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Episode 510 - SEASON 5 FINALE / RECAP
Episode 509 - The Fast and Furious Fatal House Fire
On April 8th, 2016, fire crews were sent to a home on Mesarica Road in Covina, California. Smoke was seen coming from the roof and it seemed isolated to one area. When firefighters entered, they found the body of 89-year-old Helen Lambert. Her heavily charred body was on a bed and her wrists tied up. Investigators determined that Lambert didn’t die from the fire but most likely died from a very unusual circumstance. The woman lived with her teenage grandson who was at school when the fire happened. A neighbor who was also Lambert’s caregiver is the one who called 911. Who would tie up a grandmother, ignite a fire in her bedroom, and leave her for dead? And what was the motive? Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Detectives Shaun McCarthy and Rich Tomlin debrief us on the investigation.
Episode 508 - Arson K-9 / Laundromat Double Execution
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department recently added an accelerant-sniffing K-9 to its arson unit. The specially trained dog can detect gasoline, diesel, lighter fluid, and many other accelerants. This segment is part of our ongoing Crime Fighter Series that features a behind the scenes look at the work to help solve cases. Also in this episode, 13-year-old Miguel Perez and 19-year-old Jose Merlos were janitors at a laundromat in Lynwood. On March 8th, 1992, after closing the business for the night, someone entered the laundromat and forced the two to the rear of the building; they were shot execution style. While robbery was the strongest motive, detectives now believe there may have been something more to it. And how will a conversation overheard at a recent party steer the 30-year-old investigation?
Episode 507 - History of Homicide (Encore Presentation)
In this season opener we speak with Mike Fratantoni of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Information Bureau. Fratantoni is also the curator of the department’s museum housed in the ground floor of the historic Hall of Justice. Fratantoni tells us about the beginning of the department in 1850 and walks us through the history of the department including the creation of the Homicide Detail in 1921, which became the Bureau of Investigation in 1934, and eventually evolved into the Homicide Bureau in 1950. Fratantoni also tells us about the ‘Vigilance Committee’ which was made up of townspeople who held secret court and carried out private executions.
Episode 506 - Dry Bones and DNA / Cul-De-Sac Killer
Case #1 begins in the city of Redondo Beach where a bag of dry bones was discovered in 2001 by plumbers working at a residential construction site. Workers initially thought the bones were not human, but someone decided to call 911, which sparked a multi-year journey that led investigators from a Jane Doe to recently identifying Catherine Parker-Johnson. Now, if investigators could only find who killed Catherine and why. Case #2 involves a 20-year-old man who was killed for no apparent reason. How does a gaming nerd with a spotless record, loving family, and a fulltime job, get shot in cold blood at a cul-de-sac in an industrial part of El Monte, California?
Episode 505 - Missing Mom in Mexico
On February 9th Maria Del Carmen Lopez was taken from the front yard of her home in Pueblo Nuevo, Colima, Mexico. Lopez is a US Citizen and retired to Pueblo Nuevo ten years ago. Lopez’ daughter, Zonia ‘Zoe’ Lopez, tells us about the day her family got a ransom call, and the subsequent calls for money, only to be ignored and ghosted. She also speaks about her family's frustration with the FBI and Mexican authorities. We also speak with the FBI about the case and how the agency handles the abductions of US Citizens in foreign countries. After you hear both sides of this mystery, you’ll be left with way more questions than answers.
Episode 504 - Street Takeover Execution/Murdered Military Man
Case #1: Two guys were sitting in a car in Compton, CA watching a street takeover. Officials say they were not participants and had no apparent connection to the takeover, but on November 14th, 2021, someone pulled up, got out of a vehicle and opened fire on the two young men killing them on the spot. Dozens of casings were recovered from the scene but ‘no one saw anything’. Officials have offered a $40,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the shooter. Case #2: An 8-year Army veteran returns from three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan only to be gunned down on April 21st, 2021, in front his brother’s home in Lancaster, CA. At first, investigators thought there was a gang connection, but the 30-year-old veteran was about to graduate from college, marry his high school sweetheart and start a new life. Officials have offered a $20,000 reward in this case.
Episode 503 – Killer Con Man BONUS
Retired San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Peter Headley worked as an investigator with the department’s Crimes Against Children Unit. He was closely involved in the ongoing case of ‘Lisa’, the girl who was abducted, abused, and victimized by Terry Rasmussen. In the previous episode, #503, Headley gives an overview of Rasmussen’s killing spree across the country, including Southern California. In this bonus episode, Headley talks about forensic science, genealogy, and groundbreaking advancements in DNA that helped to not only identify victims but get some answers to questions asked long ago.
Episode 503 - Killer Con Man
Terry Rasmussen’s killing spree has been widely covered by news media outlets and true crime shows but they leave out an unsolved piece to a sick and twisted puzzle. Pete Headley recently retired from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department where he was an investigator with the Crimes Against Children Unit. Headley breaks down Rasmussen’s path but also gives insight on a case of a missing mother and children from the Anaheim, CA area. When you hear Headley’s theory about Rasmussen you can tell why he thinks the Killer Con Man probably had something to do with the family’s disappearance and probable murder. Click on the bonus episode to learn about the forensic science involved in tracking and identifying Rasmussen and his innocent victims.
Episode 502 - Grocery Store Ambush
On May 4th, 2006, at around 10:00 PM 60-year-old Security Guard Frutoso Anguiano was on duty at the Northgate Gonzalez Market on 831 Hacienda Boulevard in La Puente, CA. As the store was about to close Anguiano went to the rear of the store and up to a second floor break room where he was met by four Hispanic men. Anguiano was handcuffed and stabbed fifty-two times. Surveillance video shows the four men mingling around the store prior to closing and then disappearing into the back. The video didn’t show the murder but caught the men coming down the stairs wearing masks and holding the gun they had taken from Anguiano. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Cold Case Detective Shaun McCarthy tells us his working theory on the attack and how DNA might lead him to one of the men who lives in another state.