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‘Homicide Hunter

I find myself watching more and more Investigation Discovery shows through Hulu, and one of the programs I’ve been kinda binge-watching is “Homicide Hunter.” It features Lt. Joe Kenda, a retired Colorado Springs homicide detective who spent 23 years with the department. He retired in 1996. During his career, he’s solved almost 400 homicides, and the show looks back on a wide range of cases.

Kenda is now in his early 70s, and he fills in the details of each case, providing comments here and there as the dramatization unfolds. Some cases can be horrific, like the one I watched earlier this week where a suspect shot and killed three people at a local bar and set fire to the place, and then shot and killed two sisters at a 24-hour convenience store. It was described as a “massacre” and Kenda, his team and other law officials worked constantly to bring the killer to light.

I like Kenda’s no-nonsense approach to talking about these homicide cases. He talks off-the-cuff, which makes the show fascinating to watch, well, for me anyway. He also has a catch phrase of sorts — “my, my, my.” I’m sometimes tempted to get a “Homicide Hunter” T-shirt I found on Amazon (like I need more T-shirts). The show “Homicide Hunter” started in September 2011 and started doing well in the ratings. I’m amazed at how much Kenda can remember about the cases, even ones from more than 40 years ago. He does read up on some past homicides he’s worked before shooting an episode.

So far the show’s run for eight seasons with 124 episodes. Seven of those seasons are available on Hulu. I tend to skip around, picking episodes with cases that sound interesting to watch. I’ve come to recognize some of Kenda’s fellow officers who also share information about the cases. Sometimes friends or family members of the victims are on the program as well, and you learn a little more about them as a person.

Last month, Kenda announced that season 9 will be the last season of “Homicide Hunter,” saying his remaining cases are either too gory for TV or don’t really have much to them. But thankfully he plans to continue working with Investigation Discovery. I’ve grown to enjoy watching his gruff and straight-forward demeanor.

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