The Big Casing

Originally Aired: May 3, 1951 Dragnet #99, "The Big Casing," Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ben Romero respond to a shooting at the Kelsey apartment hotel. They find Marie Robertson dead from a gunshot wound to the right temple, with her husband Andrew claiming it was suicide. According to Andrew, the couple had been arguing while Marie prepared dinner. He says she grabbed his Army .45 automatic from a nightstand, backed into the kitchen, and shot herself to end their dispute. However, Friday and Romero quickly notice troubling details at the scene that contradict the suicide story, including the suspicious position of the spent cartridge casing and the body's location. As the crime lab processes the scene, Friday and Romero interview Ted Carlton, a neighbor who lives upstairs in apartment 212. Carlton paints a disturbing picture of the Robertsons' volatile marriage, describing Andy's terrible temper and frequent arguments. He reveals that Marie once told him she feared Andy might kill her during one of his rages. The detectives must piece together the physical evidence and witness statements to determine whether Marie Robertson really took her own life or if her husband's story is an elaborate cover for murder.