In April 1968, witnesses reported seeing a small fire in a field in what was then rural North Carolina. The next day, some passersby made a brutal discovery-the charred body of a woman who had been murdered. Immediately, investigators started trying to figure out who the woman was and who had killed her. But with no DNA technology available at the time, they had little to go on. Still, detectives with the Wake County Sheriff's Office continued to work the case. In 2004, after 36 years of investigation, they were able to identify a suspect only to discover the man had died in the 1990's. But the identity of the victim was still unknown. In 2024, the WCSO teamed up with the State Bureau of Investigation to try and get new traction on the case. Amazingly, the woman's hair had been preserved from the crime scene. Investigators sent it to a lab that specialized in creating a DNA profile from older cases with small or degraded samples. Not only did Astrea Forensics come up with a strong profile, but it was enough for forensic genealogist Leslie Kaufman to create a family tree. Eventually, after months of work, Leslie identified the victim and investigators were able to provide closure for her family.

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Jenna Nielsen was the married mother of two and 8-months pregnant at the time she was killed behind a Raleigh, North Carolina convenience store in the early morning hours of a balmy summer day in 2007. She was just doing her job as a USA Today paper carrier, trying to make a little extra money to help support her growing family. Immediately, there was hope the case would be closed quickly. Witnesses in the area who saw a man running from the scene helped police make a detailed composite, and there was DNA evidence. Early on, there were promising leads, but the case went nowhere. A man sits in a Mexican jail charged in a homicide in his native country and he is suspected in a 2002 murder in North Carolina. Investigators say he's a person of interest in Jenna's murder, but they haven't been able to get him extradited to the U.S. In this powerful bonus episode, Jenna's son who was 3 at the time of her murder speaks publicly for the first time about his memories of his mother, his loss, and his desire for justice for Jenna.

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He was a beloved surgeon in the Virginia Beach community for close to 40 years. Dr. Javaid Perwaiz came to the US from Pakistan and settled into the Hampton Roads Community. He made a name for himself as a sought after solo OBGYN, delivering thousands of babies and performing standard OBGYN care. But around 2019, his beloved practice would come tumbling down as FBI agents raided his office, seizing patient records, and even diagnostic equipment. This all started because a nurse tipped off the FBII when she noticed a high number of surgeries and insurance claims that weren't adding up. They discovered that Perwaiz performed unnecessary surgeries on women like hysterectomies, sterilizations, removing ovaries, and C-sections for patients who didn't need them. He betrayed their trust and their bodies. In this bonus content from the Crime Capsule Podcast veteran reporter Margaret Kavanagh shares her experience and insight covering this case.

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Jenna Nielsen was the married mother of two and 8-months pregnant at the time she was killed behind a Raleigh, North Carolina convenience store in the early morning hours of a balmy summer day in 2007. She was just doing her job as a USA Today paper carrier, trying to make a little extra money to help support her growing family. Immediately, there was hope the case would be closed quickly. Witnesses in the area who saw a man running from the scene helped police make a detailed composite, and there was DNA evidence. Early on, there were promising leads, but the case went nowhere. A man sits in a Mexican jail charged in a homicide in his native country and he is suspected in a 2002 murder in North Carolina. Investigators say he's a person of interest in Jenna's murder, but they haven't been able to get him extradited to the U.S. In this powerful episode, Jenna's family and the prosecutor assigned to the case talk about their ongoing quest to get justice for Jenna.

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Mary and John McCullough did everything in their power to help their adopted son, Christopher, as he struggled with mental illness and addiction. And when he lost physical custody of his son, their grandchild, they continued to support Christopher and their precious grandson. But on a hot August day in 2023, Christopher showed up to his parents' home with one thing in mind, MURDER. He attacked his parents, beating them severely. Mary died from the attack. John survived, but with emotional trauma that can never be erased. In this episode, the prosecutor who put Christopher behind bars for life, Melanie Shekita, walks host Chelsea Donovan through the dramatic trial that featured bizarre testimony from Christopher.

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It looked like they had it all. A lovely little girl, good jobs, a beautiful home, and a baby on the way. But something was very wrong... In November 2006, Michelle Young, who was pregnant at the time, was found beaten to death in her suburban home. Her two-year-old daughter was left alone in the home with her mother's body. The victim's husband, Jason Young, said he was on a business trip several hours away at the time of the murder. But he refused to speak to investigators. After learning more about Jason's serial infidelity, they strongly believed he had something to do with his wife's murder. A complex investigation followed where prosecutors picked apart Jason's detailed alibi piece by piece. He testified on his own behalf, charming jurors, leading to a subsequent mistrial. But the prosecutor, Howard Cummings, refused to give up seeking justice for Michelle. In this episode, we take your behind the scenes of this heartbreaking case.

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In this powerful interview for this week's episode of CRIME CAPSULE: Ripped from the pages of a reporter's notebook, a mother shares her family's devastating loss over the murder of her son. He had been on a long road to recovery from addiction when a store owner in downtown Raleigh accused Mark Garrity of shoplifting a bottle of Gatorade and then stabbed him to death in broad daylight in front of many onlookers. Taiseer Zarka was found guilty and sentenced to more than five years in prison which Mark's mother, Amy, believes is a small price to pay for taking her son's life. Chelsea Donovan covered this case from the beginning. In this interview, Amy shares her heartbreak and her frustration over a justice system she believes failed her son.

In July 2008, a mother of two young daughters is reported missing by her friends in an idyllic suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina. There is a massive search to find Nancy Cooper. Her husband tells local police she went jogging and never returned. A few days later, a dog walker finds Nancy's body in an undeveloped subdivision a few miles from her home. Quickly, the investigation would lead detectives straight to Nancy's husband, Brad Cooper. But an affair and a failing marriage were not enough to arrest him. They needed evidence, and Brad was smart at covering his tracks, or so he thought. He created an elaborate alibi that police needed to unravel if they were ever going to solve the case. In this episode of Crime Capsule: Ripped from the pages of a reporter's notebook, we speak to Nancy's family about their heartbreaking journey to get justice for Nancy and to create awareness about domestic violence.

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