Ep 3. Blood Trail/50G Murder

The First 48 is an American documentary crime television series that follows homicide detectives of various cities across the United States during the first 48 hours of a murder investigation, the critical time period during which detectives must gather evidence and identify suspects in order to solve a case. In season 5, episode 3, entitled "Blood Trail/50G Murder," the cameras follow the detectives of the Birmingham Police Department's Homicide Unit as they investigate two separate murders that occurred within 24 hours of each other.

The episode begins with the investigation of the first murder, which occurred in the early morning hours of October 25, 2005. The victim, Terrance Thomas, was found lying in a pool of blood in the parking lot of a convenience store, the victim of a gunshot wound to the chest. The detectives begin their investigation by talking to witnesses and reviewing surveillance footage from the store, which shows a man wearing a black hoodie and jeans running away from the scene of the crime shortly after the shooting. They also collect physical evidence from the scene, including a blood trail that leads to a nearby apartment complex.

As the detectives canvass the area around the complex, they receive a tip from a woman who says she saw a man matching the suspect's description run into one of the apartments. They knock on the door of the apartment and are greeted by a man named Bobby, who hesitates when asked if anyone else is in the apartment with him. After obtaining a search warrant, the detectives discover the suspect, a man named Rodney, hiding in a closet. Rodney initially denies any involvement in the shooting, but eventually confesses to shooting Terrance Thomas during a robbery gone wrong.

The second murder investigation takes place the following day, when 25-year-old Demetrius Coleman is shot and killed in his car outside a nightclub in Birmingham's Ensley neighborhood. The detectives review surveillance footage from the club, which shows Demetrius and a group of friends leaving the club and getting into his car. Shortly after they pull out of the parking lot, another car pulls up next to them and a passenger opens fire, hitting Demetrius multiple times. The detectives identify the car as a silver BMW and begin a search for the vehicle.

Using information from witnesses and informants, the detectives eventually locate the BMW and identify the driver as a man named Maurice. They bring him in for questioning and he initially denies any involvement in the shooting, but eventually admits to being the driver and implicates his friends, two brothers named Jemario and David, as the shooters. The detectives arrest all three men and charge them with murder.

Throughout the episode, viewers are given an inside look at the daily work of homicide detectives and the challenges they face in solving complex and often violent crimes. From canvassing neighborhoods and conducting interviews to analyzing physical evidence and interrogating suspects, the detectives of the Birmingham Police Department's Homicide Unit work tirelessly to bring justice to the families of the victims. The episode ends with a sense of catharsis, as the suspects are brought to trial and justice is served for both Terrance Thomas and Demetrius Coleman.