Ep 1. Fourteen Stories Down

As a retired detective of the Colorado Springs Police Department, Lt. Joe Kenda has seen it all over the course of his 23 years on the force. Known for his no-nonsense approach and impeccable instincts, Kenda has solved over 400 homicides and put away countless dangerous criminals. In this true crime series, viewers get a glimpse into some of Kenda's most harrowing cases and the methodical work that went into solving each one.

In the first episode, titled "Fourteen Stories Down," Kenda takes viewers back to 1979, when he was a young detective working the night shift. On October 12 of that year, a call came in reporting a possible suicide at the Dutch Mill Apartments. Kenda arrived on the scene to find a young woman named Debbie Stephen dead on the pavement, 14 stories below her apartment window.

Kenda immediately knew that this was no suicide. The distance of her fall and the injuries sustained were inconsistent with a jump from the balcony. The lack of blood and brain matter on the balcony also ruling out the possibility that she had jumped there. Furthermore, the absence of a suicide note and her recent break-up with her boyfriend made the scene even more suspicious. Kenda was confident that he was dealing with a homicide.

He began his investigation by interviewing Stephen's friends, family, and boyfriend. He quickly ruled out the boyfriend as a suspect after learning that he had been out of town at the time of the incident. However, Kenda focused his attention on one of the victim's roommates, who had reported finding her body. While she initially seemed cooperative, Kenda found her to be evasive during questioning and suspiciously changing her story under pressure. Her alibi was also unaccounted for at the time of the incident, which further raised Kenda's suspicion.

As Kenda dug deeper and analyzed the scene more thoroughly, he discovered that the victim's apartment was undisturbed, which meant that the killer must have known her and had been invited in coming before it occurred. The only possibility Kenda saw is that the roommate killed the victim after she was returning home and then threw Debbie's body down the balcony to make it look like a suicide and ran away.

Kenda was determined to get the truth out of the roommate. After several confrontations, she eventually broke down and confessed to killing Stephen. She said that the victim was a wealthy girl who had refused to pay her back the money she owed her. The killer waited for her to arrive home and then confronted her in the apartment. Stephen resisted, but the roommate was stronger and used a fire poker to strike the victim repeatedly until she died.

The case was solved, but Kenda couldn't help but feel disturbed by the roommates' lack of empathy and remorse for her actions. But through his tireless work and unrivaled instincts, Kenda was able to bring justice to Debbie Stephen and her family.

Overall, "Fourteen Stories Down" exemplifies Kenda's signature approach to detective work and showcases the grit and determination that made him one of Colorado Springs' most celebrated detectives. The episode is a must-see for true crime fans and anyone interested in the ins and outs of police investigations.