Investigation Discovery’s Murder Street series tonight looks into the killing of Victoria Cushman — who was battered to death in her own home with a fire-extinguisher.
The popular 29-year-old was found by a co-worker in a pool of blood at her home in Warwick, Rhode Island, leaving her community in shock.
Her death in August 1989 led to police detective Jeffrey Scott Hornoff spending six years in prison after he was convicted of her murder — which he did not commit.
He had had an affair with Cushman after meeting her at a sporting goods store, and though he was initially ruled out as a suspect a subsequent investigation into the police’s handling of the case led to him being charged.
He was later convicted by a jury of first-degree murder. However, after six years in prison he was released when the real perpetrator came forward out of guilt.
Todd Barry had also been involved in a relationship with Cushman and told detectives he had killed her with the 17-lb fire extinguisher after they argued on the night she died.
Cushman was exonerated when Barry was sentenced to 30 years in prison in January 2003, as revealed in the news report below:
Tonight’s Murder Street on ID also looks at the death of 86-year-old Nordella Newson, who was killed in her apartment in Boston, MA, after confronting criminals in her street.
Murder Street airs tonight at 8/7c on Investigation Discovery.