Murder by the Book

James Ellroy reviews the details of the unsolved murder of his mother, Jean, in 1958. She was beaten and strangled by an unidentified assailant.

Author Michael Connelly discusses the case of Christopher Wilder, who was wanted by the FBI for his alleged roles in rapes and murders involving 11 women in eight states. Wilder accidentally killed himself as the police tried to arrest him in New Hampshire.

Author Jonathan Kellerman discusses the case of Melvin Hanson, who was convicted for his role in a plot to murder a bookkeeper and use the man's body to stage his own death, so Hanson and his partners could collect insurance money.

Author Faye Kellerman recalls the case of Tonica Jenkins, an Ohio woman who was convicted in an attempted murder plot after she tried to fake her own death (to avoid drug charges) by attacking a woman whose body she wanted to burn, hoping the police would think she was the victim.

In the Season 1 finale, author Lisa Scottoline examines the 1979 murder of Philadelphia-area teacher Susan Reinert. Reinert's principal, Jay Smith, was found guilty of killing her and her two children, but was ultimately exonerated; William Bradfield, a charming fellow teacher of Reinert's, was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and died in prison in 1998.