Plot Synopsis

IMPACT OF MURDER is a one-hour docuseries that utilizes the victim's impact statement delivered in court as the driving storytelling technique. Through a victim's own words, viewers understand the horror they endured or the significance of the life that was taken, providing an acute understanding of the collateral damage of murder. Impact statements act as a source of strength for those who may feeling helpless after a senseless tragedy, showcasing the empowerment that they feel when they stand up in court to address the perpetrator. In the series opener, "Hearts on Fire," Bill Freitag is burned alive in his family's upstate New York farmhouse in what appeared to be an accident. It is eventually discovered his childhood friend, Lawrence Tutt, assumed Bill's identity to commit drug crimes and instead of coming clean, decided the best way to beat the charges he was facing was to kill the real Bill. During the episode, Bill's sister, Carrie Freitag discusses what it was like losing her brother and how confronting his killer was what it took to finally reach closure.

Season 2 of IMPACT OF MURDER premiered on Thursday, September 10, 2020 from 9-11pm ET/PT on Investigation Discovery. In the season opener, "The Ballad of Botham Jean," accountant Botham Jean's dreams of returning to St. Lucia to become Prime Minister were cut short in 2018 when he was shot in his Dallas apartment. Now, Botham's brother relives the moment he hugged Botham's murderer in an astounding act of forgiveness.
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Investigation Discovery premiered the Season 2 finale of IMPACT OF MURDER on Thursday, October 1, 2020 at 9pm ET/PT. In the season ender, "There's No Winning in Murder," Corrinna Martin learns that her daughter Alyssiah is missing. After a state-wide search, a discovery confirms Corrinna's worst fears, opening a murder investigation. As a pattern of abuse against Alyssiah is uncovered, tragedy devastates the family again.