Jackson.Īfter the episode aired, Cooley sued Kenda and Jupiter Entertainment, “fil claims for defamation, negligent infliction of emotional distress, intentional infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy against defendants.” His argument was that reality did not reflect what actually happened in the episode as part of their defense against Cooley’s lawsuit, Kenda and Jupiter submitted several police reports relating to the episode–a handful from other incidents at Sierra High School, along with the report of the shooting itself–to the court. His brother came to school, identified Cooley’s car based on Matt’s description, and opened fire on it, ultimately killing Cooley’s friend J.L.

You’re dead today after school.” Tuiletufuga, who allegedly had some experience (the show doesn’t say what sort) with gang violence in Los Angeles before moving to Colorado, called his older brother Gene and told him he was afraid of what might happen. Homicide Hunter‘s 2012 episode, “Primal Fear” (Season 2, Episode 7) depicted an argument between high school students Moses Cooley and Matt Tuiletufuga, one that ended during school hours with Cooley telling Tuiletufuga “Hey man, you’re dead after school.

Fortunately, a recent defamation lawsuit brought against Joe and Jupiter Entertainment, the production company responsible for Homicide Hunter, gives fans an intriguing and worthwhile look at how the the show gets made, along with the extent to which it’s legit. Hence the boatload of “Are Joe Kenda’s cases real?” queries that producers and others associated with the show get asked on the regular, despite Homicide Hunter‘s highly successful run on Investigation Discovery. But former Colorado Springs homicide detective Joe Kenda’s track record on the force–356 murders solved over 23 years, out of a possible 387 cases–is so unusual that it almost invites skepticism by association. Homicide Hunter is definitely in the former camp. And other shows are so obviously engineered and over-the-top (here’s looking at you, the entire Love & Hip Hop franchise) that fans are encouraged to guffaw when the writer’s room shows. Plenty of shows buck up against the genre’s norms–for example, History’s Alone, in which ten survivalists are dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot with nothing more than a handful of supplies and their wits, only looks fake if you’re an especially cynical person. Probably the all-time biggest knock against reality TV is that it isn’t real at all.

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