Ep 16. Shattered

Shattered is the 16th episode of the 6th season of Homicide Hunter, a true-crime documentary series that follows the retired homicide detective, Lieutenant Joe Kenda, as he recounts some of his most complex and disturbing murder cases from his 23-year career with the Colorado Springs Police Department.

In this episode, Kenda takes us back to the year 1991, when he was called to investigate the brutal killing of a young couple, Darren and Heather Heyse, in their home. The case is particularly troubling for Kenda, as the murderers seemed to have no motive for the crime and left no evidence behind.

The investigation starts with the collection of evidence at the crime scene. Kenda and his team go through every inch of the home, searching for any clues that might help them identify the killer or killers. They find nothing but shattered glass and a bullet casing, but the latter doesn't give them much information, as the manufacturer's logo had been removed.

Kenda then turns his attention to the victims' neighbors. They tell him about a suspicious vehicle that was seen outside the Heyse residence the night of the murder, a white van with a paint job that looked like a Mondrian painting. Kenda and his team go door-to-door, looking for any witnesses who might have seen the vehicle or its occupants, but nobody comes forward.

Kenda, frustrated with the lack of leads, decides to turn to the media for help. He appears on local TV stations and asks the public to come forward with any information they might have about the white van. The response is overwhelming, and the police department receives dozens of phone calls with tips and sightings of similar vans in the area. Kenda and his team follow up on each tip, but none of them lead to the killer.

Months go by, and the case goes cold. Kenda refuses to give up, however, and keeps the Heyse file on his desk, hoping for a breakthrough. That breakthrough finally comes when a similar crime occurs in another state. The victim, like the Heyse's, had been shot and killed in their own home, and the perpetrator had left no evidence behind.

Kenda contacts the other police department and shares his Heyse case file with them. They compare notes and find that the descriptions of the perpetrators match. A few weeks later, Kenda receives a call from the FBI, informing him that two suspects have been arrested in connection with the other murder, and they match the descriptions from the Heyse case.

Kenda and his team travel to the other state to interview the suspects. One of them confesses to the Heyse murders, but he provides no explanation. He says that they broke into the Heyse house but found nothing worth stealing, so they decided to kill the couple instead.

The episode ends with Kenda reflecting on the case, questioning what can drive someone to kill without reason or motive. He tells us that the Heyse murder case has stayed with him, even after all these years, and that it serves as a reminder that there are some crimes that he will never fully understand.

Shattered is a gripping and emotional episode of Homicide Hunter, with Kenda at his best as he navigates the twists and turns of the investigation. It is a must-watch for fans of true-crime and anyone interested in understanding the complex nature of human violence.