Plot Synopsis

Host and Executive Producer Deborah Norville peels back the cover on some of the most ghastly real-life crime sprees and criminals in modern history where capital punishment was the final answer. Norville reveals the untold stories behind the headline grabbing events and examines the lasting impact and aftermath of the crimes via movies, TV shows and pop culture. In hour-long episodes Norville breaks down the terrifying real stories of D.C. Sniper John Allen Muhammad, Gary Gilmore, Clarence Ray Allen, Aileen Wuornos, Karla Faye Tucker and Stanley 'Tookie' Williams. In addition to interviews with those intimately connected to the story viewers also see dramatic recreations, raw news footage and police interrogations.

In the series opener (May 21), "D.C. Sniper," John Allen Muhammad went from soldier, to mechanic, to committing one of the most terrifying murder sprees in history. Muhammad's failures in life laid the groundwork for a seething anger toward society that saw both him and his stand-in son, Lee Boyd Malvo, take the lives of 10 randomly selected people in October 2002.

Then, in the second episode (May 28), "Stanley 'Tookie' Williams," Tookie is the co-founder of the crips street gang and a convicted murderer who claimed to have found redemption in prison, writing children's books and preaching anti-violence right up until his controversial execution.