The BEST episodes of 48 Hours season 15
Every episode of 48 Hours season 15, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of 48 Hours season 15!
Television's most popular true-crime series, investigating shocking cases and compelling real-life dramas with journalistic integrity and cutting-edge style.
#1 - The Mystery of Slide Mountain
Season 15 - Episode 20 - Aired 3/8/2002
Peter and Rinette Riella Bergna were a seemingly normal and happily married couple who lived in upscale Incline Village, Nev., near Lake Tahoe, Calif. He was an antiques dealer and she had just switched careers. Once a highly paid pharmaceutical consultant, she became an international tour guide, a job that paid much less and required weeks of travel at a time. When Rinette was killed in a mysterious crash on Slide Mountain, near Reno, Peter, her husband of 11 years, became the chief suspect in what police said was a murder investigation, Susan Spencer reports for 48 Hours.
Watch Now:Amazon#2 - Murder in Las Vegas
Season 15 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/16/2001
On Dec. 18, 1994, real estate millionaire Ron Rudin disappeared from his home in Las Vegas. His skull and some charred bones were found in January 1995 in the desert near Lake Mohave, about 45 miles from Las Vegas. After a two-year investigation, police moved to arrest Ron's wife, Margaret Rudin. But before they could arrest her, she went on the lam. After two years on the run, she was arrested in Massachusetts, and brought back to Las Vegas, where she stood trial for murder. Is this soft-spoken grandmother guilty of a brutal murder? 48 Hours Correspondent Harold Dow investigates.
#3 - Twin Miracles
Season 15 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/7/2001
For the last week, Americans have been following the dramatic story of twin baby girls from Guatemala, joined at the head -- until a daring, 22-hour operation by neurosurgeons in California separated them. The prognosis for both is cautiously optimistic. Correspondent Jane Clayson reports on another amazing story of conjoined twins. From the time she was a little girl, Emily Stark says she knew that twins were in her future. When she became pregnant in November, 2000, an ultrasound verified her premonition: she was carrying twins. Then she had another hunch: that they were joined. Doctors confirmed that she was right about that too. At first, the Starks were devastated. But the twins were joined at the base of the spine and did not share any internal organs, which greatly improved their chances for survival. The Starks decided to keep the babies. Two months before the due date, Emily went into labor and delivered her twin girls, Alexandra and Sydney. After the birth ot the twins Sydney and Lexi, the Starks decided to separate the girls. But the surgery carried the risk of paralysis. Could the team of doctors succeed?
#4 - A Family Torn Apart
Season 15 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/3/2001
To many, it seemed to be a perfect life. Jane and Bob Dorotik had been married for 30 years. But then it all turned sour. In February 2000, Bob disappeared. Early the next morning, his body was found by a mountain road near their home. He had been beaten and strangled. Three days later police arrested Jane for murder. She claimed she was completely innocent, and said that she loved her husband. But police say she had ample motive. The couple, who had separated and reconciled once, were reportedly not getting along.
#5 - Reasonable Doubt
Season 15 - Episode 21 - Aired 3/27/2002
When beautiful young mother Judi Eftenoff died of a cocaine overdose in her Phoenix house, it seemed like a terrible accident. Then police arrested her husband, Brian, and charged him with murder. After a five-week trial, a jury reaches a verdict - but that's only the beginning of the story. Was her death an accident, or a murder? Erin Moriarty investigates.
#6 - Murder in the Fast Lane
Season 15 - Episode 33 - Aired 5/20/2002
Mickey Thompson was an American racing legend, once one of the fastest men on earth. During his career, he set 395 different speed records. But his career came to an end in 1988, when he and his wife, Trudy, were shot and killed outside their home in California's San Gabriel Mountains. Their murders remained an unsolved mystery for more than a decade. But Thompson's sister, Colleen Campbell, never stopped hunting for the killers. She says she knows who did it - her brother's business partner, Michael Goodwin. But can she help police prove it? Correspondent Bill Lagatutta reports on a case he's been covering for years.
#7 - Web of Seduction
Season 15 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/4/2002
If you have a child who's old enough to use the Internet, you probably know all about online dangers -- everything from violent games to teen chat rooms invaded by sexual predators. You may think that you're doing enough to protect your family by putting strict limits on your child's Web surfing. But, as Correspondent Susan Spencer reports in this story that last aired in September 2002, it may not be enough to stop your child from being lured halfway around the world into a web of seduction
#8 - Til Death Do Us Part
Season 15 - Episode 42 - Aired 8/2/2002
Examining the "battered woman syndrome---a state of fear and helplessness," says Dan Rather, "that, in a few extreme cases, leads to murder." The report says some courts are recognizing the syndrome as a defense. Included: an Ohio woman convicted of shooting her husband.
#9 - Bookie's Wife
Season 15 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/11/2002
When Bob Angleton pulled into his driveway on a Thursday evening in April of 1997, he knew something bad had happened. "As I pulled up into my spot, I noticed the back door was open," he tells 48 Hours. "Now I was concerned." Bob had begun to worry earlier that evening when his wife, Doris, didn't show up at their twin daughters' softball game. Bob, the team's coach, phoned and paged her but she didn't answer. After the game, Bob drove 12-year-olds Niki and Ali straight home. By then, even the girls were worried. "We were all worried; we didn't know where she was," says Ali. "We needed to find where she was," adds Niki. When he found the side door open, Bob didn't go inside. Instead, he backed out the driveway and called 911. Minutes later, police officers arrived, and entered the house. One of them came out and broke the news to Bob. "He came out, walked up to me, looked me in the eyes and said, 'Was your wife wearing a white shirt?' The message was clear, it was clear to me," Bob recalls. Doris Angleton's body was found lying in the hallway next to the kitchen. She'd been shot seven times in the face, five times in the chest. "My legs buckled," Bob says. "He (the officer) grabbed me and he held me up and said, 'Look, you got to be strong for your daughters; you gotta be strong for your kids. Stand up, stand up.' " As hard as it was to tell the girls what had happened, it was next to impossible to explain why it had happened, why anyone would want to kill Doris Angleton. Correspondent Richard Schlesinger has an update to this 48 Hours Mystery, which originally aired in June 2002.
#10 - Is It A Crime?
Season 15 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/6/2002
Four compelling stories. Four difficult questions. No easy answers. What would YOU do? 48 Hours airs the stories of people faced with complexing and intriguing issues. But we want you to do more than just watch. We want you to weigh in and tell us what you think. On Wednesday, March 6, you'll have the chance to vote. Watch the broadcast, and then go online and be heard. We'll have YOUR results at the end of the broadcast. Recipe For Trouble? Debbie Jeffries tried everything to help her eight-year-old son Jeff, who was diagnosed with a long list of behavioral disorders, including Attention Deficit Disorder and Intermittent Explosive Disorder. She tried an equally long list of powerful prescription drugs. But nothing worked: Jeff often demonstrated violent behavior, often threatening those around him. Debbie was going to have to give him up to the care of the state. Then a doctor recommended giving him medical marijuana, in a muffin. In California, medical marijuana is used to treat pain from ailments like AIDS and cancer. She tried it for Jeff. It worked; her son became happy and well-behaved. But when Child Protective Services found out, they accused her of being an unfit mother and putting her son at risk. Authorities may try to take her son away. Debbie says that without marijuana, her son is uncontrollable, and she won't be able to keep him. Will Debbie's effort to keep her son lead to her losing her son? Not With My Daughter: When she was younger, 13-year-old Eden Palmer sometimes slept over at the home of a family friend, Scott Phillips. Eden told her mother, Lori Palmer, that during past sleepovers, Scott had sometimes climbed into bed with her. Lori notified police and then took action. She forced Phillips to a wooded area and made him confess. He was arrested, but so was Lori, who was charged with felony kidnapping. Who should go to jail? The molester, or the mother who took matters into her own hands? Who Decides? When Michael Ryan was born 15 week
#11 - Animal Magnetism
Season 15 - Episode 22 - Aired 3/29/2002
48 Hours takes an inside look at some fascinating animals and the people who love them. Some people will go to extreme lengths to express their love and devotion for their pets – including going to jail and cloning. Others seeking to find lost pets fall prey to scam artists who entice their victims to pay large sums of money in hope of recovering their missing pets. Pet Scams Take Off: 48 Hours reports on a new criminal trend: pet scams. Holding On To A Pet: To ease the pain of his inevitable death, Becky Cranford decided to preserve a piece of her beloved border terrier with the help of modern technology. She is not the only one. Pet Cloning Arrives: Will pet cloning one day be common? Jim Axelrod reports. An Animal Paradise: In Utah, animal lovers have created an amazing shelter for older animals, who might otherwise be put to sleep. Fur Flies In Divorce: When animal lovers divorce, they sometimes have bitter custody battles for the cats and dogs. Will one woman go to jail rather than give up her pets?
#12 - To Hell and Back aka Abducted
Season 15 - Episode 23 - Aired 4/3/2002
Former Hells Angel Glen Heggstad was on the adventure of a lifetime: a year-long motorcycle trip from his home in California, through Mexico, Central America, all the way to the tip of South America and back. His plan was to ride 20,000 miles along the toughest terrain in the world. But a kidnapping derailed those plans. Troy Roberts reports.
#13 - Tracking a Killer I
Season 15 - Episode 24 - Aired 4/10/2002
Early each morning, local fishing constable Tony Jackett patrols the waterways around tiny Truro, Mass., on the tip of Cape Cod. Jackett, who comes from a long line of Portuguese fishermen, has been married nearly 30 years. At 52, he has five grown children and is already a grandfather. He should be enjoying this time of his life. But lately that's been impossible. What happened here on Jan. 6, 2002, changed not only Jackett's life, but the town of Truro as well. In January 2002, Christa Worthington, a glamorous former fashion writer, was murdered in her home, stabbed in the chest. Correspondent Susan Spencer updates a mysterious murder case that was reported on Aug. 5. 2002.
#14 - Spencer's Journey
Season 15 - Episode 25 - Aired 4/12/2002
What makes someone fit to be a parent? Amid competing claims and accusations, adults in conflict sometimes lose sight of what is in the best interest of a child. 48 HOURS correspondent Bill Lagattuta reports that Aaron and Lynda Kass, of Brentwood, Calif., have raised 2-year-old Spencer Kass as their own since the day his birth mother, Crystal Kane of Texas, gave him up for adoption. Kane's only demand was that it be an open adoption. As for the biological father, the Kasses' adoption attorney said he would not be a problem. However, Michael Elskes, of Houston, had no idea his son was put up for adoption and never gave his permission. As soon as he received a letter from the Kasses' attorney asking him to relinquish parental rights, he refused and filed a court order to take Spencer away. Thus began the two-and-a-half-year cross-country custody battle to win him back.
#15 - Spring Break Exposed
Season 15 - Episode 26 - Aired 4/17/2002
Joe Francis hits Panama City during spring break to videotape women willingly exposing themselves, but some say they feel exploited.
#16 - A Cop Behind Bars
Season 15 - Episode 27 - Aired 4/19/2002
Patrick Bradford was once a proud police officer. "There's no question I was exceptionally good at it," he says. "And it came naturally for me. And it was just like being right where you're supposed to be." But today, Bradford is in prison serving 80 years for murdering his girlfriend, Tammy Lohr. In August 1992, she was stabbed repeatedly in her back and neck, before her body was set afire. The crime rocked Evansville, Ind. Tammy, a 24-year-old civilian jailer, was attractive, energetic and popular. Bradford insists he had nothing to do with Tammy's murder. Susan Spencer reports on this tangled, tragic case.
#17 - Trouble Next Door II
Season 15 - Episode 28 - Aired 4/29/2002
A report on problems with neighbors and includes an interview with Ozzy Osbourne's former neighbor Pat Boone.
#18 - Teen Idol
Season 15 - Episode 29 - Aired 5/1/2002
From Frank Sinatra to Frankie Avalon, from Elvis to the Beatles, teen idols have been a part of American culture for decades. Now, 14-year-old Aaron Carter wants to be the next big thing. He's got the look and the moves, and he's got something extra: his mom, Jane Carter. Harold Dow reports. Say Jane: "You have to be tough. You can't be nice. You can't say yes to everything that everybody wants from you. Sometimes, you have to be the bad guy. And you're gonna make people mad here and there, but you gotta not worry about that. You just gotta worry about number one, and that's my kids." Jane is Aaron's manager, and she is determined to make him a superstar.
#19 - Perfect
Season 15 - Episode 30 - Aired 5/3/2002
In January, 2000, with her daughter's wedding coming up, Angie Paquette, a 47-year-old Tampa housewife and mother of three decided to treat herself to a tummy tuck. "I was not doing it because I'm a vain person," she tells Correspondent Troy Roberts." It was just to feel good about myself." With time at a premium, she checked the Tampa phone book and found that Dr. Daniel Callahan offered surgery at a resort in Cancun, Mexico. A friend had heard good things about Doctor Callahan, and Angie recognized his wife, a former TV anchor. Plus the cost seemed reasonable: $5,900 including airfare and room and board in Cancun. The next week, Angie and two other patients flew to Mexico on a plane piloted by the doctor himself.
#20 - Millionaire Boys Club
Season 15 - Episode 31 - Aired 5/8/2002
On the night of March 15, 2001, Danny Petrole, the son of a retired Secret Service agent, was brutally gunned down in an affluent suburb near Manassas, Va. Petrole, a 21-year-old college student, was shot nine times as he sat in his car, just outside his townhouse. Within weeks, police arrested a suspect in Danny's murder. Owen Barber, 21, grew up in a comfortable neighborhood near Manassas. According to Barber's then longtime girlfriend, Jennifer Pasquariello, Barber was a normal suburban kid. Barber told police that another suburbanite, Justin Wolfe, had hired him to kill Petrole in exchange for money and drugs. Wolfe and Barber had been friends in high school. Wolfe, 20, was arrested and charged with capital murder. Peter Van Sant reports on an unlikely tale of drugs, sex and greed in the suburbs.
#21 - Legends
Season 15 - Episode 32 - Aired 5/10/2002
Profiles featuring Kirk Douglas, Julie Andrews, Lauren Hutton and Loretta Lynn.
#22 - Truth and Consequences
Season 15 - Episode 34 - Aired 5/31/2002
A Navy Scandal - A Cheating Scandal And An Honor Code. Cherry Tree Moments - How Honest Are You? Foul Play - A Little League Record Marred. Cheating in the Heartland - Cheating Scandal Divides Kansas Town.
#23 - It's All in Your Head
Season 15 - Episode 35 - Aired 6/14/2002
Dr. Larry Farwell believes he's invented new technology that will revolutionize crimefighting by telling investigators what's inside someone's head. "I'm sort of a neuroscientist by training and a crime fighter almost by happenstance," he says. Dr. Farwell calls his invention brain fingerprinting. It's based on the widely accepted theory that when people are presented with familiar information, like words or images, their brains unconsciously emit special electrical signals called brain waves.
#24 - End of the Road
Season 15 - Episode 36 - Aired 6/17/2002
When a father is murdered while jogging, his family comes under suspicion.
#25 - Jackpot!
Season 15 - Episode 37 - Aired 6/21/2002
In the small town of Roby, Texas, people were down on their luck. But then their luck changed, in a big way. Forty-three of them hit the lottery, and overnight, struck it rich. 48 HOURS reports on the unpredictable results of this unlikely event.