Who Killed Jennifer Short?

Fifty-seven shots in ninety seconds, five people dead, seven others wounded and it all happened inside a courtroom on a cold March day in 1912. Lives and fortunes were lost over what most believe was a senseless tragedy. The echoes of the gunfire have long since disappeared but the wounds left behind in the quaint little town of Hillsville, Virginia have continued to fester. The political drama that led up to the shooting has divided families for generations. Some say the shootout was self-defense, others murder. Many of the questions surrounding that day have yet to be answered. Fifty-Seven shots in ninety seconds. Who fired the first shot?

A year after we started looking into the Short murders, investigators try a new tactic. The pandemic has slowed things down, but authorities say they are still actively searching for killer and finding out the answer to who killed Jennifer Short.

In FOX8's new series Seduced by Satan, reporter Michael Hennessey takes a closer look at a killer who went by the name Pazuzu Algarad. Clemmons, NC, is a community so tight-knit that it’s called a village. On October 5, 2014, that village was turned upside-down, by a man with an inverted cross on his front door, and the name Pazuzu Algarad. In the coming days, months and years, details of the gruesome murders of two men – who were then buried in Pazuzu’s yard – began to emerge.

Dozens of people gather each August for a memorial ride to remember Jennifer Short . While the murder and kidnapping took place 17 years ago, the emotions are still raw. What happened that day changed the rest of the Short's family's lives forever, how they work, how they interact with others, even their decisions about having children. Investigators, family, and friends say they won't rest until they find out who killed Jennifer Short.

Family members are disappointed and frustrated with an investigation that seems to be going nowhere. It's been ten years since authorities released any new information about the Short family murders. The FBI is still working the case, but are they just spinning their wheels? It's hard to know, since they refuse to answer many questions. We do know investigators are working the case a bit differently, searching out Jennifer's old elementary school classmates.

A body exhumed, an arrest in another country, and finally seven years after the murders clues are released to the public. The wild twists and turns in the case have family members angry and confused. Adding to their frustration the sheriff and many in his department find themselves in hot water with the feds. Could the investigation have been botched from the start? Will we ever find out who killed Jennifer Short?

The search for Jennifer Short ends with a heartbreaking discovery. More than 30 miles away, off a quiet rural road, near a creek bed, the 9-year-old's remains are found. The nationwide search for a missing girl, now turns into a manhunt for the person who murdered an entire family.

While deputies investigate the murders of Michael and Mary Short, a frantic nationwide search has begun for 9-year-old Jennifer. Investigators admit they don't know where she could be or who took her. Family and friends make public pleas for her safe return as the new school year is set to begin.

On August 15, 2002, an employee found Michael and Mary Short murdered in their Oak Level, VA home. Their 9-year-old daughter had disappeared, leaving investigators few clues as to where was Jennifer Short. In this episode, authorities revisit the first 24 hours after the murders, and what they found inside the home off US 220. Family members share their heartbreak learning there was no sign of Jennifer, beginning a frantic 6 week search to find the little girl alive.

On August 15, 2002 in the quiet town of Oak Level, Virginia someone shot and killed Michael and Mary Short in what investigators called an execution style murder. Their daughter 9-year-old Jennifer Short was snatched from her bed, setting off a massive search. Heartbreak 6 weeks later as deputies found her remains 45 minutes away near a North Carolina creek. 17 years later, no suspects, no motive, and no clues as to who killed Jennifer Short.