Preview: Broken Hearts | Forensic Files

I've been a writer for almost 50 years and I have never encountered a story like this that was such a combination of
utter tragedy and happiness we called this story at the beating heart because a heart survived a tragic event so it
was Christmas 1986 all the Christmas cheer or the season everyone's happy smiling so it was a the best Christmas
ever I was falling hard in love and it all ended police got a call around 2:00 a.m. that shots were fired and an
apartment complex and they rushed to the scene the first detective on the scene was Detective Tommy Lee I went up to the
second floor to the apartment I walked in and a young 19 year old female was laying on the floor with what appeared
to be blood coming from her face and her head and her eyes the victim was Karen or Mert at 2:30 a.m. Saturday a Karen
rumored was found dead in her apartment shot three times in the head detective Lee is looking at this horrifying scene
and suddenly a woman shows up and it's the victim's mother we look each other in the face and I said I hate to tell
you this but your 19 year old daughter is dead she was murdered and she collapsed in my arms
tell me I can't imagine there's anything you learn in the Academy that prepares you for a moment like that I'll never
forget it you never forget telling a mother that her 19 year old daughter has been murdered
I was shocked I didn't believe it at first my name is rich leap I had known Karen
Emmerich for several years and we had recently started dating and it just hit me like a ton of bricks I couldn't
imagine what happened went upstairs to my room laid down in my bed and I think I cried for 12 hours
it was just she's gone I didn't get to say goodbye to her it just kind of left a hole but that's not where this story
ended something amazing came out of something horrifying doesn't happen that often
[Music] you

A story of tragedy and triumph -- the murder of a young woman and how her killer’s heart saves the life of a dying woman. CBS News' Jim Axelrod reports for "48 Hours" Saturday, March 14 at 10/9c on CBS.

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Brief Summary

Karen Emmerich's tragic murder in 1986 leads to profound grief and unexpected outcomes for those involved.

Key points

A Heart Survives Tragedy. A story intertwining tragedy and happiness, marked by a shocking murder.
The Worst News. Detective Tommy Lee faces the heart-wrenching task of informing a mother of her daughter's death.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I'll never forget telling a mother that her daughter has been murdered.

The emotional weight of delivering tragic news.

2:13WatchMar 13, 2020

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