The BEST episodes of 48 Hours season 18
Every episode of 48 Hours season 18, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of 48 Hours season 18!
Television's most popular true-crime series, investigating shocking cases and compelling real-life dramas with journalistic integrity and cutting-edge style.
#1 - Secrets of the Well aka Cold Case Clay
Season 18 - Episode 20 - Aired 3/5/2005
Criminal investigator Clay Bryant, also known as "Cold Case Clay," earned his nickname from the LaGrange, Ga. district attorney's office. When 48 HOURS MYSTERY caught up with Bryant, he was working on two separate and unsolved murders with some strange similarities -- both bodies had been found in wells. Correspondent Susan Spencer reports.
Watch Now:Amazon#2 - Blood Feud
Season 18 - Episode 23 - Aired 4/9/2005
Nancy Seaman, a suburban Detroit elementary school teacher, killed her husband, Bob, with a hatchet in May 2004. Nancy says she killed him in self-defense and that she had been abused for more than 30 years. At Nancy's murder trial, the couple's youngest son testified on behalf of his mother, while the other son says his mother was never abused and that she simply snapped. Contributor Maureen Maher reports.
Watch Now:Amazon#3 - The Man Who Knew Too Much
Season 18 - Episode 26 - Aired 4/30/2005
American journalist Paul Klebnikov was shot nine times on July 9, 2004 in a contract killing as he left Forbes magazine's Moscow headquarters. Klebnikov, as editor-in-chief, wanted to expose the corruption in Russia's new economy, where the rich and powerful often operate beyond the law. As Klebnikov searched for the truth, did the secrets he uncovered cost him his life? Correspondent Susan Spencer reports.
Watch Now:Amazon#4 - Two Wigs, a Gun and a Murder
Season 18 - Episode 29 - Aired 5/21/2005
When Fred Jablin, a beloved Richmond University professor and devoted father, goes out to retrieve the morning newspaper on Oct. 30, 2004 and is gunned down in his driveway, his ex-wife, Piper Rountree, is the prime suspect. But, before investigators in Richmond, Va. can make their case, they must deal with a trail of confusing clues and an unusual relationship between Rountree and her sister, Tina Rountree. Correspondent Harold Dow reports.
Watch Now:Amazon#5 - Black Dahlia Confidential
Season 18 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/27/2004
48 HOURS MYSTERY has new clues in Los Angeles' most famous unsolved murder, the 57-year-old Black Dahlia case. The brutal murder of Elizabeth Short, a young, beautiful, struggling actress whose body was discovered in a vacant lot in January 1947, has baffled the Los Angeles Police Department for decades. Correspondent Erin Moriarty reports.
#6 - Written in Blood
Season 18 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/25/2004
What happened to the Rafay family one summer night in 1994 brought tragedy and mystery to a quiet neighborhood in Bellevue, Wash. On July 13, just after 2 a.m., police were called to a crime that would take them 10 years to bring to justice. "It was a plan. A well-rehearsed, well-thought-out plan," say James Konat, a senior deputy prosecutor in King County. He and a team of detectives have been haunted by the first triple homicide in the history of Bellevue -- and the killers who got away. The search for the truth would lead police to another country, through a web of intriguing clues, including a screenplay describing the murder. In the end, would a sophisticated undercover operation, set up in the make-believe world of crime, catch the real killers? Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports for 48 Hours.
Watch Now:Amazon#7 - The Ghosts of El Segundo
Season 18 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/2/2004
In July 1957 two young police officers on a routine traffic stop in El Segundo, Calif., a Los Angeles suburb, were gunned down and murdered by a man who the police did not know had just committed robbery and rape at a nearby lover's lane. The gunman fled, triggering one of the largest manhunts in California's history. It would take detectives and modern science close to half a century to bring this case to a startling conclusion. Correspondent Bill Lagattuta reports
#8 - A Mind for Murder
Season 18 - Episode 28 - Aired 5/14/2005
When they talk about Carmin, the oldest of their four daughters, Danny and Judy Ross are never at a loss for words. "She's bubbly, she's fun to be around. She makes the room warm. She's the sunshine," recalls Judy Ross, who even put together a list of words that come to her mind when she thinks of Carmin. "Brilliant, empathetic, thoughtful, spiritual, patient, political, loving, peaceful, delightful, silly, playful, courageous," reads Judy. "Full of life -- daughter of our youth." Looking back, Danny and Judy say their daughter's 1985 wedding to her sweetheart, Tom Murray, was one of the best days they ever had. "Both of them wrote their wedding vows," recalls Danny. "I stood there and cried through the whole thing."
#9 - The Pretender
Season 18 - Episode 30 - Aired 5/31/2005
In 2001, Finkel was a prize-winning feature writer for the New York Times. He had a gorgeous home in Bozeman, Mont., and a beautiful, intelligent girlfriend who had moved all the way from Alabama to be with him. "We felt like there was something deeper here that had to be explored," says Jill Barker, Finkel's girlfriend. "It just seemed like we should give this a chance." But Finkel's ambition had a darker side. "He had built his self-esteem around being Michael Finkel of The New York Times, and he was starting to get really intoxicated with all the attention," says Barker. "Pretty soon, I realized that I had to walk away from this relationship." His drive to outdo his competition and himself resulted in Finkel fabricating a portion of a story on child slavery in West Africa. His bosses found out and he was fired. "It was something I wish I could take back," says Finkel. "Really badly." In an instant, Finkel lost the career he'd been building his entire life. Scorned by his colleagues, Finkel retreated to Montana, awaiting the merciless media inquiries that were sure to come. The first call came sooner than expected, but the reporter wasn't interested in Finkel's fall from grace. Instead, he was calling about a murder of a family in Oregon.
#10 - Prescription for Murder
Season 18 - Episode 24 - Aired 4/16/2005
Chris Pittman shot his grandparents, Joe and Joy Pittman, at close range and then set their house on fire. According to family members, Chris, a well-mannered and shy 12-year-old, who lived with his grandparents, loved them more than anything. So, why would Chris kill them? Is the anti-depressant, Zoloft, which he was prescribed shortly before the murders, really to blame, as his lawyers claim? Correspondent Erin Moriarty has an exclusive interview with the now 16-year-old and reports for 48 HOURS MYSTERY.
#11 - A Shot in the Dark
Season 18 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/8/2005
Dr. Richard Illes, a successful heart surgeon, and his wife, Miriam, a homemaker and mother to their young son, were a prominent couple in their small community of Williamsport, Pa. Then, on Jan. 15, 1999, Miriam, who seemingly had no enemies, was shot as she stood in front of her kitchen window - a bullet went straight through her heart. Who wanted the surgeon's wife dead? Correspondent Susan Spencer reports.
#12 - Why Did Eric Kill
Season 18 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/11/2004
In August 1993, 13-year-old Eric Smith made national headlines as a red-haired, freckle-faced killer. Smith's looks and age were so completely at odds with the horrific crime -- he was convicted of murdering four-year-old Derrick Robie -- that he nearly got away it. Until now, Smith has never explained why he killed Robie. Police investigators and veteran prosecutors found it difficult to comprehend that this child could kill another child in such a brutal way. CBS News' Dan Rather reported on this story 11 years ago and revisits it as Smith becomes eligible for parole and speaks out for the first times about the crime.
#13 - A Question of Murder
Season 18 - Episode 22 - Aired 3/26/2005
John Maloney, a Green Bay, Wis. police officer, was convicted of murdering his estranged wife, Sandy, in 1999, though he has always maintained his innocence. But after Maloney's conviction, the story took an unexpected turn when the prosecutor in his case, Joe Paulus, pled guilty to accepting bribes to fix more than 20 cases. This question now is, did Maloney get a fair trial, and, if not, should he get a new one? Correspondent Susan Spencer reports.
#14 - Secrets from the Grave
Season 18 - Episode 27 - Aired 5/7/2005
Described as a gentle, caring man, Bill Flint was an electrical engineer near Houston, Texas, who spent his life cheating death: he was shot, the bullet passing through his neck; then a hit man was hired to kill him; and he even survived a serious workplace accident. So, when he suddenly became violently ill and died of an apparent heart attack on May 3, 2002, Bill Flint's friends and family couldn't help wondering, was it murder? Correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports.
#15 - Terror at the Morgue
Season 18 - Episode 25 - Aired 4/23/2005
Dr. O.C. Smith, a popular medical examiner in Memphis, Tenn., was apparently attacked on June 1, 2002, as he was leaving work. He was found wrapped head-to-toe in barbed wire with a bomb strapped to his neck. Dr. Smith survived, but he lives in fear that his assailant is waiting to attack again. Who wants to harm the city's medical examiner? Correspondent Troy Roberts reports.
#16 - Prime Suspect: Marty Tankleff Revisited
Season 18 - Episode 21 - Aired 3/12/2005
Will new witnesses convince a judge to grant a new trial to Marty Tankleff, who was convicted of murdering his parents in 1988? Now 33, Tankleff was 17 when he was accused of killing Seymour and Arlene Tankleff in their Belle Terre, Long Island home. Tankleff's relatives, who have always believed in his innocence, hope that this hearing will finally set him free. Correspondent Erin Moriarty speaks to several key witnesses and reports.
#17 - Rescued from the Shadows
Season 18 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/26/2005
CBS News' 48 HOURS investigates the shadowy underworld of human sex slaves and rescues a young woman. Correspondent Peter Van Sant infiltrates the billion dollar business of human trafficking to reveal how easy it is in the 21st century to purchase a human being -- not for an hour, but forever -- and bring her to the United States.
#18 - Postmarked for Murder
Season 18 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/12/2005
Texas multimillionaire Herb Vest is searching for who killed his father almost 60 years ago. Twenty-five-year-old Harold "Buddy" Vest was found hanging in his cabinet shop in June 1946 in the small town of Gainesville, Texas, and although the police ruled his death a suicide at the time, Herb always thought there was more to it. Now, he has launched his own investigation, hiring a team of experts to search for the truth. Vest receives a mysterious letter that claims that someone who was on the Gainesville police force was responsible for Buddy's death. Will Vest find his father's supposed killer? Correspondent Harold Dow reports.
#19 - Michael Jackson: Critical Stage
Season 18 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/29/2005
Joe Jackson, father of superstar Michael Jackson, believes racism is a motivational factor in the case against his son. 48 HOURS MYSTERY has obtained the rights to an exclusive interview with Jackson's parents, Joe and Katherine Jackson, on the eve of their son's trial. Jackson's parents weigh in on the accusations against their son. International interviewer Daphne Barak spoke with Joe and Katharine recently at their home in Las Vegas.
#20 - Hostage
Season 18 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/22/2005
48 HOURS has obtained never-before-seen videotape shot by the terrorists who took 1,200 people hostage on Sept. 1, 2004 for three days at a school in Beslan, Russia. Roughly half of the hostages are believed to have been children. Correspondent Peter Van Sant speaks to the hostage negotiator, Ruslan Aushev, who is seen in the new video negotiating with the terrorists leader. The footage also captures the dramatic moment when the terrorists let mothers leave captivity with their babies, some of whom were forced to leave their older children behind.
#21 - Where's Our Baby
Season 18 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/15/2005
Sabrina, the youngest daughter of Marlene and Steve Aisenberg, has not been seen or heard from since Nov. 24, 1997. It's been more than ten long years since the five-month-old baby seemingly vanished. "I have dreams often that she's coming home, and that we're playing, and the dreams are as vivid as they are real," says Steve. "I believe she's just a beautiful young lady, 7 years old," says Marlene. "She's not a baby anymore." They've tried to rebuild their lives, but Marlene says, "We are as happy as we can be until she comes home. … We will be an ecstatic family when we're all together like we should be." For the Aisenbergs, the ordeal began in Valrico, Fla., just outside of Tampa. On the morning of Nov. 24, 1997, at 6:30 a.m., Marlene noticed that something had gone terribly wrong.
#22 - JonBenet: Prime Suspects
Season 18 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/18/2004
New evidence that investigators hope will lead to a break in the almost eight-year-old unsolved murder case of JonBenet Ramsey is reported by correspondent Erin Moriarty.
#23 - Eye of the Beholder
Season 18 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/20/2004
It happened in the summer of 2002 during a wild July 4th weekend of partying in the wealthy community of Newport Beach, Calif. When it was over, three teenage boys would be accused of rape and face the prospect of spending life in prison. The critical evidence was a videotape the defendants made themselves. Correspondent Bill Lagattuta has the first network television interviews with the three defendants -- Greg Haidl, Keith Spann and Kyle Nachreiner -- and the alleged victim, "Jane Doe".
#24 - Vanished
Season 18 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/13/2004
Maria Cruz, a successful, 35-year-old New York City financial analyst, disappeared on the afternoon of April 13, 2003. For 10 months, police were unable to find Cruz, but the trail of evidence finally pointed to a man named Dean Faiello, who posed as a doctor and is believed to have treated Cruz for a mouth infection the day she went missing. In February 2004, acting on a tip from Faiello's former lover, Greg Bach, authorities found Cruz's body stuffed in a suitcase and buried in the cement in the garage of Faiello's former home in Newark, N. J. Just one month later -- 11 months after Maria Cruz was reported missing -- Dean Faiello was under arrest for Cruz's murder in Costa Rica. In an exclusive television interview, correspondent Harold Dow talks with Faiello, who speaks out for the first time since being charged with murder. Faiello remains in a Costa Rican prison as he awaits extradition proceedings.
#25 - The Right to Kill
Season 18 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/6/2004
Cherry Hammock says she had no choice but to shoot her husband, Jay. "The reason I pulled the trigger is because he was coming after me," says Hammock, who believes she would have been killed the night her husband died. But Jay's parents, Pete and Wyolene Hammock, bristle at the notion that their son had a violent and dangerous past. They insist that Jay, a skilled mechanic with a fondness for racing high-performance, high-priced motorcycles, didn't deserve to die.