Court TV(R) Enlists The Masters of Crime Fiction for America's Crime Writers: Murder They Wrote(SM)

Court TV(R) Enlists The Masters of Crime Fiction for America's Crime Writers: Murder They Wrote(SM)

World-Renowned Authors Michael Connelly, James Ellroy, Faye Kellerman, Jonathan Kellerman and Lisa Scottoline Reveal Stories with Personal Meaning

PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- In the world of literary fiction, there is nothing more compelling than a mystery novel. Now, Court TV is partnering with the best-known, best-selling authors of the genre to tell some of the most compelling true crime stories of the recent past in Americas Crime Writers: Murder They Wrote. Award-winning authors Michael Connelly, James Ellroy, Faye Kellerman, Jonathan Kellerman and Lisa Scottoline have each selected a case that has long captivated or touched them in some way, and in each episode, the featured author will take viewers through the facts of that case. Through interviews with key players and commentary from the authors themselves, armchair detectives will have the opportunity to experience the story through the author's thoughts and insights. And the network is expanding on its relationship with leading bookseller Barnes & Noble with a planned multi-platform co-promotion, anticipated to include on-air, online and in-store elements.

MICHAEL CONNELLY

As a journalist in Ft. Lauderdale, Michael covered what began as the disappearance of two models, but soon became a cross-country crime spree. Clues in the investigation lead to Christopher Wilder, a Miami businessman and race car driver, who was also a convicted sex offender. Wilder disappeared before police could question him, and over the next six weeks, Connelly reported the story as Wilder made his way across the country, sparking one of the greatest manhunts of the century.

JAMES ELLROY

Crime touched Ellroy's life at an early age: he was ten years old when his mother was murdered in L.A, her killer never found. Haunted by the unsolved case for nearly four decades, Ellroy teamed up with a homicide detective in 1994 to search for clues to her death. In his episode, Ellroy revisits the mystery, taking viewers on an emotional journey through the facts of the case and the clues that never quite added up.

FAYE KELLERMAN

When attorney Cheryl Keeton was found bludgeoned to death in 1986, her ex- husband Brad Cunningham was the prime suspect, but there was no evidence to link him to the crime. It took eight years to bring Cunningham to justice, and in the process, reveal the troubled, manipulative con man he was. When the case became national news, in the early 1990s, Kellerman felt the players were somehow familiar. And they were - years earlier, the Kellermans bought a home in Seattle from the couple.

JONATHAN KELLERMAN

As an L.A. resident, Jonathan has long been intrigued by the 1988 "Just Sweats" case - a tale of long-cons, insurance fraud and murder in Glendale, CA. When Melvin Hanson, vice president of the "Just Sweats" clothing store chain, was reported dead by a highly regarded neurologist who had been treating him in his office, there were no questions asked. Hanson's body was cremated and no further investigation was made. The catch? The body was not Hanson, but a vagrant, disguised to look like him. In his episode, Kellerman reveals how high-living businessmen planned murders for money before they were finally caught and brought to justice.

LISA SCOTTOLINE

A longtime resident of the Philadelphia area, Scottoline will present a compelling case from that city's infamous crime history. On June 25, 1979 the naked corpse of schoolteacher Susan Reinert was found in her car in a hotel parking lot near the elite Main Line community. Her two children had vanished. The massive FBI and state police investigation that followed ultimately focused on two men from the school where she taught: principal Dr. Jay Smith, and William Bradfield, a charismatic English teacher. It wasn't long before Smith was revealed as a sadist with a penchant for porno, drugs, and weapons, while Bradfield was exposed as a womanizer, carrying on affairs with two other women at the same time he was romancing Reinert. In her episode, Scottoline examines the surprising twists of this real life tale of murder, betrayal, greed, and deception.

For Court TV, Jessica Shreeve, Vice President Current Programming and Specials, serves as Executive Producer. Ed Hersh is the Executive Vice President, Current Programming and Specials.

Court TV(R) provides a window on the American system of justice through distinctive programming that both informs and entertains. Court TV Networks(SM) is comprised of Court TV News(SM), which provides live gavel-to- gavel trial coverage in daytime; and Court TV: Seriously Entertaining(SM) in primetime, featuring investigative drama, expert reality and relevant non- fiction series. Court TV Networks is 50% owned by Time Warner, and 50% owned by Liberty Media Corp, and is seen in 85 million homes. (www.courttv.com or AOL Keyword: Court TV)

Source: Court TV

CONTACT: Liz Cooper, +1-212-973-7533, cooperl@courttv.com, or Barry
Rosenberg, +1-212-973-8943, rosenbergb@courttv.com, or Jaime Yandolino,
+1-212-692-7844, yandolinoj@courttv.com

Web site: http://www.courttv.com/

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