Ep 71. Pure Evil

Forensic Files season 1 episode 71, titled "Pure Evil," explores the case of Pastor Tom Bird and his wife, Cheryl Bird, who were found murdered in their home in Somerset, Kentucky, in 2002.

The episode begins with a 911 call from a distraught neighbor reporting the discovery of the bodies. The police arrive on the scene and find the couple's 4-year-old daughter hiding in a closet, unharmed. The investigators then discover that Cheryl had been shot to death and Tom had been bludgeoned to death with a hammer.

The authorities begin to investigate and soon learn that Tom had a dark past and had spent time in prison for molesting children. This revelation led them to consider that the murders may have been linked to Tom's past. They looked into Tom's background and found that he had sexually abused several children, including a young boy who lived with him and his family for a few years.

As the investigation continued, the authorities began to suspect a man named Kevin Stanford, who, they learned, had been in contact with Tom prior to the murders and had been seen in the area around the time they were killed. They arrested Stanford and charged him with the murders.

However, Stanford maintained his innocence and in court, the prosecution was unable to provide conclusive evidence linking him to the crime. A key piece of evidence, a footprint found at the scene, did not match Stanford's shoe size. Despite this, he was convicted of the murders and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The case did not end there. Years later, a group of citizen investigators began looking into the case and uncovered new evidence that suggested Stanford may have been wrongly convicted. They found that key witnesses for the prosecution had received plea agreements in exchange for their testimony and that Stanford's defense team had failed to investigate other possible suspects.

Eventually, Stanford's case was reopened, and new DNA evidence was discovered that definitively proved his innocence. He was released from prison after serving 13 years for a crime he did not commit.

The episode concludes with a discussion of the flaws in the criminal justice system and the importance of forensic science in ensuring that the guilty are punished and the innocent are protected. It serves as a sobering reminder that even in cases where the evidence seems clear, mistakes can be made and justice may not always be served.