First 48 Hours Critical In Solving A Homicide

48 hours may not seem like much time, but for homicide detectives, it can mean the difference between a closed case and a cold case. As the clock starts ticking, each second is as crucial as the next. Bossier City Homicide Detective Sergeant Jimmy Stewart knows this all too well. He works by the theory that chances of solving a homicide are cut in half if police don't get their first viable lead in the first 48 hours. Stewart says often people who witness homicides are reluctant to talk to police. That was the case in a homicide earlier this month on Shed Road, but police managed to not only get their first lead in the first 48, they made an arrest. It was the same for the this month's double homicide in Shreveport. The victims were found Saturday morning. Detectives had the suspect identified the very next day. But Shreveport Detective Rod Demery says that's only if witnesses come forward quickly. The more they wait, the more their stories change. Lt. Toni Morris with DeSoto Parish says fortunately for him, he doesn't have to deal with that as much as detectives in larger cities. That was proven with the murder of South Mansfield Mayor Dessie Lee Patterson. Morris says because practically everyone was willing to talk, it only took six and a half hours for detectives to develop and name the suspect, catch him and get a confession. Sometimes though, it's next to impossible. The case is that of Stephanie Breaux. She had been killed about a month before her badly decomposed body was found in an upstairs apartment. It took the first first 48 hours and then some just to find out who she was. With no viable leads in the first 48, the chances of solving this case are now cut in half. But that doesn't mean homicide detectives have given up. Ask anyone of them and they'll tell you half a chance is still much better than no chance at all. Police consider a homicide case closed when a suspect has been identified, charged and arrested. But what if that doesn't happen? We'll have more on that Friday night in part 2 of "A Matter of Time."