Cold Case Files Classic Season 1 Episode 14 Reconstructing Murder / Fire Flicks

In the fourteenth episode of season one of Cold Case Files Classic, titled "Reconstructing Murder / Fire Flicks," viewers are taken on two separate investigations that bring new light to old cases.

The first case investigated is that of the brutal murder of a 27-year-old woman named Karen Klaas. Klaas, the ex-wife of Righteous Brothers singer Bill Medley, was found raped, strangled, and left for dead in 1976. Despite years of investigation by various departments, including the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, Klaas's killer had not been identified. However, in 1992, investigators enlisted the help of a new technology known as DNA analysis.

The episode shows how the DNA evidence gathered from the crime scene was re-analyzed in the early 90s and matched to another rape and murder in the same area that occurred just two weeks after Klaas's death. This match led investigators to the killer, a career criminal named Kenneth Eugene Troyer. Thanks to the DNA evidence, Troyer was finally convicted for Klaas's murder in 2003, nearly three decades after the crime.

The second case investigated in "Reconstructing Murder / Fire Flicks" involves a devastating fire at a Minnesota movie theater in 1978. The fire, at the Mann Grandview Theater in St. Paul, claimed the lives of six people and injured dozens more. The tragedy was initially believed to be the result of a faulty heating system but was later discovered to be a case of arson.

The episode shows how investigators used modern technology - in this case, computer simulations and virtual reality - to recreate the theater and determine the cause of the fire. The simulations were based on physical evidence, eyewitness accounts, and original blueprints of the building.

Viewers will follow the investigation as arson experts piece together the crime, examining the behavior of fire and the evidence left behind at the scene. Through the use of interviews and archival footage, the episode gives the viewer an in-depth look at how investigators pieced together the mystery of the Mann Grandview theater fire and brought those responsible to justice.

Overall, "Reconstructing Murder / Fire Flicks" is an exciting and thought-provoking episode that highlights the importance of innovation and modern technology in cold case investigations. The two cases presented showcase how evidence collection and analysis have evolved over time - leading to breakthroughs that may have been impossible even just a few years prior.