It's an iconic line in any crime story: when a suspect is arrested and gets to make one call. In reality, once a person enters the criminal justice system, there are multiple opportunities to make calls while awaiting trial. The vast majority of those calls are recorded. An admission, a threat, a slip of the tongue, a bribe -- it's all on tape and the suspect knows it, but this doesn't always prevent people from talking and talking. Jailhouse phone calls are used to frame the narrative of murder investigations steeped in mystery.
Sixteen-year-old Mujey Dumbuya turns up dead four days after leaving her home to go to school; police across multiple jurisdictions unite to uncover the tragic truth behind her murder, and jailhouse calls provide the clues to catch the killer.
The burning body of trumpet player Scott Sessions lies smouldering along a mountainside road. An investigation uncovers three potential suspects, plus another dead body, but calls from an inmate at the Weld County Jail reveal the true killer.
In December 2001, the brutal murder of Robert Fingerhut, the respected owner of two bus stations, spurs an investigation that reveals a sordid relationship of lust, lies and murder; jail calls hold the killer's secrets.
An unknown killer tortures and murders a couple in January 2011; DNA links an unexpected suspect to the crime, and investigators must rely on recorded jailhouse phone calls to gather solid evidence and bring the culprit to justice.
When a ranch hand is found dead in a river outside of Salt Lake City, investigators across two states must work together to catch the killer; searching for the truth uncovers a trail of fraud, deception and adultery, shocking a small town in Nevada.
When a young mother of three vanishes on Mother's Day, police race to find her. The search grips the entire community, but no one is ready for what it will uncover -- 20 years of lies and violence and a potential serial killer hiding in their midst.
Fishermen find a 27-year-old man shot to death on a river embankment; a key suspect leaves investigators guessing before jailhouse calls reveal the truth of a twisted love triangle that ended in murder.
When a former crime reporter is found murdered inside his home, investigators eye his spouse and his neighbours, until intercepted jailhouse calls reveal the true killer.
For over a decade, a twisted web of secrets and lies conceals the identity of the person who heartlessly murdered a selfless mother of three; when the truth finally comes out, the revelation stuns the family, the community and the investigators.
In March 2020, Gretchen Anthony disappears after texting loved ones that she was diagnosed with COVID-19; when a search of her home suggests foul play, investigators rely on recorded jailhouse phone calls to unravel the mystery of what happened.
It's an iconic line in any crime story: when a suspect is arrested and gets to make one call. In reality, once a person enters the criminal justice system, there are multiple opportunities to make calls while awaiting trial. The vast majority of those calls are recorded. An admission, a threat, a slip of the tongue, a bribe -- it's all on tape and the suspect knows it, but this doesn't always prevent people from talking and talking. Jailhouse phone calls are used to frame the narrative of murder investigations steeped in mystery.
Alda Matos
Lion Television ,
