About this season
The First 48 follows detectives from around the country during these first critical hours as they race against time to find the suspect. Gritty and fast-paced, it takes viewers behind the scenes of real-life investigations with unprecedented access to crime scenes, autopsies, forensic processing, and interrogations.
Episodes (29)
1. Twist of Fate
Aired 14 January 2010 • 45 min
2. Body of Evidence
Aired 21 January 2010 • 45 min
3. Lost Highway; Out for Murda
Aired 28 January 2010 • 45 min
A homeless man is found stabbed to death along a highway in Harris County, Texas; and a Louisville detective investigates the murder of a young man who was the prime suspect in a double-homicide case.
4. 10 Pounds
Aired 4 February 2010 • 45 min
Detective Chris Anderson returns to his childhood neighborhood to investigate a drug-related murder.
5. Cut Down; 911
Aired 11 February 2010 • 45 min
In Miami, Det. Rolando Garcia is investigating the shooting death of a local homeless man, known for looking after his fellow transient friends. As the case begins to unravel and witnesses give up information, Garcia learns that the victim's commendable behavior may have instigated his death. And in Louisville, after a minor injury, a woman makes a routine call to 911--the call becomes anything but routine when gunshots ring out in the background. When the smoke clears, the caller finds her boyfriend shot and killed. With information from the girlfriend, lead detective Leigh Maroni must now track down the man last seen with the victim and determine whether he is a witness or the potential killer.
6. Update Special: Bait and Switch
Aired 18 February 2010 • 45 min
A man, accused of being part of a robbery attempt that ended in murder, faces trial.
7. Smoke Screen; The Last Goodbye
Aired 4 March 2010 • 45 min
A 28-year-old father is stabbed to death while at work; a 35-year-old man is shot to death in a bar bathroom.
8. Straight Menace
Aired 11 March 2010 • 45 min
Investigators believe a teenager who was shot to death outside a party was a victim of mistaken identity.
9. Forensic Evidence: Overkill; Deadly Rendezvous
Aired 18 March 2010 • 45 min
A 49-year-old man is stabbed 46 times and left to die; a 34-year-old man is found shot to death in a strange place.
10. Alias; Duel
Aired 25 March 2010 • 45 min
In Louisville, a murder hits close to home when Detective Rick Arnold learns that the victim of his most recent homicide case is the brother of a good friend. If Arnold is to track down the suspect, he needs to discern between lies and truth--and real names and aliases. In Harris County, a popular teenager is gunned down on a residential street. Deputy Cory Pool and his team must determine whether the shooting was self-defense--or murder.
11. Eye for an Eye; Dead End
Aired 1 April 2010 • 45 min
A young man is shot to death in the middle of the street in broad daylight; a teenager's body is found in the passenger seat of his car.
12. Hale Storm
Aired 8 April 2010 • 45 min
In Louisville, a sleeping family awakens to a barrage of bullets from a machine gun, leaving two young boys injured and a teenager dead. With no eyewitnesses, Detective Mickey Cohn must resort to old-fashioned detective work to solve one of the most brazen acts of violence he has ever seen.
13. In Harm's Way; Jealous Rage
Aired 15 April 2010 • 45 min
In Harris County, Sgt. Craig Clopton and his team investigate the murder of man killed by a single gunshot while being robbed. With little evidence on the scene, they must rely on an eyewitness to help them identify their suspects. And in Birmingham, Det. John Tanks and the homicide unit work the murder of a mother of two, shot in the back outside of her car. When detectives break through the lies and deception of the sole witness, they are surprised to discover what may have triggered the shooting.
14. The Stranger; Prince of Darkness
Aired 22 April 2010 • 45 min
In Cincinnati, Detectives Matt Thompson and Doug Lindle are investigating the double homicide of a local hairdresser and his elderly neighbor, both stabbed to death and set on fire. When detectives discover that one of the victim's cars is missing, they begin following a twisted trail of clues they hope will lead to the killer. And in Harris County, the life of a 30-year-old mother of three comes to a violent and abrupt end when her throat is slashed by a late-night visitor. Sgt. Craig Clopton races against the clock to determine the identity of her killer and bring him to justice.
15. Update Special: Burden of Proof; Last Ride
Aired 29 April 2010 • 45 min
A man is convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison after shooting a Detroit woman in her home.
16. Mixed Up; Blind Alley
Aired 6 May 2010 • 45 min
In Birmingham Det. Cynthia Morrow and the homicide team try to weave together the events of drug deal gone bad when two brothers from out of town get more than they bargained for. In Louisville Det. Kristen Downs leads the investigation of a possible gang-related shooting. But when no one is willing to talk, the team is forced to turn to forensic evidence to piece together the murder.
17. Division; Loose Ends
Aired 13 May 2010 • 45 min
A 24-year-old father of two is shot in the street; a 27-year-old man is found dead in a field.
18. Schoolyard Revenge
Aired 27 May 2010 • 45 min
A fight between two teenagers leads to the murder of a 29-year-old man and his paralyzed mother.
19. Update Special: Disappeared; Red Handed
Aired 3 June 2010 • 45 min
Updates on past cases. Included: an elderly man strangled to death in his bedroom in Cincinnati; and the case of a missing woman.
20. Girl Fight; Blink of an Eye
Aired 6 July 2010 • 45 min
A mother is shot in her car while her three young children sit in the back seat; four cousins are gunned down while relaxing on their grandmother's porch.
21. John Doe; Night of the Dead
Aired 8 July 2010 • 45 min
22. Deadly Gamble; Inside Job
Aired 16 July 2010 • 45 min
Harris County/Miami - Dep. Mario Quintanilla investigates the murder of a woman shot during a robbery of her illegal game room. Acting on a tip that his suspects are from Central America, Quintanilla races to find them before they can flee the country. And in Miami, Det. Fabio Sanchez heads to Little Haiti to investigate the homicide of two young men shot in their living room. Sanchez must track down a friend of the victims, who was with them before they were shot, to find out what he knows.
23. No Escape; Trail of Evidence
Aired 25 July 2010 • 45 min
Miami/Harris County - Sgt. Altarr Williams and detective Frankie Sanchez investigate the murder of Darrell Harrell, gunned down for trying to push a group of drug dealers out of Overtown. Months pass without a lead as the team tries everything they can to keep the case from going cold. Meanwhile in Harris County, Texas, Sgt. Craig Clopton works the murder of Virgil Fuselier, found stabbed to death in his apartment. As Clopton begins the investigation he finds trail of clues that may trace back to the killer.
24. Critical Condition; Love Thy Neighbor
Aired 31 July 2010 • 45 min
In Louisville, KY, a convenience store robbery left a 30-year-old employee in critical condition. And in Harris County TX, Deputies investigate the murder of a man gunned down trying to protect his neighbors who were being robbed.
25. Bad Connection; Heartbreak
Aired 5 August 2010 • 45 min
Birmingham/Louisville - Det. Jerry Williams and his team investigate the murder of a young man shot dead in an abandoned apartment. And In Louisville, Det. Brenda Wescott investigates the unusual death of a woman shot dead on a residential street.
26. Life Snatched
Aired 5 August 2010 • 45 min
Harris County/Miami - Dep. Mario Quintanilla investigates the murder of a woman shot during a robbery of her illegal game room. Acting on a tip that his suspects are from Central America, Quintanilla races to find them before they can flee the country. And in Miami, Det. Fabio Sanchez heads to Little Haiti to investigate the homicide of two young men shot in their living room. Sanchez must track down a friend of the victims, who was with them before they were shot, to find out what he knows.
27. The Good Son; Jacked Up
Aired 12 August 2010 • 45 min
Harris County/Birmingham - When a 16-year-old boy is murdered at his family's roadside taco stand, Sgt. Henry Palacios is faced with one of the most tragic cases he has ever seen. Palacios is hot on the trail of his suspect, when another shooting turns the case on its head. And in Birmingham, Detective Marcel Walker investigates the death of a 29-year-old car mechanic, killed when a late-night tune-up turns deadly. When he gets a tip that the suspect is about to skip town, Walker launches a major manhunt.
28. Silent Rage; Tainted Love
Aired 19 August 2010 • 45 min
Harris County/Harris County - Dep. Jason Brown is called out on Easter Sunday to investigate the brutal shooting of a woman who was a school bus driver and mother of two. Meanwhile, Sgt. Sidney Miller takes on the murder of a young father, shot dead in a courtyard.
29. After the First 48: 12 - Bail Out
Aired 26 August 2010 • 45 min
In Dallas, detectives investigated the shooting death of 26-year-old Daniel Barron, who was killed in the doorway of his home. Detectives soon discovered that the victim's residence doubled as a drug den and that he was robbed. A tipster called-in and eventually six suspects were arrested and charged with capital murder. All six individuals admit involvement in the crime and point to 19-year-old Callie Marshall, mother of two, as the group's ringleader. A year and a half later, Callie finally faces a jury of her peers. Will they see a confused girl who organized the robbery in order to bail her boyfriend out of jail in time for Christmas, or a coldblooded killer?