Ep 13. Backstage Murder

In season 3 episode 13 of The FBI Files, titled "Backstage Murder," the FBI investigates a brutal murder that took place in a small town theater. The episode opens with a recreation of the murder scene - a bloodstained dressing room with a lifeless body lying on the ground.

The victim was Peter Stamboni, a well-known actor and director who had recently moved to the area to take over the struggling theater. The lead suspect in the case was a local actor named Ken Sarno, who had a history of conflicts with Stamboni. However, as the FBI begins their investigation, they quickly realize that things are not as straightforward as they seem.

The first clue in the case comes from a hair found on the victim's jacket that is not his own. The hair is analyzed and found to belong to a woman, leading the FBI to focus their investigation on Stamboni's wife, Linda. Linda had a reputation as a difficult and demanding woman who did not get along with her husband, and there were rumors that she was having an affair.

However, as the FBI digs deeper, they discover that Linda was not the only woman in Stamboni's life. He had been having an affair with one of the theater's actresses, a young woman named Lisa. Lisa is brought in for questioning, where she admits to the affair and reveals that Stamboni had promised to leave his wife for her.

This revelation puts the focus back on Sarno, who is known to have been jealous of Stamboni's success and may have been motivated by his feelings for Lisa. The FBI discovers that Sarno had purchased a gun just days before the murder and had been seen near the theater on the night of the crime.

As the investigation progresses, the FBI is able to piece together a timeline of events that suggests Sarno was the killer. However, Sarno continues to maintain his innocence, even going so far as to take a polygraph test.

In the end, it is a piece of physical evidence that seals Sarno's fate. A print from Sarno's shoe is found at the crime scene, matching a footprint left in the dressing room. Sarno is arrested and eventually convicted of the murder of Peter Stamboni.

Throughout the episode, we see interviews with FBI agents involved in the case, as well as dramatic recreations of key moments in the investigation. The story of the backstage murder is told in a straightforward and engaging way, with a focus on the forensic evidence that ultimately led to the killer's capture.