This was a top-notch program, made my people who obviously care about quality.

One of the things I love about this show is how they get a tremendous cross-section of people to talk about the city and the case. They have the players in the case, the attorneys, the investigators as you would expect. But also, town historians, local celebrities, news reporters, business owners and townsfolk (both prominent and not so much). They show you what's popular in the city and the imagery is breathtaking and picturesque. Combine that with intriguing cases and the hilariously pithy commentary (first by Paul Winfield, then later by Keith David) and you have a truly awesome program.

Here are my thoughts on various episodes.

SoHo: The Art of Murder ~ One of my favorites episodes of any show ever. It's always sad when talented artists like Ana Mendieta die, because you never know what they could have accomplished had they lived. I'm certain that creep Carl Andre killed her (and what a horrific way to kill her) but I can sort of understand why he got off because the evidence wasn't there. Some circumstantial, but just not enough. It's sad the stuffy art community closed ranks. One of the main reasons I'm afraid of heights.

Reading, MA: Fatal Blow ~ This was the infamous angry kids hockey parents. I have mixed thoughts on this one, mainly due to the conflicting accounts. It was really sad it happened and totally unnecessary. I do think Michael Costin should have handled the situation differently as he was letting Thomas Junta's kid get roughed up on the ice rink and wasn't doing anything about it. He didn't deserve to die though. Kinda weird to see Martha Coakley when she was just a district attorney.

The Chicago Horse Mafia ~ The Helen Brach one. Weird they focused on the horse angle, and didn't talk about the housekeeper, who was strongly suspected.

Fairbanks: Mining For Murder ~ I was surprised they didn't talk about Joe Volger's weird fashion sense, such as wearing bolo ties and fedoras. I also wished they would have touched upon how the independent party in Alaska is still a tremendous force, no doubt due in part to Volger. Another senseless murder.

Skidmore: Frontier Justice ~ Ken McElroy got what he deserved.

Carlsbad: Danger in the Desert ~ I think unknown perps were responsible. This case would have been perfect for UM.

Bigfork: Silent Night, Deadly Night: They should have waited a bit on this one, as there was a bunch more that happened after the trial, such as Ted Ernst's brother getting off.

Aspen: Murder on the Slopes ~ Weird they didn't talk about Claudine Longet's successful singing career, instead painting her as a washed-up B-list actress. I tend to think she's guilty though, and her way leninent sentence was a joke.

I liked:

Pittsburgh, PA: 'Til Death Do Us Part. A man has a history of his wives dying in tub drownings.

South Beach, FL: Fashion Victim. Details the murder of Gianni Versace. My cousin graduated from law school near Miami about two years after the murder and while we were visiting him, he took us by Versace's home. The stairs to his front door are right there along the sidewalk, and I just remember staring at them in awe as my cousin was explaining how Mr. Versace was actually killed right there.

Cookeville, TN: Deadly Politics. Byron Looper kills incumbent TN State Senator Tommy Burks in an attempt to win the election. Tommy Burks was a fine man and a credit to the state of Tennessee. I am proud someone like him served in our State Legislature. Byron Looper was thankfully captured and received his just reward. He passed away suddenly last year in prison.

Merion, PA: Recipe for Murder. Owner of the General Wayne Inn (yes, THAT General Wayne Inn) is murdered by the co-owner and chef inside the inn.

Greensboro, NC: Clash with the Klan. Details the "Greensboro Massacre" of 1979.

St Augustine, FL: The Socialite and the Politician. Local reportedly cantankerous socialite (and former model) is murdered after multiple spats with local politicians.

I liked the Chicago Horse Mafia episode, too. I would also flip my lid if some channel decided to rerun the Athens episode about TK Harty and John Mooney.

South Beach, FL: Fashion Victim. Details the murder of Gianni Versace. My cousin graduated from law school near Miami about two years after the murder and while we were visiting him, he took us by Versace's home. The stairs to his front door are right there along the sidewalk, and I just remember staring at them in awe as my cousin was explaining how Mr. Versace was actually killed right there.

Cookeville, TN: Deadly Politics. Byron Looper kills incumbent TN State Senator Tommy Burks in an attempt to win the election. Tommy Burks was a fine man and a credit to the state of Tennessee. I am proud someone like him served in our State Legislature. Byron Looper was thankfully captured and received his just reward. He passed away suddenly last year in prison.

I remember thinking how breathtaking Versace's home was.

Byron Looper was completely insane. Especially when he changed his name to "Lo-Tax". I can't believe he thought he would get away with it. I wasn't aware he died. Good riddance. I can't believe he pulled 6% or so in the election that was held after he killed Tommy Burks. Those people should have their voting priviledges revoked.

I didn't know Looper died. My mom and grandparents were friends with Tommy Burks and his wife. I never knew Looper, but he moved to Cookeville during a time when I was living out of state and hadn't visited for a few years.

What a complete idiot he was. This article has some interesting things about him and his bizarre career. The circumstances of his death are strange too. He had attacked a female prison counselor, who was about 7 1/2 months pregnant, two hours before he was found dead in his cell after being minimally restrained by prison guards.

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/jun/28/tbi-eyes-looper-death-in-prison/

I also liked the Pittsburgh story. I felt bad for the kids, as they not only lost their mother, but their stepmother who treated them like her own. I'll never understand how when a spouse kills another, do their children not even enter their mind when they plot these murders. I guess they think the children, as well as the police, wouldn't even think it was them.

Other favorites were:

"Bad News in Battle Creek", focusing on the murder of news reporter Diane King. She was allegedly being stalked but the killer turned out to be her husband.

"Black Magic," where the mother of a girl dumped by her boyfriend conspires to kill the ex using witchcraft.


"A Family Affair"---the murder of Linda Brown by her stepdaughter Cinnamon, who was goaded into it by her father (and Linda's husband) David. This case was made into a book by Ann Rule and the book went into a lot of detail surrounding David and his attraction to young women. David ended hooking up with Linda's sister Patti who was also in love with him and it was suspected that he had Linda killed so he could be with Patti. It's amazing that a guy who was, putting it kindly, not attractive, could be such a magnet for pretty girls young enough to be his daughter.

"Predator in the Parks"---The story of Frederick "Kevin" Coe, a rich young man suspected of numerous rapes in Spokane. There was a TV movie made about the case, called "Sins of the Mother." Elizabeth Montgomery played Kevin's manipulative mother uth and Dale Midkiff played Kevin. The movie paints Kevin as somewhat of a victim, portrays his relationship with his mother as bordering on incestuous, and hints that he chose his victims because they resembled his mother. Ruth was no saint either, having been arrested for trying to arrange the murders of the prosecutor and judge at the trial.

I also liked the Pittsburgh story. I felt bad for the kids, as they not only lost their mother, but their stepmother who treated them like her own. I'll never understand how when a spouse kills another, do their children not even enter their mind when they plot these murders. I guess they think the children, as well as the police, wouldn't even think it was them.

Other favorites were:

"Bad News in Battle Creek", focusing on the murder of news reporter Diane King. She was allegedly being stalked but the killer turned out to be her husband.

"Black Magic," where the mother of a girl dumped by her boyfriend conspires to kill the ex using witchcraft.


"A Family Affair"---the murder of Linda Brown by her stepdaughter Cinnamon, who was goaded into it by her father (and Linda's husband) David. This case was made into a book by Ann Rule and the book went into a lot of detail surrounding David and his attraction to young women. David ended hooking up with Linda's sister Patti who was also in love with him and it was suspected that he had Linda killed so he could be with Patti. It's amazing that a guy who was, putting it kindly, not attractive, could be such a magnet for pretty girls young enough to be his daughter.

"Predator in the Parks"---The story of Frederick "Kevin" Coe, a rich young man suspected of numerous rapes in Spokane. There was a TV movie made about the case, called "Sins of the Mother." Elizabeth Montgomery played Kevin's manipulative mother uth and Dale Midkiff played Kevin. The movie paints Kevin as somewhat of a victim, portrays his relationship with his mother as bordering on incestuous, and hints that he chose his victims because they resembled his mother. Ruth was no saint either, having been arrested for trying to arrange the murders of the prosecutor and judge at the trial.

The last 3 are Brownsville, Orange County and Spokane.

I had seen the Pittsburgh one on American Justice as it also covered it. Cookeville was also covered by AJ.

I didn't know Looper died. My mom and grandparents were friends with Tommy Burks and his wife. I never knew Looper, but he moved to Cookeville during a time when I was living out of state and hadn't visited for a few years.

What a complete idiot he was. This article has some interesting things about him and his bizarre career. The circumstances of his death are strange too. He had attacked a female prison counselor, who was about 7 1/2 months pregnant, two hours before he was found dead in his cell after being minimally restrained by prison guards.

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/jun/28/tbi-eyes-looper-death-in-prison/

I'm sure your grandparents and mom were touched by the friendship of the Burks, Tracy. I have never met either of them, but a very close family friend of ours served in the State House with Rep. Burks in the early '70s and knew him well.

Byron Looper was undoubtedly a sociopath, but I too have been puzzled and troubled by the public details of his death. He was incarcerated at Brushy Mountain (and then moved to Morgan Co Correctional Complex when Brushy closed) and apparently made quite a stink about conditions there by filing tons of lawsuits, so I imagine he probably wasn't a very popular guy with staff to begin with.

The guy's story was just repulsive all the way around. He utterly terrorized his ex-girlfriend in the most horrific ways before murdering Tommy Burks, and his sketchy time at West Point has always kind of freaked me out: I don't believe that injury story and definitely think he was kicked out, and definitely kicked out for a reason, but I doubt any of us will probably ever know why.

Regardless, it seems no new information on the death of Byron Looper has been published since it was reported. It's kind of strange.

Other favorites were:

"Bad News in Battle Creek", focusing on the murder of news reporter Diane King. She was allegedly being stalked but the killer turned out to be her husband.

Wasn't she married to a criminal justice professor that used to be a cop? I seem to remember some story about how he'd hold court with some of his students and kind of inflate his time as a LE officer. Ick.

"A Family Affair"---the murder of Linda Brown by her stepdaughter Cinnamon, who was goaded into it by her father (and Linda's husband) David. This case was made into a book by Ann Rule and the book went into a lot of detail surrounding David and his attraction to young women. David ended hooking up with Linda's sister Patti who was also in love with him and it was suspected that he had Linda killed so he could be with Patti. It's amazing that a guy who was, putting it kindly, not attractive, could be such a magnet for pretty girls young enough to be his daughter.

Agreed in full.

The last 3 are Brownsville, Orange County and Spokane.

I had seen the Pittsburgh one on American Justice as it also covered it. Cookeville was also covered by AJ.

I thought there was an American Justice episode about the Pittsburgh story, but saw it so many years ago that I wasn't sure if they were actually different stories or not. Good to know. Have definitely seen AJ's coverage of Cookeville as it ran semi-frequently last year on Bio and CI.

I thought it was interesting to point out the following states were never profiled on the show:

Iowa
Kansas
Nebraska
North Dakota
Oklahoma
South Dakota
West Virginia

So perhaps those are the states with lower crime rates. It would certainly seem so.

I forgot to mention in my list of favorites, the Ruthann Aron case which took place in my state of Maryland. Potomac is a very ritzy, political town close to Washington DC. I would always see Aron's commercials on TV and I was shocked after learning she had tried to have her husband and political enemies killed.

Plotter in Calif. killing that led to TV show dies

Link (http://www.mississauga.com/whatson-story/4426298-plotter-in-calif-killing-that-led-to-tv-show-dies/)

CORCORAN, Calif. - A man who masterminded the 1985 murder of his wife in a plot that inspired two books and a TV miniseries has died in a central California prison.

A spokesman for California State Prison, Corcoran said David Brown died of natural causes in a prison hospital Thursday. He was 61.

Anthony Bear said Brown was in a protective housing unit because of his notoriety for the killing of Linda Brown in the couple's Orange County home.

He was accused of persuading two teenagers —one his daughter, the other his sister-in-law and secret lover — to kill his wife. The computer businessman went on to collect $835,000 from the victim's insurance, including several policies started just months before her death.

The plot inspired the Lifetime miniseries, "Love, Lies and Murder."

Plotter in Calif. killing that led to TV show dies

Link (http://www.mississauga.com/whatson-story/4426298-plotter-in-calif-killing-that-led-to-tv-show-dies/)


A spokesman for California State Prison, Corcoran said David Brown died of natural causes in a prison hospital Thursday. He was 61.



Interesting...I read the Ann Rule Book based on this case last year. This guy was a such a creep.

I love love LOVE City Confidential! The relaxed pace, the creepy narration, the history of a city along with some true crime...the perfect show to watch on a dark rainy afternoon :)

I loved the Ken McElroy episode, as well as the one about Coconut Grove, FL where a rich lady killed her wealthy husband. There was also a great one about about a young black man who tried to fit in with a wealthy community in Seattle and wound-up being a serial killer.

I love love LOVE City Confidential! The relaxed pace, the creepy narration, the history of a city along with some true crime...the perfect show to watch on a dark rainy afternoon :)

Yes! :)

There was also a great one about about a young black man who tried to fit in with a wealthy community in Seattle and wound-up being a serial killer.

The name of that episode was "Sunny Days, Deadly Nights on Mercer Island". I remember the guy was a dedicated club-goer. The fact that those women interviewed for the show hung out with that guy for as long as they did and somehow ended up not being victims is incredible. He was amazingly perverse and creepy.

Skidmore: Frontier Justice ~ Ken McElroy got what he deserved.



Is that the one where the town bully finally got beaten to death, but nobody saw anything?

Is that the one where the town bully finally got beaten to death, but nobody saw anything?

close. The town bully finally got shot to death, but the townspeople claimed they didn't see anything. The police believe there were actually dozens of witnesses, but nobody provided any information. It is unknown who actually fired the fatal shot.

close. The town bully finally got shot to death, but the townspeople claimed they didn't see anything. The police believe there were actually dozens of witnesses, but nobody provided any information. It is unknown who actually fired the fatal shot.

That episode was so good! It was one of the best ones. The other episode that I thought was good was the one about Fresno, CA. The twenty-something son in a wealthy family talked his college roommate into killing his parents and his sister on Easter Sunday so that he could get his inheritance.

That episode was so good! It was one of the best ones. The other episode that I thought was good was the one about Fresno, CA. The twenty-something son in a wealthy family talked his college roommate into killing his parents and his sister on Easter Sunday so that he could get his inheritance.

Dana Ewell. That's a pretty famous one that's been on other true crime shows such as American Justice. I thought Dana Ewell was incredibly stupid. He had absolutely everything going for him and would have inherited a lot of money someday, but got greedy and impatient and his current status (occupying a prison cell) is a far cry from his former life.

welcome, btw! :wave:

Dana Ewell. That's a pretty famous one that's been on other true crime shows such as American Justice. I thought Dana Ewell was incredibly stupid. He had absolutely everything going for him and would have inherited a lot of money someday, but got greedy and impatient and his current status (occupying a prison cell) is a far cry from his former life.

welcome, btw! :wave:

Thanks Wiseguy!

Ewell was really stupid. I remember hearing that he was spending Easter with his girlfriend who was the daughter of an FBI agent. You can almost imagine the little jerk laughing to himself thinking, "Air tight alibi! Nobody's going to question me since I was with an FBI agent's daughter." Lol...that obviously didn't work out so well.

I'm sure he's very popular now in prison. :lol:

I was a big fan of "City Confidential" too...but after Paul Winfield died, it really seemed to change. Nothing against the new guy they got to replace him...Winfield, like Robert Stack, just had that great voice and personality that let you know the narrator really seemed to love the show he was narrating.

There were too many good episodes to mention but there's one that's very special to me. "Small Town Justice" profiled the tiny town of Newberry, South Carolina; the daughter of a state senator was murdered by her husband. The Lander name is big in this part of South Carolina so at the time, this case really caused shockwaves in the upper part of the state. The episode featured many locals and most of the businesses and shops featured in the episode are still around, although they have, in many instances, been passed down to succeeding generations.

Newberry hasn't changed all that much in the years since City Confidential rolled into town. I now teach mathematics at Newberry College, founded in 1856, and was disappointed that the college didn't even garner a mention in the episode. The college is an integral part of the city, being within walking distance of downtown and the historic Newberry Opera House (a great venue to watch a concert, by the way.)

I liked:

St Augustine, FL: The Socialite and the Politician. Local reportedly cantankerous socialite (and former model) is murdered after multiple spats with local politicians.

That was a good episode. So haunting that she was murdered on her own front lawn in broad daylight and the killer has never paid for it.

What was really intriguing as that were several good suspects. Conventional wisdom says that city manager Alan Stanford was responsible, but there were some things about her husband and former mayor Jinx Lindsley and the deputy Sheriff that gave me pause.

I'm interested to know her backstory since the episode said she was hated everywhere she went. This article has some facts about her not stated in the episode: that when she lived in Jacksonville, FL shortly before moving to St. Augustine, she wrote a book, patented an invention, became a real estate agent and ran for state congress. http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/013100/met_1968990.html#.VSt036PD_4Y

Also, another interesting fact I learned that was not mentioned in the episode. Later the same year, after Athalia was murdered, one of her neighbors was also killed. There was some speculation that said neighbor knew some information and planned to reveal, but you also have to wonder if there was some random sicko living in that area.

Do Florida juries ever, and I mean EVER get it right?

I was dismayed that they found no less than 3 people guilty in the murder of Lobster Boy Grady Stiles, including his wife Maria, her son, and his classmate Christopher Wyant. Where was the damn evidence? Grady was a known wife and child beater and murderer who beat his family nearly every day, and I can't say as I feel a tinge of sympathy for his death.

This wasn't mentioned in the episode, but Grady actually had incredible upper body strength as he had to use his arms and such to move around, which made him all the more intimidating to his family members.

Basically, it boiled down to the battered spouse syndrome and whether or not Maria felt Grady was an immediate threat to her at that moment. I feel he was as it's very likely he would have killed her eventually. The guy had pinchers for hands!

I found out some more information about Johnny Valpato. As you may recall, he was the Carlsbad, NM pharmacist and politician who had been accused of murdering his wife at the drug store where he worked late one night after receiving a call to fill a prescription. Valpato routinely accepted such calls after-hours and stated he and his wife were both shot by several Hispanic men robbing the store.

I found out that Johnny was actually declared "clinically dead" at the hospital, but staff were able to revive him. After his release from prison, he was broke and working as a farm hand, but once again was able to climb the ladder of success and resumed work as a pharmacist and politician after his license was restored. He remarried, but his second wife died not too long ago it what was another sad and unexpected death: she died in a car accident. Johnny has since married a third time.

The murder of his wife remains unsolved and it doesn't seem the authorities ever investigated the death after Johnny's retrial and release. It's interesting to note that shootings took place just days after the infamous Santa Fe prison riot that also occurred in the state of New Mexico.

Aspen: Murder on the Slopes ~ Weird they didn't talk about Claudine Longet's successful singing career, instead painting her as a washed-up B-list actress. I tend to think she's guilty though, and her way leninent sentence was a joke.

I can't even describe how much they completely buried Longet in the episode. Painting her as over-the-hill (she was 34!!! and not that much older than Spider). She was also known for her marriage to Andy Williams ("The King of Easy Listening") and was very close friends with the Kennedys. (Robert even made a hand gesture the night he was shot signaling to Longet that their get-together was on, he made it right after his speech and just before he died.)

She was also one of very few French singers to ever have any sort of success on the American charts. She registered quite a few songs on the adult contemporary charts. The radio station at my workplace has even played some of her music in recent years. And Elvis's favorite movie was "The Party", which Longet starred in.

I miss City Confidential. It was my favorite true crime show along with Forensic Files. Does anyone know if they are available on DVD? The thing I liked about it is that it was sort of a combo travelogue and crime show. You got to learn a lot about the town where the crime took place. That was unique, though there was a recent show on ID, Sins and Secrets, that also did that.