughter's Journey
Haunted by the disappearance of her mother some twenty years earlier, a young woman undertook an investigation of her own. Her mother's diary was in the now cold case file; there, in her mother's own handwriting, she discovered a dark family secret, which might have been the reason her mother vanished.
Episode 15: Pinned by the Evidence
After a street fight took the life of a national wrestling champion, police had to determine if he was killed in cold blood, or in self-defense. A jury decided it was murder, and sentenced the accused to a minimum of twenty years in prison. Six years later, he was granted another trial; a forensic animator, who testified on his behalf, offered a different explanation for the most damning piece of evidence. [also marked as S9:E17]
More episodes from this season
Episode 12: Financial Downfall
A vibrant young woman falls to her death from a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean In what appears to be a tragic accident; a forensic examination of photographs taken at the scene tell a different story. [also marked as S9:E14]
Episode 16: Cries Unheard
A 19-year-old woman was found dead in her car; the scene had been staged to appear to be suicide. During their investigation, police discovered the victim was involved in a love quadrangle, giving several people motive to kill. The killer's identity would be revealed by a piece of evidence found in a suspect's trash. [also marked as S9:E18]
Episode 11: Making the Collar
The body of 16-year-old Leanne Tiernan is discovered nine months after she disappeared. Forensic scientists find clues that paint a virtual portrait of her killer. [also marked as S9:E13]
Episode 17: Buried Treasure
A man disappears one year to the day after beginning an affair with his friend's wife. 15 years later, with the help of a metal detector, police found evidence which would prove what had happened, and who was responsible.
Episode 10: Head Games
A young couple decided to celebrate their first wedding anniversary with a camping trip to Mount Hood. During the trip, the husband was shot and killed, and his wife told two different versions of the events which led to his death. Forensic psychiatry finally enabled her to distinguish fact from fiction, and the evidence from ballistics tests allowed investigators to determine what really happened.
Episode 18: Badge of Betrayal
The body of a young California co-ed was found under an isolated ramp of the Interstate, and San Diego police had no idea who would want this girl dead. But their questions would be answered when they discovered a tiny, unique fiber on the victim's clothing, which led them straight to the most unlikely of killers.
Episode 9: Stick 'em Up
Residents of Noel, Missouri were stunned to learn that their bank had been robbed and the bank president was missing. His body was later found floating in a lake, securely bound to a chair with duct tape. When the tape was carefully reassembled using a technique known as end match analysis, investigators discovered one piece was missing. It would be that piece, and tips from concerned citizens, which would solve the crime.
Episode 19: Deadly Matrimony
A go-go dancer told her family she needed to get away for a while, and then she simply disappeared. Investigators were suspicious, because she took neither her car nor her clothes. The next twenty years passed slowly, and the family began to think they might never know what happened until they received a phone call which changed everything.
Episode 8: Bad Medicine
A young woman suddenly becomes critically ill; her symptoms worsen over time, eventually leaving her unable to walk. Then a bone marrow test reveals arsenic poisoning. Investigators had to determine if it is due to groundwater contamination or something much more sinister.
Episode 20: Muddy Waters
A Colorado hunter who'd been shot three times and killed was the victim of a well planned crime, not an accidental shooting. Investigators found a .243 calibre bullet in his lung and a .308 calibre shell casing near his body, and suspected they were looking for two murder weapons, and two killers. But analysis of the forensic evidence pointed them in a different direction one much closer to home.