Years after a series of senior citizen murders shook Columbus, a new television show is helping create a profile of the killer.
The Investigation Discovery show, which has an operating title of “Hunting Justice” and is part of Discovery Communications, is bringing in psychotherapist and criminal profiler John Kelly and investigative journalist M. William Phelps to look at the cold case.
Mack Fowler, Robert Hannah, Louise Randall, George Wilbanks and Betty Everett were killed, possibly by the same person, between July 1996 and November 1998.
The murders drew national attention and were featured on an edition of the television series “48 Hours,” which is another Investigation Discovery show.
That hour-long episode, which likened Columbus to Andy Griffith”s Mayberry, was only “good” for about the first 20 minutes, Police Chief Joseph St. John told the Kiwanis Club Wednesday.
His feeling after being interviewed for the “Hunting Justice” episode, he added, was that the show would treat Columbus fairly.
In “Hunting Justice,” the goal is to get people “talking and thinking again” and to create a profile of the killer so the “community knows who to look out for,” according to an email sent to the police department by staff member Julie Haire.
A film crew arrived in Columbus on Tuesday to begin interviewing locals, including Columbus Police Lt. Selvain McQueen, who was on the original task force. The crews are scheduled to leave Friday.
Although the show”s release date hasn”t been revealed yet, Police Information Officer Terrie Songer said her understanding was that the episode would be on in the fall.
Investigation Discovery is not shown on Cable One in this area, but is on DirecTV channel 258 and Dish Network channel 192, according to the network”s website, investigation.discovery.com.
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