The Confession

By all accounts, Stephanie Crowe was a wonderful child. She got along with her parents and her two siblings. At 12, she had already won awards for her volunteer work. When she was murdered early last year, her family was shocked and devastated.

The trauma only increased when Stephanie's brother Michael was arrested for the crime. He had given police a detailed confession that implicated two of his friends.

But then, Michael and his friends recanted, and said that the police had tortured them psychologically to extract their admissions.

Someone was wrong. But who?

48 Hours takes a in-depth look at this tale of murder, family solidarity and the limits of police interrogation techniques.

Confessions, Yes, But the Truth? When Stephanie Crowe was stabbed to death, police decided that someone in the family had done it. So they set to work finding out who. When Michael confessed, it seemed that the case was solved. But did Michael Crowe feel a homicidal jealousy toward his younger sister?

The Telltale Stains: Even after a judge threw out parts of the three boys' confessions, prosecutors had a strong case. But then a dogged defense lawyer took a second look at some key evidence. Suddenly the whole case was transformed. Find out how.

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Produced by David Kohn;