The First 48 Presents Critical Minutes

Critical Minutes looks at three cases from The First 48 that take place in the brutal underworld of illegal drugs. In Tulsa, a homeless dealer is ambushed on a dark trail. In Cincinnati, an elderly man is strangled in his apartment. And a parking lot drug deal in Atlanta turns into a shootout that leaves two men dead.

Three homicide cases that examine how and why some women kill. In Tulsa, a woman is shot just outside her home and detectives are shocked by their suspect. In Birmingham, a mother of three is shot in front of her young children. And in Charlotte, when a couple is suspected of stabbing a man in his car, detectives need to determine who is telling the truth.

Three cases from The First 48 archive that explore how money can lead to deadly fallouts. In Harris County, a Navy veteran is killed after coming home to a burglary in progress. In Mobile, a mother vanishes on a trip to the casino. And in Dallas, a man is brutally murdered with a hammer.

Homicide suspects go on the run to avoid the consequences of their actions; the police search for two gunmen responsible for a mass shooting; investigators worry an escaped convict might flee the country; a robbery goes awry.

Investigators look into the deaths of two men who were brutally attacked with a hammer while they were asleep; a detective hopes to solve a triple homicide; a detective ventures into the world of homelessness to find a killer.

Detectives use DNA evidence to search for the person responsible for raping and murdering a homeless woman; investigators claim that a footprint located on the victim's back disproves the suspect's claims of self-defense; a grandfather is shot.

Three cases from The First 48 archive where witnesses bravely shared case breaking information. First, in Dallas, a young woman found executed in a field is tied to another recent murder. Then, in Tulsa, footage from a double shooting in a motel reveals an important eyewitness. Finally, in Atlanta, after a gang related shooting a community must decide if they are going to fight back.

A Dallas retiree is found mysteriously stabbed to death in his own bed; then, a grisly murder outside a local Cincinnati bar sends shockwaves among its patrons; finally, a father is ambushed and gunned down in a restaurant parking lot in Tulsa.

Three Tulsa cases where the suspects are female.

Three cases from The First 48 archive where friends turned into enemies. First, in Cleveland, a backyard hangout turns deadly in broad daylight. Then, in Tulsa, a young man risks his life to save a friend's. Finally, in Gwinnett County, Georgia, a family man is killed by those he trusted most.