Cold Case Files Season 1 Episode 5

[Marva Richardt]

ColdCase Files is a reality legal show/documentary on the cable channel A&E Network and the rebooted series on Netflix. It is hosted by Bill Kurtis and the original series produced by Tom Golden. The show documents the investigation of many long-unsolved murders (referred to as "cold cases" in detectives' parlance) through the use of modern forensic science (especially recent advances in DNA techniques), and criminal psychology, in addition to recent breakthroughs in the case(s) involving previously silent witnesses.

On January 19, 2017, Blumhouse Television, AMPLE Entertainment and A&E revived the series for a ten-episode run. The well received reboot features highly cinematic recreations and music. The new episodes first began airing on February 27, 2017.[1] Actor Danny Glover took over for Kurtis as narrator for this new 10-episode series.[2] Kurtis later returned. On August 20, 2021, after a four-year hiatus, the series returned with a new season on A&E, again with Kurtis as the host.[3]

Cold Case Files first aired as a sub-series of another A&E crime documentary program, Investigative Reports, also hosted by Bill Kurtis, which ran from 1991 to 2011. Reruns of the original 1997 series currently air on broadcast syndication in the United States, usually in lower-profile time slots, and on many RTV stations.

Some episodes of the series have now been adapted into a podcast of the same name, "Cold Case Files," hosted by Brooke Gittings and featuring the voice of the original Cold Case files host, Bill Kurtis. The podcast is part of the PodcastOne podcast network in conjunction with A&E.

Each season of Cold Case includes cases torn from headlines and fictionalized to form a riveting episode. In the fourth season, "Stalker" was one such episode, based on a horrific murder that actually happened in 1978 in Minnesota.

The true story goes like this. The Huling family was home in bed when an intruder broke in, murdering first the mother, then three of her four children. The only child who survived because he hid had a distinct memory of his younger brother asking the killer, "Who are you?" There was not enough evidence to convict anyone of the quadruple murder, though, so the case went unsolved for more than 20 years.

Although there wasn't evidence, there was at least one suspect: a man named Joe Ture who got stopped by the cops in a stolen vehicle in which he'd stored a book that detailed personal lives of hundreds of women. Where they went, what they wore, and even identifying information like license plate and telephone numbers. Though suspicious, it wasn't enough to hold Ture, and he was released only later to be convicted of a different murder.

In 1980, Ture went on a violent crime spree, murdering a waitress and battering a young woman before dropping her in an alley. He was convicted and jailed for the murder. In prison, Ture confessed to more murders, including the Huling family, only to later retract those confessions, going free for those crimes again, because he had an alibi: He was at work that day at Ford Motors. See Also This is why Lilly Rush's original partner only lasted three episodes on Cold Case

It took a diligent head of a cold case team named Everett Doolittle to figure out that it wasn't actually Joe Ture at work that day, though, but his father, Joe Ture Sr. When Ture was finally convicted and his story aired on TV, many more women came forward as victims, at last finding justice thanks to a real-world detective dedicated to cracking cold cases.

On Cold Case, "Stalker" plays out slightly differently. In the episode, a family is brutally murdered, all except one child. On the show it was a teenage girl, and to give the episode a modern twist away from the 1970s, it takes place in 2006, taking her stalker off the roads of reality and online, where stalkers more commonly roam today. The episode's twist comes from its modern setting, but there's more than just the identity of the killer to track, in an episode that not only puts an entire family in harm's way, but also Cold Case's star detective Lilly Rush.

Netflix this September has tried to follow on from the success of its Unsolved Mysteries reboot by releasing Cold Case Files Classic, a batch of episodes from the A&E series Cold Case Files, which ran on the network in the late '90s and early '00s before being rebooted in 2017.

However, Netflix has only released Season 1 of this show, meaning that there are over 100 episodes missing from the streamer. Though these are likely to be released over the coming months, viewers can watch them now for free on other services.

The best place to see all five seasons of Cold Case Files Classic, plus the 2017 reboot, is on the website of their original network, A&E. Cable subscribers can log-on to the site with their TV provider's details and see all of the around 140 episodes made of the show.

Viewers without cable, however, have multiple ways they can watch the show. PlutoTV, for example, has an entire channel dedicated to the show where true crime junkies can get their fill 24/7, and also has both the classic episodes and the reboot available to watch on-demand.

Other streamers have some of the episodes. Hulu subscribers, for example, can watch all 10 episodes of the 2017 version, but does not have the original episodes. This is also the case with Tubi and IMDBTV. The Roku Channel also has the reboot episodes for free, but to watch the classic episodes Roku users will have to subscriber to the streamer's A&E Crime Central add-on.

For true crime fans who missed the A&E show the first time, the official synopsis for the documentary series reads: "Murders go unsolved. Killers slip through the cracks. With the passage of time, families lose hope and another unsolved homicide file settles into obscurity. The pattern is familiar, but changing, thanks to the efforts of a special breed of detectives. Cold Case Files tells the story of their work."

The synopsis for this audio version of the show reads: "Based on the iconic, Emmy-nominated series on A&E, this show explores some of the most difficult-to-solve murders, which stymied investigators and went cold, sometimes for decades. In fact, one-third of all murders in America remain open. But thanks to dogged investigators and breakthroughs in forensic technology, these cases become part of the rare 1% of cold cases that are ever solved. Hosted by Brooke Gittings (Convicted and Actual Innocence) and featuring the voice of original Cold Case Files host, Bill Kurtis."

Pulling from the 120,000 cold cases in the U.S., each episode will spotlight a single case that has been left unsolved for years, brought to life through cinematic dramatizations and first-person storytelling from the detectives who reopen the case and loved ones who lived through the harrowing experiences. The series will examine different approaches to solving cold cases that are more wide-ranging than ever before, enlisting crowd-solving and social media, as well as new technological advancements to lead to further breakthroughs in each case.

Cold Case Files premiered in 1999 and ran for nearly a decade, resulting in 125 episodes and two Emmy nominations for outstanding nonfiction series. (Bill Kurtis served as the host of the original series, which was produced by his banner Kurtis Productions.)

Reboots continue to draw heavy interest in Hollywood. Other unscripted reboots include game shows Love Connection at Fox, Celebrity Family Feud, Match Game and $100,000 Pyramid at ABC, with a revival of The Gong Show in the pipeline.

Kathryn Morris stars as Philadelphia homicide detective Lilly Rush, who investigates long-unsolved crimes, cold cases. In the pilot episode, Lilly investigates a 1976 case involving a teenage girl who was beaten to death on a tennis court during a party at a plush estate. A maid to a wealthy family, Bonita Rafaela (Lillian Hurst), claims she witnessed the murder of teenager Jill Shelby (Kate Mara). Now dying of cancer, the maid who remained silent wants the killer brought to justice. Rush reopens the case, in which two brothers were originally suspected but not charged due to their powerful society family.

Philadelphia, 1976 ("More than a Feeling", by Boston, plays in the background). Two teenage girls are walking on the street, headed for a house party. One of them, Jill, is a bit reluctant. As her friend touches up Jill's makeup, Jill suggests they go back to Tim's room later. At the house, the maid, Bonita, tells the two brothers who are throwing the party that their parents wouldn't want that. One of the boys asks his brother if Jill is coming. The brother is confident she will. The girls arrive at the party and Jill kisses one of the brothers, Todd. Next thing, we see Jill's body laying on a tennis court, covered with blood.

Cut to 2003 ("Soul Searching", by Soul Hooligan, plays in the background). Credits roll as the scene goes on. It's a crime scene. Detectives Lilly Rush and Chris Lassing arrive to check out a brutal triple homicide. They survey the scene along with Detective Nick Vera. Nick informs Lilly that a civilian wants to talk to her at police headquarters. She asked for "the lady in homicide." Lilly seems a bit annoyed.

At police headquarters, Lilly meets with her boss, Lt. Stillman. Lilly asks about the civilian and Stillman says he told Nick to take care of her. Lilly says Nick's a pain in the ass. Stillman tells Lilly to talk to the woman and calm her down. Outside headquarters, Lilly meets with an old woman. The woman asks if Lilly "does murders", and Lilly confirms she investigates them. The woman's name is Bonita Rafael. She saw the murder of a girl on a tennis court in Chestnut Hill. Flashback to 1976 - Bonita is in her bedroom. She hears a noise and looks out of the window. She sees a man beating Jill with an object. Cut to 2003, Lilly asks if she called the police, but Bonita thought it wasn't her business at the time. When Lilly asks when it happened, Bonita answers 1976. Lilly is stunned, wondering why she's only saying this now. Bonita explains she had a son and needed to work but now that she has cancer, she wants to end this.

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