Kane,

On the thread titled "Name some that Lifetime hasn't shown in a long time or never?"

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=163463

you recounted the details of a case you remembered from the NBC days that didn't make it to Lifetime apparently...

There is another case that crosses my mind. In 1993 or 1994, UM aired a segment about a man who was arrested on a minor charge, and was found dead in his jail cell less than two hours after his arrest. Despite claims that he killed himself, his family suspected otherwise. The NBC repeat of the segment ended with an update announcing that someone working at the jail was charged in the man's death.

I never saw it rerun on Lifetime, and don't remember the name of the deceased. However, the incident happened in the early '90s, and (unless I'm mistaken) in California. Of all the "suicide or murder?" cases presented on UM, it was one of the few that was solved.

I was thinking...could this have been the Mario Amado case?

http://www.unsolved.com/ajaxfiles/une_mario_amado.htm

I have it on one of my DVDs transferred from a tape of the NBC broadcast. The date was 3/17/93 - which fits your recollection. The incident took place in Mexico, but Mario was from California.

Do you think it could be the Mario Amado case you were thinking of?

Yes. I saw the profile of Mario Amado at the official web site. As I read it, I put two and two together.

I knew that an arrest had been made, but heard nothing further until I read the UM profile. I was disappointed to learn that there has been no final resolution to the case. As mentioned in the profile, the Mexican cop who was charged with Mario's death was convicted, only to be released after the conviction was overturned.