YingYing Zhang’s future looked bright. The international doctoral student had everything going for her; talent, intellect, success, and a support system at both the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and in her home country of China. But when she missed the bus one afternoon on her way to get an off-campus apartment, she would vanish without a trace. The ensuing national investigation into her disappearance would put the American criminal justice system on display for the world to see. In the end, neither YingYing’s family, or the Chinese citizenry believed true justice was served.

The University of Southern Alabama was experiencing an incredibly cold winter in February of 1980. Little did anyone know the weather would cause the murder of 18 year old Katherine Foster to become a cold-case for almost 30 years. But a determined detective, a tip from an AA sponsor, and forensics specialists at The Body Farm, would reveal that Katherine’s stone-hearted killer was someone very close to home.

The Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Arizona had a very problematic student. After Dr. Thomas Meixner gave Murad Dervish a failing midterm grade, Murad began displaying increasingly violent behaviors. But while Dr. Meixner and several of his faculty appealed to the University administration and UA police force several times, little was done to deter Murad’s violent outbursts. And though the university expelled Murad, the act would only serve to further enrage him, and Dr. Meixner became the target. On a quiet afternoon in October of 2022, Murad Dervish shot and killed Dr. Meixner in his own office, leading to an outcry from UA faculty that prompted the university to audit and revamp its safety procedures.