Forensic Files - Season 8, Episode 19 - Breaking News - Full Episode

A young TV news producer is raped and murdered in her apartment. Police identify two suspects, but both are cleared of any wrongdoing. The case stalls for more than a year, and then investigators turn to the Commonwealth of Virginia's DNA Databank.
Forensic Files is the longest-running true crime series in television history. Evidence and interviews with experts help solve real crimes, disease outbreaks and accidents around the world.
#truecrime #forensicfiles #fullepisodes
Click here to watch full episodes from Forensic Files - Season 8:
• Forensic Files - Seaso...
Forensic Files is the longest-running true crime series in television history. Evidence and interviews with experts help solve real crimes, disease outbreaks and accidents around the world.
#truecrime #forensicfiles #fullepisodes
Click here to watch full episodes from Forensic Files - Season 8:
• Forensic Files - Seaso...

[@felonious_c]

Kinney seems like the nicest guy ever. Their child may have lost his mother, but it seems like he has a good dad to care for him.

[@leticiagaytan6414]

😊uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuui

[@bellaadreaam2824]

😅j😅😮😅o😅cI i I

[@wiggels676]

@@leticiagaytan6414 l pllllll

[@wiggels676]

@@leticiagaytan6414 p

[@nicholaskimani7171]

😂😂😂😂

[@danielholt6741]

I'm glad Hope's mom was persistent. Need more people like her.

[@Aqeel317]

Word

[@nancyhaddad1454]

Her mother is such a tough woman. Yet a beautiful angel inside and out. God bless her soul

[@robertkinney7605]

R.I.P mom. I love you ❤️🕊🕊

[@hairlikewool.1435]

I'm sorry for your loss and I hope you are coping well with what happened to your Mom.

[@klt1919]

Sorry for your loss.

[@danitamccree3716]

Sorry for your loss angel!!!!!!

[@tidajallow1381]

Oh my 😢 Sorry for your loss dear

[@rhonda8483]

So sorry for your loss

[@young_prof5318]

The most shocking thing is the guy committed the crime at only 16 years..No wonder she even allowed him into her house. May her soul rest in peace.

[@caroltenge5147]

may the killer rot in hell.

[@aslmad1]

And it was at least his third such crime!

[@Memg007]

Welcome to the black community unfortunately.

[@Jesus2theglory]

@@Memg007I was raised in a black community and have never heard of anything like this…stop stereotyping! Most serial killers are white from a white community, narrow mind! Murder and evil lives in every community or have you not been watching enough episodes of Forensic Files?

[@bee9421]

The way he smiles when he walks into the court room 🤢

[@kimmyfreak200]

i bet he wiped that smile off his face when he entered his prison...being that young he'd become someones b&ch

[@danilincks5809]

I know! I wondered why they kept saying he looked so innocent, he looked like someone I’d stay clear from!

[@verityowens9638]

God how awful,she had made sure she had a great future by working very hard and this happened.So sad for her little boy and her family.Such a waste sounds like a wonderful lady.

[@janiterinadrum1627]

I've never known a single person that just knocked on someone's door randomly at night asking for a drink of water.

[@queenonyxbutterfly]

Exactly! And he lives in the building. So why didn't he just be at his own apartment and drink his own dam water? She should have never opened that door! so sad

[@johnnabuzby6103]

I don't answer the doorbell ringing in the daytime, let alone at night. If I don't know you're coming over, or know who's on the other side of my door, even though I'm home, I'm not home, go away.

[@queenonyxbutterfly]

@@johnnabuzby6103 💯❗

[@johnnabuzby6103]

@@queenonyxbutterfly I was running late for a vet appointment for one of my cats one afternoon a couple years ago and there were some Jehovah's Witnesses or some proselytizing folks in my yard fixing to ring my door bell and they had the nerve to try to talk to me even though they saw I was tryin' to load my cat into the car. Go the heck away can't you see it's not a good time to talk?!? I wouldn't have talked to them anyways but they really pissed me off.

[@queenonyxbutterfly]

@@johnnabuzby6103 they don't piss me off. If I'm not interested, I just tell them I'm not interested. But I'm never rude to them.

[@ql6746]

What a sad story; God bless her and her family

[@KlusterFux]

Yeah. God blessed and protected her. You can also keep her in your thoughts & prayers haha. Another tactic used by nitwits.

[@nicholaskimani7171]

She is in a better place today, where there is no violence and crime - with her Creator.

[@KlusterFux]

@@nicholaskimani7171 yes, of course. She's in such a better place. Let's all go to that BETTER place. Get real. No one wants to be dead! Religion sucks. 🙏

[@nicholaskimani7171]

@@KlusterFux religion does suck. Christ doesn't. Remember it's a fallen world. These things will happen.

[@felonious_c]

@@KlusterFux 🤣👏👏 I love it. Awesome username btw

[@thatshowtheyare9227]

I finally smile when I heard, "put to death" and I knew justice is fully served

[@greatestnitemare6626]

It was overturned.

[@adotintheshark4848]

as usual, and appeals will be heard for the next 30 years @@greatestnitemare6626

[@NicholasShade-eq1ts]

😊

[@bfer95]

It says he was executed on April 27th,1994

[@GlamRockCowboy]

In 2016, Shermaine Johnson's death sentence was overturned by the U. S. Supreme Court, due to the fact that he was a juvenile at the time of Hope's murder. As far as I can determine, he is now serving a sentence of life imprisonment without parole.

[@jp-ty1vd]

commit adult crimes, sentence to adult punishment.

[@ThisIsJ.Nicole]

Thanks for the update.

[@muffs55mercury61]

Virginia has since abolished the death penalty and is retroactive to old cases such as this one in which the defendant has already been sentenced.

[@johnnabuzby6103]

It's a shame that Hope Hall's death sentence can't be overturned. The punishment doesn't fit the crime in this case.

[@Revikra]

Thanks for the update. I thought It was odd he was sentenced to death when the murder happened when he was 16. I hope he has zero chance of getting out.

[@jenniferknight9687]

Thank goodness for DNA

[@kimmyfreak200]

imagine being that crazy u get 4 knives to kill someone...overkill! animal

[@vuksgitau]

I hope he got the chair

[@imawade]

The resemblance between Hope's mother and her son is amazing. He is a beautiful baby. It is so sad he had to grow up without his mama, God bless him. I am so thankful that he had a good dad in his life. I hope as a young man he has come to know God, has learned forgiveness and continues to prosper in his life and for his own family. I was very touched by this story. May God bless them all .

[@rs52594]

Shermaine Johnson's sentence was commuted to life in prison because of his age and he remains there to this day.

[@adotintheshark4848]

they actually are keeping the scumbag alive on the public dime.

[@paillette2010]

I love how Peter explains it, then the expert gives a really great layman's explanation.

[@davidrossi6255]

"One day instead of covering the news she became the news" Peter Thomas Legendary

[@ScarabChris]

Hope must have been an extremely trusting person to let in a stranger for a glass of water. We aren't talking about a house on a rural road and some guy is out walking or jogging and becomes dehydrated and fatigued and goes to the nearest house for help. Talking about an apartment complex, a large apartment complex. The perp had to walk up 2 or 3 flights of stairs passing by several other apartments on the ground floor he could have much more easily asked for a glass of water. Hell the apartment complex probably has a water fountain by the pool. This poor girl was targeted, this guy was watching her, this is how he knew out of hundreds of apartments which door to knock on. Thank god the little boy wasn't there.

[@hayleyferguson3346]

The water excuse in an apartment building doesn't make any sense.

[@ivonned32]

One time a dumb old bimbo neighbor started dating this criminal dude. She came up to my door wanting me to let her in to check my balcony claiming she was under it talking an someone started throwing something like rocks at her. I only opened that wooden door but not the metal one ( thank goodness I had that one too) and took a closer look at why she was standing by the stairs and not infront of my door. Well her criminal boyfriend was hiding behind her. 🤬 I told her wait there I m checking my self and when I told her that did not make sense. She just got all dismissive and said oh it was nothing. Man, it is so scary to think evil people are everywhere. We must always be aware of our surroundings specially today with cel phones being such a distraction. Criminals pray on whoever looks distracted or weak.

[@horsegirlb7120]

You don't have to be that trusting to dismiss the threat of a child. Or the apparent stupidity/laziness to stop at an apartment for water. Most kids are both non-threatening and do weird things. She's not the only one who thought he was innocent and harmless, EVERYONE did.

[@adotintheshark4848]

He was a neighbor in the same complex. And if he was convicted of two other rapes, why was he out in the first place?

[@trencesmall8704]

At the risk of sounding like a male chauvinist, this is something that a man would almost never do, open the door to complete strangers, and certainly not in the middle of the night, it has everything to do with the way we’re wired, a woman tends to think more with her emotions, a man is usually more linear, or logical in his thinking. I got into an argument with my mother for opening her door to strangers, but she just gave me the brush off, like I was crazy or something.

[@TheReverseLoyacano]

11:04 that’s the slowest “running from a crime scene” in the history of criminal offenses. 😂 Bro running a damn 20 min mile pace, might as well just speed walk from the murder scene.

[@SharpTac]

I don't trust anyone so my door doesn't open. I don't even acknowledge knocks.

[@trencesmall8704]

Thank you for sanity in the face of insanity

[@DanaeLaurenTolbert]

I think the ex boyfriend (Leroy) saw something he wasn't supposed to see but didn't want to get involved. That was too odd that he happened to be running from the apartment.

[@jp-ty1vd]

still, if it was me I would be running to the nearest poleece station!

[@greatestnitemare6626]

@@jp-ty1vd Because crimes like these are usually committed by a lover or spouse, he knew he'd be the target. As far as they know she was the last person he saw. He'd be prime suspect number 1, and he'd be in prison right now, because the police were so convinced they had their killer.

[@adriangilbert5364]

I think he entered the apartment with a key he wasn't supposed to have, discovered her body, locked the door and ran. Once it was made known that he was witnessed leaving the scene he went into a wholesale denial that he was ever there.

[@trencesmall8704]

@@jp-ty1vdcorrect, they had DNA back then, I would have ran to the nearest phone and called the police,there’s no way to lock the deadbolt from the outside of her apartment other than with a key, which he had, him inadvertently locking the door, helped throw the investigation off

[@jp-ty1vd]

@@greatestnitemare6626 "he who jump to conclusion often fall to bottom of cliff"

[@ballistic350]

Usually if its apartment complex..its almost Usually someone who lives close ..see it way too often

[@SportsshortsScott]

dude said we needed to grow up for marriage but not for children ?? LMAO

[@marilynwillett804]

He wouldn't commit to her, no marriage just kids.

[@Holychickendinner]

Right?!

[@monicadonnelly4991]

@@marilynwillett804 😂😂😂

[@carmensaify]

i've never seen this one! crazy investigation, so sad for this young woman & her family. -awful way to die.

[@yvonnerizo874]

Shit I'll push the needle 💉 and I won't miss either!

[@phenomenalwife5380]

Amen

[@CentralParkBigfoot]

what does this story have anything to do with the husky thumbnail?

[@quasiasilvels4688]

That's wat I thought this story was gonna be about🧐🤔🤳🏽 . Fooled us🤬😤

[@gjmbarusha6999]

That’s because the killer in this episode is basically an animal.

[@trencesmall8704]

@@gjmbarusha6999the killer is not a cute dog, if they wanted to depict the killer, show a swamp creature or something.

[@trencesmall8704]

I was wondering the same thing

[@JaneDoe-xn3ct]

Don’t open the door and keep your guns ready

[@shandaabsar-so5gp]

Ill never open my door for no one. Thats scary. Hope was a nice lady getting him water. Prayers for the family.

[@trencesmall8704]

Thank you, opening your door to strangers is extremely risky… once you’ve turned the knob on that deadbolt, there’s your last line of defense unless you have a pew pew .

[@dreamsofturtles1828]

She worked hard to have a good future, so sad this predator took it away. At least he won't hurt another woman ever again.

[@NicholasShade-eq1ts]

†

[@tidajallow1381]

Never estimate the power of people especially their appearance

[@andrewbochicchio2232]

Wait a minute did that guy just say even though he had a baby with this lady he thought marriage is too serious and that they should take it slow.. what the hell?

[@jilldurham5498]

Look marriage between two people doesn't always work out in the long run. They just weren't meant to be. They realized that after the. baby was born. He didn't say it to be mean. He truly cared for his son's mother.

[@eurekasquared9853]

Yeah. A little too late for that, tbh. 😂

[@robertsontirado4478]

I felt the same, western society brainwashed people to normalize this logic.

[@SharpTac]

That's why our country is a mess. People have priorities backwards.

[@trencesmall8704]

@@SharpTac100% agree

[@derekbaker777]

What a monster. I wish every woman would carry a Firearm.

[@gabrielodonkor6362]

Oh lord! She was so pretty...

[@SC.......]

Poor girl. She was so beautiful and talented.

[@boduke8869]

02:15.... Have kids anytime..... But grow up before you get married..... That's the funniest sh*t I've ever heard.....

[@madisonwhitaker511]

Bro ATE with that magnifying glass. 17:34

[@Rakel6784]

There's many devil's walking among us ...Wolves in sheeps clothing

[@christinacooper2814]

I love your channel ❤. One of my favorites. Keep up the great work

[@noenaem1389]

Anyone else watch forensic files to fall asleep?

[@kimmyfreak200]

luckily the child was ok and not in the home...unlike the episode purebread murder...to witness that is heartbreaking

[@NicholasShade-eq1ts]

🍀

[@gild2604]

Again wrong picture in the thumbnail

[@mariamagdi649]

I came for the dog

[@annjones5201]

@@mariamagdi649 me too

[@neophantomyt1435]

Lol. Actually I didn’t notice til now. I was just letting these episodes auto play. Wtf! Why a picture of a dog? Lol.

[@kimmyfreak200]

@@neophantomyt1435 maybe the witness who saw him running from her apartment was a husky and he phoned police...

[@ATAHUALPA867]

Glad they caught this monster, killing and raping savagely this woman, who trusted him. God rest her soul .

[@monicadonnelly4991]

Not ready to get married but ready to have a kid! How about not ready for either one

[@hammondOT]

Agreed. And he says they didn't get married because they needed to grow before taking on that responsibility. Sounds like something he made up afterwards to make himself sound better. They probably weren't even dating.

[@loriannrichardson7644]

I just hope that they got the right perp.

[@LazaroO-k1i]

This episode is really good

[@jophoenix3919]

She has wonderful parents snd her son will need them

[@muffs55mercury61]

I don't fault Mr Kinney for not marrying as it's not for everyone at such a young age. He's obviously a good dad to his son. Virginia abolished the death penalty in 2021 and it is retroactive to old cases or those on death row. DNA saved two innocent men (Kinney and Quick) from possibly being convicted of this crime. We're lucky we live in the age of that kind of forensic science.

[@janicescott7338]

It seems obvious that being a pretty news anchor or female real estate agent showing home’s is a very dangerous job!

[@kimmccabe1422]

This beautiful, hard working woman goes directly to heaven. 🙏 #r.i.p. #sad

[@marilynwillett804]

IF she was a born again Christian, Jesus told Nicodemus '' You must be born again to enter heaven''. that means she wasn't a fornicator at time of death but had repented.

[@marilynwillett804]

[sex with no marriage]

[@shineandre]

Kim heaven is not filled with good people. It is filled with sinners who repented after they heard they could be forgiven. There are many people who made that decision on their deathbeds and perhaps some on death row.

[@michaelpatrick7888]

i hope the natural dad got to raise his child!!

[@alli-kat2329]

Kinney...wtf r you smirking thru this?!

[@mabelcohen4842]

Thanks

[@AbbieElliott]

Reading the comments to make sure this isn’t about a dog dying…

[@bigdapramirez6157]

Leroy Quick was just living up to his family name, thats why he ran

[@shandaabsar-so5gp]

Good thing for DNA. They got the rigjt person

[@teriskid3527]

It always gets me when people have babies they need to raise but say they are too immature to get married.

[@Rara-pr9wg]

Such a waste of life💔

[@nostalgicboy102]

0:38 You run home to watch tv and this pops up 😂

[@leavesongrass]

Good for her mother! Taking a bad thing and wringing some good out of it!

[@NicholasShade-eq1ts]

†

[@Alicia_1970]

Such a horrible senseless crime. The husky in the thumbnail is actually from the episode before this, so I’m not sure why they put it here.

[@agentblackbird9435]

This episode hits hard, along with Southside Strangler since they both focus on my state. Suffice to say, these 2 cases are why Virginia (more specifically Richmond) was known as the capital of rape in the 90s. May Hope Rest In Peace.

[@suho8321]

ohhh... imagine how her innocent ex-bf Leroy Quick was totally crept out when he saw her blood-stained body in the quiet bedroom at night when he entered her apartment uninvited!!~~ how goosebumpy~~

[@markthomas3730]

why don't they start with the best DNA test available in the 1st place ??

[@danilincks5809]

Why is there a picture of a dog on the thumbnail?

[@janiterinadrum1627]

I wonder how many people like Leroy had been wrongly accused before DNA and got the death penalty? I wonder if prosecutors ever can't sleep at night because they're not sure if they've done the right thing or do they just not care

[@jenniferknight9687]

I'm sure back then, most did the best they can with what they had (im sure some just put anyone who they wanted too away) but the ones who did there best before dna are probably dead now and slept easy knowing they did there best. I saw one episode not sure if this series or another where the detective apologized to the family because he had it wrong and they found out years later when dna was available the man went through the courts...

[@ivonned32]

Have you watch the old series titled Colombo? Highly recommneded

[@francisvincentcabalatungan3232]

The behavior investigator looks like freddie mercurry

[@alli-kat2329]

Wtf no he doesn't!

[@phenomenalwife5380]

Simply outrageous unacceptable, didn't deserve this WHAT SO EVER... May he burn in hell and beg for a real glass of 💦 water and be denied. RIP ... Simply ridiculous 😡

[@ThisIsJ.Nicole]

So senseless. Stabbings are usually very personal. How sad?!

[@shandaabsar-so5gp]

Rest in peace. So sad. So gruesome

[@lcsb1978]

If he was just 16 when the crime is done, how can he get capital punishment for the crime ? This is just to clarify and not against the decision !

[@tonyarichards5430]

Husky thumbnail? CLICK!

[@V2r4nik]

And one object was missing, The Baby. The Baby is not an object, is a person.

[@alli-kat2329]

TY...i cwas J st gonna comment on that myself..like wtf man!

[@Alicia_1970]

That was odd, I thought he meant her purse or something.

[@lightinthedark1594]

Did they mention what happened to the baby and I missed it?

[@odigieofure132]

The baby was with his dad

[@kimmyfreak200]

its one thing that always annoyed me about this episode...they never clarify yet bring it up when she is discovered....obviously we can see the boy is older now from the pix...so he was just with his father

[@lightinthedark1594]

@@kimmyfreak200 I should have re rewatched it. I had to o many distractions 🤨

[@user-zk2mk1np2rzlambchopu]

Horrific 😢such a warrior in life, saddens me😮❤find them please God😢

[@thankyou4speakingup198]

I agree with the father…

[@SonnyPassmore]

Oh my bad. Daddy had him. Missed that part.

[@markthomas3730]

such a colorful & vibrant culture !

[@cathylittleton7361]

Got a feeling it was someone she knew

[@sly4293]

16!!!!? Whaaaaat!?

[@ThisIsJ.Nicole]

Yeah and because of his age at the time of the crime he got life without parole instead of a death sentence

[@nancyhaddad1454]

Wait. How was he sentenced to death if he was only 16 at the time of the crime???

[@greatestnitemare6626]

It was overturned. Congratulations Nancy. You happy?

[@nancyhaddad1454]

@@greatestnitemare6626 what does me happy have to do with it ? Lol. I was just saying that minors dont get the death penalty. He obviously deserves to be in prison for life. But ive seen every case of FF countlesd times and there are soooo many murderes that deserve the death penalty and literally walk free or do very minimal time. Thats what made me angry. But thanks for the update . After 400 + episodes i cant keep track anymore 😂😂 u seem to be a fan like me 😂😂

[@shortangel333]

@@nancyhaddad1454 minors should get the death penalty. But it should be called a late abortion.

[@Slipknot5301]

Juveniles could be sentenced to death until like 2005

[@bfer95]

It says he was executed on April 27th,1994

[@jaybrown4526]

The "Omega-Moo's"??? Not the Moo's, they're a bunch of pigs!! Haha

[@jackyblevins8724]

Boy Is BAD BAD BAD ALL IS TO HIM !!! Couldn't keep self to self !!!

[@sunflowerz54]

I always say How did they get in? Security guard or Maintenance Who had keys???

[@60misty]

Im sorry, but did I hear right? Marriage is too big of a deal but apparently, it is ok to conceive a child and that's not a big deal !!

[@marilynwillett804]

surprised?

[@brianwilliams6167]

Could've been "accidental"

[@Nebakrik88]

So you need to grow up to be married, but not to have a baby? It’s good to learn the new thing every day.

[@coolestbuminthecity1677]

R.I.P Hope but why they say a richmond suburb i was confused in tell i saw the apartments This in Petersburg VA one of the roughest area in Virginia so many cold cases files glad they got there justice but its plenty more cold cases files to be solved thank god she has a family that cares...💯 🙏

[@unclequack5445]

14:31 that DNA match machine looks like a slot machine only the unlucky contestant ain't winning no prize Aha haa aha ha haa ha aha.......

[@Rara-pr9wg]

He's obviously sick....so young tho🚩🤦

[@alli-kat2329]

Age is irrelevant!

[@damnfamo747]

WTF????!!!!! Have a kid.... That's ok..... But make sure you're grown up before you get married!!!!????? Heard it all now....

[@Sean4reall]

How can a mother smile that much talking about her daughter’s murder case.

[@joejuice3607]

Witnesses aren’t always right

[@nikolaos1991]

What if it was planted?

[@eddo1983]

The witnesses seeing a man running were probably mistaken on what day they saw him or he was just a guy going for a jog

[@zuzellogan5613]

It is ironic that a news reporter and TV producer, becomes news herself….very ironic. May Hope rest in peace forever 🙏

[@limbicbrain1]

Omega sapphire? Yes, shermaine johnson definitely looks like a criminal to me.....

[@ahmedrefaat1086]

"if u can't trust with your neighbours who u can trust" Poor hope.. she was assumed the good advantage of a murderer" R.I.P

[@justaylor1269]

Come on now..she a news person (an u let a stranger in your home) YOU TAKE THE WATER TO THE DOOR!!!

[@marinusscholtz9342]

Horrible!

[@sdandai]

What happened to her kid ?

[@SonnyPassmore]

What about the baby?