Behind the Crimes
Behind the Crimes with Robert Murphy
Cold Case: Solved from a single sheet of paper
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Cold Case: Solved from a single sheet of paper

How do you solve a historic crime when all you have is a single sheet of paper? Det Sgt Julie Mackay and investigator Gary Mason gained justice for the victim of a terrifying attack 25 years earlier.

What does it take to be a cold case detective? How do you solve a case from the past when all the files have vanished?

All Julie and Gary had was one sheet of paper: a laboratory submission form.

Nothing else.

They didn’t know the details of the attack, who the victim was, what or where it happened.

But by methodically reviewing the case Julie and Gary were able to rebuild the investigation.

There was a DNA hit linking the attack to another unsolved crime scene.

And the attack had been so terrifying, all the original officers and witnesses had never forgotten that freezing night in January 1986 when they came across a young woman called Samantha who had been subjected to this traumatising assault.

But just when Julie thought justice was within her grasp she faced another challenge: lawyers who were refusing to charge their prime suspect.

The case culminated in a dramatic and emotionally-charged court hearing.

Warning: while this episode does not give graphic or intimate descriptions of this sexual assault, some of the details and imagery may be distressing. Listener discretion is advised.

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Behind the Crimes
Behind the Crimes with Robert Murphy
### WINNER 'Outstanding Indie Podcast at the True Crime Awards 2024. ###
What makes a criminal? What makes a truly great detective?
Award-winning TV crime correspondent Robert Murphy speaks with people involved with some of the most fascinating true crime cases of recent years: detectives, victims, experts and sometimes even the criminals themselves.
What drives a person to ignore the morals, laws and conventions of normal society and pushes them to perform the darkest acts?
Sex? Money? Revenge? Love? Humiliation?
Are criminals born bad or are they a creation of their circumstances?
How can detectives catch people who are intent on causing truly dreadful harm to others? What happens when that criminal has done a brilliant job covering their tracks?
This podcast and newsletter explores some of our biggest crime stories - and some of the lesser-known, compelling cases which deserve a better understanding.
For video interviews, evidence from each case, articles and more, go to https://robertmurphy.substack.com/about