Ep 1. Heart Shot

The Perfect Murder is a true-crime television series that delves into the most intricate and intriguing murder cases in history. The episode, "Heart Shot," is the debut of Season 1, which gives a glimpse of the guest of honor, Diane Borchardt, who is a schoolteacher in Fox River Grove, Illinois.

The episode kicks off with the suburb's police department receiving a call from Diane Borchardt, informing them that an intruder has broken into her house and shot her husband, Ruben Borchardt. Upon arrival, the first responders find Ruben lying lifeless on his bed, having been shot in the chest with a crossbow bolt. The intruder, somewhat surprisingly, is nowhere to be found. After securing the crime scene, the authorities start their investigation and start identifying potential suspects.

The police quickly learn that Diane and Ruben's marriage is not as strong as it appeared, with Diane allegedly having had numerous affairs and Ruben moving out at one point. The local rumor mill starts churning out theories on who may have killed Ruben, with the finger being pointed at Diane with regularity.

As the investigation moved forward, Diane's stories and alibis did not sit well with the detectives leading the investigation. Key moments in Diane's story's seemed alarmingly unlikely. For example, Diane claimed that she had to leave for work early that morning and got Ruben up even earlier (at 4:15 am) to help her prepare for school. Diane said that she had left the house with their son, leaving Ruben alone at home, where the alleged intruder broke-in and murdered him. The police, however, found it highly implausible that someone would break into a house while the husband was still at home and that the perpetrator would only use a single crossbow bolt to finish the job.

The investigation also revealed that Diane had an affair with one of Ruben's colleagues, Doug Vest. Doug, who turns out to be a suspect in the murder along with his son Aaron, claimed that he was at home at the time of the murder and his son claimed he was with his girlfriend. However, the police found Doug's alibi shaky. When investigators interviewed Diane's 16-year-old son, they found a different story to the one Diane provided - having heard two gunshots from their parents' bedroom on the night of Ruben's murder.

The show cleverly weaves together both forensic evidence and interviews with the suspects and their friends and family to build a compelling case against Diane.

As the case unfolds, several key clues began to surface, pulling the potential suspects together. It becomes clear to the investigating officers that despite the various alibis, the pieces of evidence tie back to Diane as potentially the mastermind behind Ruben’s murder.

The first episode of The Perfect Murder, "Heart Shot," is a fascinating depiction of a murder case rife with twists and turns. The show does an excellent job of recreating the murder scene and following the investigation step by step in riveting detail. This true-crime story is not only a gripping watch but also a shocking expose of the horrors that can unfold behind closed doors.