Ep 29. Pride and the Fall / The Nail File

In Cold Case Files season 1 episode 29, titled "Pride and the Fall / The Nail File," viewers are taken on a journey through two separate cases that span decades and involve a range of suspects and witnesses.

The first case, "Pride and the Fall," centers around the murder of young mother Virginia Hannon, who was found dead in her home in 1984. Despite early leads suggesting the involvement of Hannon's estranged husband, police were never able to build a strong enough case to arrest him for the crime. After sitting cold for years, the case was reopened in the 1990s, and a new wave of forensic evidence led police to suspect that John Robert Williams, a routine burglar, might have been involved. But again, the case went cold, and it wasn't until Williams was arrested for a separate burglary decades later that police reopened the Hannon case once more. This time, new DNA evidence finally provided the link necessary to arrest and convict Williams for the murder of Virginia Hannon.

The second case, "The Nail File," is equally gripping and complex. In this case, viewers are taken back to 1992, when a young woman named Catherine Ayon disappeared after leaving her job at a mall. Despite early suspicions that her boyfriend was involved, police were unable to find any concrete evidence linking him to the case. As the years unwound, Ayon's family never gave up hope of finding Catherine, and they continued to press law enforcement to pursue the case. In the early 2000s, investigators were finally able to make some headway in the case thanks to a strange piece of evidence: a nail file that had been found in Ayon's boyfriend's car. The file had long baffled investigators, as it seemed to include traces of multiple DNA sources, but was ultimately determined to be the key to solving the homicide. With new DNA technology, investigators were able to isolate two sources of DNA on the file: Ayon's, and that of the same man who had been present on the scene of another homicide in the area around the same time. The man, named Richard Cherrington, was eventually arrested and convicted for both murders.

Throughout both of these cases, "Pride and the Fall/The Nail File" showcases the persistence and dedication of law enforcement and families alike in seeking justice for victims of violent crime. As viewers follow the twists and turns of each investigation, they are reminded of the importance of never giving up hope and never ceasing to fight for justice.