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The Best Episodes of After the First 48

Every episode of After the First 48 ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of After the First 48!

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After the First 48 is an American documentary television series on A&E. It is the companion series to The First 48. While the original series deals with the steps taken to discover, locate, and apprehend

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  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    After the First 48 Season 5 Episode 1 - Trail of Evidence
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #1 - Trail of Evidence

    S5:E1

    In Harris County Texas, a 38-year-old man is stabbed to death in his own home leaving behind two children and his wife. Investigators track down the suspect thanks to surveillance video and some good old fashion detective work. But when the defendant claims self defense, the state must put together a case that will convince the jury the dead man was in fact the victim and not a predator.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. After the First 48 Season 1 Episode 1 - Murder on the Interstate/At Close Range: Update
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #2 - Murder on the Interstate/At Close Range: Update

    S1:E1

    As the First 48 ran out on Phoenix detectives, 16-year-old Lonny Bassett stood accused of brutally killing his two friends with a shotgun. Would his claim to self-defense hold water or would the evidence detectives collected in the first 48 be enough to convince jurors of his guilt? In Miami, a minor altercation on the highway ended with a shooting that took the life of an innocent young man. The offender was facing a minimum 25-year sentence with the charge of second-degree murder. But will his defense team convince the jury that the homicide was an accident.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. After the First 48 Season 1 Episode 2 - Fool for Love/Crash
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #3 - Fool for Love/Crash

    S1:E2

    In Dallas, Detective Rick Duggan arrested two suspects for the murder of Leonel Valle. Now the justice system needed to determine which of them was most responsible - the girlfriend, Marsela Cortez, whose fingerprints were found on his empty safe, or her jealous ex-boyfriend, Gerardo Hernandez?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. After the First 48 Season 1 Episode 3 - Blindsided/Killing Spree
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #4 - Blindsided/Killing Spree

    S1:E3

    In Dallas, Detective Eddie Ibarra used surveillance video to track down Jose Castro who was accused of brutally murdering a fifty-one year-old woman in the lobby of her office building. Castro now faced the death penalty, but his defense team would come up with an unexpected counter argument that could change the outcome of the case.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. After the First 48 Season 1 Episode 4 - Silenced/Downstream Drifter
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #5 - Silenced/Downstream Drifter

    S1:E4

    In San Antonio, TX, Det. Tim Angell and his partners find a nameless man beaten to death floating in a creek. They must race to identify the victim and find anyone who may have known him. And in Phoenix, Det. Mike Polk and his team painstakingly reconstruct the final hours of a man found dead hogtied in a hotel room.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. After the First 48 Season 1 Episode 5 - Blackout
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #6 - Blackout

    S1:E5

    Detective Robert Arredondo and his team find themselves involved in a cross country manhunt for suspects in the brutal shootings of three young men.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of After the First 48

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  7. After the First 48 Season 1 Episode 6 - Ashes and Snow/Backyard Murder
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #7 - Ashes and Snow/Backyard Murder

    S1:E6

    Ashes and Snow: A strangled woman is found in a partially burned car. Backyard Murder: A murder is born from a gun sale that went wrong.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. After the First 48 Season 1 Episode 7 - Bait and Switch
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #8 - Bait and Switch

    S1:E7

    On a Sunday night in June 2007, Christian Marton and his girlfriend Monica Stafford drove two hours from Axtell, Texas to Dallas where Christian had arranged to buy a 1995 Chevrolet Caprice. By the end of the evening, Christian was dead - shot in a robbery attempt.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. After the First 48 Season 1 Episode 8 - Burden of Proof/Last Ride
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #9 - Burden of Proof/Last Ride

    S1:E8

    A father of five found stabbed over 50 times shocks friends and family. Cleveland Homicide follows a bizarre trail of evidence that takes the case someplace they least expected.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. After the First 48 Season 1 Episode 9 - Disappeared/Red Handed
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #10 - Disappeared/Red Handed

    S1:E9

    In Dallas, detectives investigated the disappearance of a 20-year old woman who suddenly went missing. After a six-day search, detectives arrested Douglas Edwards who confessed to the murder of his ex-girlfriend, found strangled and burned in a remote field. Two years later, in the hope of begging the court for mercy, Edwards opts to have his sentenced determined by a jury.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. After the First 48 Season 1 Episode 10 - The Boogey Man
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #11 - The Boogey Man

    S1:E10

    On March 26th, 2006, homicide detectives were called to the site of a burning car. Inside were the charred remains of 22-year-old Xenia Wilson, the mother of a four-year-old daughter. Detectives Rick Duggan and Randy Laboda closed the case by arresting three suspects: Jose ""J.J."" Verduzco, Chito Rojas and Ismael ""Boogeyman"" Moreno. Verduzco and Rojas pled guilty and agreed to testify against Moreno. The trial would take turns that surprised both defendant and prosecutor. And the case itself would have a tragic postcript.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. After the First 48 Season 1 Episode 11 - Bail Out
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #12 - Bail Out

    S1:E11

    In Dallas, detectives investigated the shooting death of 26-year-old Daniel Barron, who was killed in the doorway of his home. Detectives soon discovered that the victim's residence doubled as a drug den and that he was robbed. A tipster called-in and eventually six suspects were arrested and charged with capital murder. All six individuals admit involvement in the crime and point to 19-year-old Callie Marshall, mother of two, as the group's ringleader. A year and a half later, Callie finally faces a jury of her peers. Will they see a confused girl who organized the robbery in order to bail her boyfriend out of jail in time for Christmas, or a coldblooded killer?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. After the First 48 Season 1 Episode 12 - Letters of Intent / Family Friend
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #13 - Letters of Intent / Family Friend

    S1:E12

    In Dallas, Texas in 2007 Darell Billingsela was charged with brutally attacking and killing twenty-two-year old Jessica Lewalling in a jealous rage. Billingslea was a two-time convicted murderer out on parole. Prosecutor Jennifer Bennett was determined to make sure Billingslea would not slip through the system again. And, in February 2007, thirty-six-year old Antoine, “Tony” Hamilton was found shot dead, and left behind a vacant house. His friend, Carlos Mitchell, confessed to the crime. Prosecutor Jenni Morse thought she had a slam dunk case–until the verdict in a similar case shook her confidence in getting a conviction.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. After the First 48 Season 1 Episode 13 - The Good Book
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #14 - The Good Book

    S1:E13

    In November 2006, Dallas detectives investigated the murder of a twenty-nine-year-old mother of four, found burned beyond recognition in her car behind a remote warehouse. Detectives soon discovered that the victim’s former boyfriend and father of her infant son, had been stalking her for months, leading up to her death. After tracking down two homeless witnesses and finding a piece of crucial evidence, police were able to charge James Bartley with capital murder. The Dallas DA’s office was responsible for bringing the case to a close. In order to do that successfully, the prosecutor and her investigator had to keep close tabs on their key homeless witnesses for years, while the cased awaited trial. When Bartley finally stood trial in 2009, the prosecution worried the jury wouldn’t believe the testimony of two homeless crack addicts and find the evidence insufficient to prove Bartley guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. After the First 48 Season 1 Episode 14 - Last Fare
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #15 - Last Fare

    S1:E14

    Suspects in the case of a cab driver who was robbed and murdered face their day in court.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. After the First 48 Season 1 Episode 15 - Innocent Lost
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #16 - Innocent Lost

    S1:E15

    Now that some of our strongest cases have been adjudicated, we can take viewers inside the powerful and dramatic events that unfolded after the arrest, up to and including the conviction.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. After the First 48 Season 1 Episode 16 - Gunplay/No-Tell Motel
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #17 - Gunplay/No-Tell Motel

    S1:E16

    Now that some of our strongest cases have been adjudicated, we can take viewers inside the powerful and dramatic events that unfolded after the arrest, up to and including the conviction.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. After the First 48 Season 1 Episode 17 - Drama at the Classic/50G Murder
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #18 - Drama at the Classic/50G Murder

    S1:E17

    Cases involving a football game murder and a shooting at an illegal dentist office go to court.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. After the First 48 Season 1 Episode 18 - Return to Sender/Left Behind
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #19 - Return to Sender/Left Behind

    S1:E18

    In 2008, 19-year old Mikael Hudson was shot in Texas, two suspects were arrest. In 2005, Virginia Rodriguez was murdered, and her husband was caught and extradited to the US, but Prosecutor Treena Kay had concerns about getting a conviction.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. After the First 48 Season 2 Episode 1 - Signs of Violence
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #20 - Signs of Violence

    S2:E1

    One man was part of a love triangle, the other a complete stranger–both were murdered a week apart. Little did Louisville Homicide Detectives realize these two brutal homicides were linked, until they met Michael Knights and Jeston Murray. Were they both murderers or was one a witness? Both faced the death penalty but only one would go to trial.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. After the First 48 Season 2 Episode 2 - Last Yard
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #21 - Last Yard

    S2:E2

    University of Memphis football star Taylor Bradford was killed in his beloved Lincoln Town Car. At first police thought the motive was robbery. Then as they investigated, a love triangle emerged. Finally four men were charged with Bradford’s murder. The first to go on trial wasn’t even at the crime scene. Could prosecutors convince a jury to find him guilty of murder?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. After the First 48 Season 2 Episode 3 - Lester Street
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #22 - Lester Street

    S2:E3

    In September of 2010, Jessie Dotson went on trial for one of the worst mass murders in Memphis history. He wasn’t accused of killing strangers–he was brother, friend and uncle to the six people he’d allegedly murdered and three surviving children he’d allegedly beaten and stabbed. Even seasoned detectives were horrified by the bloody crime scene. Now, all of Memphis wanted an answer to the same question: How could only one man be responsible for such brutal carnage?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. After the First 48 Season 2 Episode 4 - Torn
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #23 - Torn

    S2:E4

    In February of 2009, 21-year-old James “Jamo” Allen was gunned down outside of a Louisville, Kentucky housing project. After discovering that his ex-girlfriend knows the truth about the crime, detectives work quickly to track down the alleged killer and elicit a confession from him. Nearly two years later, what should have been a straightforward trial goes haywire when a detective stumbles on the stand and the defense calls a surprise witness. Will justice be served or will the confessed murderer go free?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. After the First 48 Season 2 Episode 5 - Final Investment
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #24 - Final Investment

    S2:E5

    When a robbery goes bad in south Memphis, one man is dead and very little physical evidence is left at the scene. Detectives track down several witnesses, but the one person who saw the shooting was a 10-year-old boy. Fast forward five years to a dramatic murder trial. The witness is now 15 and well aware of the dangers of testifying. Will he do the right thing? Or not…

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. After the First 48 Season 2 Episode 6 - Hale Storm
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #25 - Hale Storm

    S2:E6

    A Louisville, Kentucky family awakes before dawn as a barrage of gunfire rips through their home. When the smoke clears, three teenage boys are bleeding from bullet wounds. One would not survive. The lives of two others would be forever altered. Now, a family friend with violent tendencies stands trial for the shooting, but a lack of eyewitnesses threatens to derail the whole case. Will a jury find him guilty or will the angry suspect walk free?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"Trail of Evidence" is the best rated episode of "After the First 48". It scored 10/10 based on 1 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 3/14/2014. This episode scored 10.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Murder on the Interstate/At Close Range: Update".