"He wiped down every surface. He wore gloves. He even changed his clothes." But he forgot to check under the bed — where a 7-year-old was hiding, clutching a stuffed animal, trying not to breathe. The killer walked free for two years. Then the little girl finally told her mother what she saw.
In this harrowing true crime episode, we investigate the case of a murderer who believed he had committed the perfect crime — no DNA, no witnesses, no confession. But one witness was too small to reach the doorknob. Using trial transcripts, child interview recordings (expertly conducted by forensic psychologists), and the eventual interrogation transcript, we walk through how police built a case around the testimony of a first-grader. The killer's confidence in the interrogation room is stunning — until the detective mentions the child's name, and his face goes slack. Featuring experts in child testimony, memory formation, and the controversial but powerful tool of child witnesses in murder trials. Listener discretion advised — adult content, but no graphic descriptions involving the child. Press play for the story of justice that came from under a bed.