Television: ‘Homicide Hunter’

 

I just concluded, over the past weekend, having streamed all nine seasons of Homicide Hunter. (Admittedly, I do not timely keep up with all series of interest. Sometimes, I play catchup. And it took me, say, two months with Homicide Hunter.) 

Homicide Hunter, which was on Investigation Discovery from 2011–2020, was about numerous cases from the files of former lieutenant Joe Kenda. The now-retired Kenda, above, born in 1946, was in law enforcement in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for more than twenty years until he became inactive in 1996.

I found this series as I was navigating my subscription to Discovery+. Other series, also about real-life crimes, are not done quite so well. Some are lurid, tabloid types in how they are presented. Homicide Hunter is respectful. (Wikipedia page on the series: Wikipedia — Homicide Hunter.)

As a resident of Michigan, I can say that I consider Colorado my second home state given I have made many vacation trips there to visit with my Aunt. Divorced for years, and turning 80 this year, she has lived in the state since 1981. I get to ask of her recollections of a number of these cases. (Remember this one?)

My interest in this subject matter stems from the fact that I am grateful I have personally not lost someone to homicide. My brother has a childhood friend who did lose his bother to homicide in 2015. (It is not solved.) And, last year, I wrote (‘Remembering the Children’) about the 1976 and 1977 murders in Oakland County, Michigan of four children known to be victims of the same killer or killers. I take to this with respect and sympathy, for the victims and their surviving family and friends, and for the fact this even exists. I also appreciate this particular series due to the experiences of Joe Kenda. He gives much insight from the perspective of a law enforcer (in more than one capacity during his active career) and also with understanding of these crimes. He has a keen understanding of human nature. (He has a particularly memorable quote, explaining what made him interested in this career, in the below video.)

Homicide Hunter produced and broadcast 144 episodes. (Most were 20-episode seasons.) Here are a few episodes which stood out:

➤ “A Killer Always Rings Twice” (Season 01 Episode 03): A 1986 homicide investigation of the rape and murder of one female resident in an apartment complex is followed, weeks later, by a second female victim. Clearly, this is the work of the same person. (Report: A Fort Carson soldier was arrested in the investigation….)

➤ “I Now Pronounce You Dead” (Season 02 Episode 01): This is the 1990 homicide of wife and mother Dianne Hood. At age 32, she was gunned down outside a meeting for patients, including herself, who have lupus. (Piece: 5 chilling details from Dianne Hood murder case.)

➤ “Weapon of Choice” (Season 03 Episode 03): On Memorial Day 1990, divorced mother of two Shaundra Murr is murdered. The culprit uses his car to back into her. (It was an unforgettable case. My first trip to Colorado was just two months earlier. It was outrageous and sick. Source: ‘Slain in Front of Children: Shaundra Lynn Murr’.)

There are a few, not many, episodes in which Joe Kenda was not the lead investigator. One such episode is “Animal Nature” (Season 09 Episode 18). It covers the 1975 murder of Karen Grammer, the sister of Emmy-winning actor Kelsey Grammer, who was abducted, raped, and murdered at age 18 by serial killers. (Source: The Murder of Kelsey Grammer's 18-Year-Old Sister in 1975 Still Haunts Him: 'It's Always with You'. The lead investigator on that case was Lou Smit Wikipedia — Lou Smit.)

Here is an interview with Joe Kenda: