Reporter: THERE IS NO

STATUE OF LIMITATIONS ON

MURDER, AND THE ONES THAT

ARE UNSOLVED GO INTO A COLD

CASE FILE.

IN TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA,

THOSE CASES LANDED ON THE

DESK OF DETECTIVE JIM WARNER

WALLACE.

SEVERAL COLD CASES THAT JIM

SOLVED WERE FEATURED ON NBC

DATELINE.

IN THE END, YOU'RE TRYING

TO FIGURE OUT WHAT JUST

HAPPENED HERE.

ASKING WHAT REALLY HAPPENED

HERE, USING THE EVIDENCE

AVAILABLE TO YOU.

AND BECAUSE THESE ARE CASES

THAT REALLY WERE GIVEN UP

FOR LOSS.

REALLY NOBODY HAD ANY

EXPECTATIONS OF EVER SOLVING

THOSE CASESMEN CASES.

Reporter: JIM STARTED

IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AS A

PATROL OFFICER.

A SECOND GENERATION COP, HE

WORE HIS BADGE PROUDLY.

BY HIS 30s, HE WAS

PROMOTED TO DETECTIVE.

HE WAS ALSO A LOVING

HUSBAND, DEDICATED FATHER,

AND AVOWED ATHEIST.

I WAS MORE THAN HAPPY

WITH THE IDEA I WOULD LIVE

MY LIFE AND WHEN I CLOSED MY

EYES FOR THE LAST TIME, I

WOULD GO BACK TO DIRT.

THE IDEA OF A LIFE AFTER

THIS ONE WAS MEANINGLESS TO

ME.

IF YOU TOLD ME I WAS A

SINNER, I WOULD HAVE LAUGHED

AT YOU.

I KNOW WHAT SINNERS LOOKED

LIKE, THOSE ARE THE FOLKS I

TAKE TO JAIL.

THAT'S NOT ME.

Reporter: JIM ALWAYS

PRIDED HIMSELF AND HIS

INTELLECT, AND OPENLY MOCKED

PEOPLE OF FAITH, ESPECIALLY

CHRISTIANS.

I THOUGHT IT WAS A

COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY

THEOLOGY I COULD NOT BE PART

OF.

REASON AND OBSERVATION AND

SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION WILL

EVENTUALLY HAVE ANSWERS FOR

ALL OF THE QUESTIONS I HAVE

ABOUT LIFE.

Reporter: THERE WAS ONE

FRIEND WHO KEPT INVITING JIM

AND HIS WIFE, SUSIE, TO

CHURCH.

SUSIE WANTED TO GO TO CHURCH

BECAUSE SHE BELIEVED IN GOD

AND FELT HER CHILDREN SHOULD

GO TO CHURCH LIKE SHE AND

HER FAMILY DID.

I NEVER READ THE BIBLE

AND REALLY DIDN'T HAVE MUCH

UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT ALL

REALLY MEANT.

I THINK I KNEW THE BASIC

TENENTS OF THE FAITH.

I WOULD BE MORE THAN

HAPPY TO GO TO CHURCH WITH

MY WIFE, AS LONG AS I COULD

GO AS AN ATHEIST.

THE PASTOR WAS ABLE TO

COMMUNICATE A MESSAGE THAT

WAS GEARED FOR THE SELFISH,

SELF-FOCUSED ATHEIST THAT I

WAS.

IN THE SENSE HE WAS ABLE TO

INTEREST ME IN JESUS AS A

SMART GUY.

Reporter: JIM WAS

INTRIGUED, SO HE BOUGHT A $6

BIBLE.

I WASN'T ABOUT TO SPEND

ANY MORE THAN $6 ON THIS.

I WAS LOOKING THROUGH THE

RED LETTERS.

I WANTED TO SEE WHAT JESUS

HAS TO SAY.

IF HE HAS SOME WISDOM TO

SHARE, LET'S HEAR IT.

Reporter: JIM PUT HIS

TRAINING AS A DETECTIVE TO

WORK AND POURED OVER THE

GOSPELS.

HE DISCOVERED THAT IN HIS

LINE OF WORK WAS CRITICAL TO

ANY INVESTIGATION:

EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNTS.

YOU HAVE MULTIPLE EYE

WITNESSES THAT SEE THE SAME

EVENT.

THEY NEVER TELL YOU THE SAME

STORY, BUT THEY DO TELL YOU

A STORY THAT CAN BE SEEN

TOGETHER LIKE A PUZZLE.

I WAS SEEING THESE

CHARACTERISTICS IN THE

GOSPELS.

I THOUGHT, WOW, IN SOME

ASPECTS, I THINK THIS STUFF

FEELS AND LOOKS A LOT LIKE

EYE WITNESS TESTIMONY.

SO I WAS WILLING TO TAKE A

STEP WITH IT AND START TO

EXAMINE IT AS AN EYE WITNESS

ACCOUNT TO SEE IF IT WOULD

HOLD UP.

THIS WAS INTRIGUING TO ME

BECAUSE IT WAS A CLAIM NOT

JUST ABOUT SOME WISDOM FROM

THE ANCIENT PAST, BUT A

CLAIM ABOUT AN EVENT THAT

EITHER OCCURRED OR DIDN'T

OCCUR IN THE ANCIENT PAST

AND THAT WAS SOMETHING I

COULD TEST.

Reporter: JIM ALSO

LOOKED INTO THE WRITINGS OF

SOME OTHER ANCIENT

HISTORIANS TO VERIFY THE

ACCOUNTS IN THE BIBLE.

I THINK AS I WENT THROUGH

THAT PROCESS OF DIGGING,

LOOKING AT LANGUAGE, LOOKING

AT THE TEMPLATE I USED TO

EVALUATE EYE WITNESSES, I

BECAME MORE COMFORTABLE

THOSE WERE ACCURATE

EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNTS.

WE WERE BOTH LEARNING SO

MUCH AT THE SAME TIME.

Reporter: WHEN JIM'S

ATHEISM COULDN'T STAND IN

THE LIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE,

HE WAS FACED WITH ONE

QUESTION.

WHY DO WE NEED A SAVIOR?

Reporter: TO ANSWER

THAT QUESTION, JIM HAD TO

ADMIT HIS PRIDE WAS KEEPING

HIM FROM ACCEPTING THE TRUTH

ABOUT JESUSMENT.

IT WASN'T THAT THERE

WASN'T ENOUGH EVIDENCE.

WAS ALL ABOUT REALIZES I'M

NOT GOD AND REALIZING, I'M A

MESS.

AND THERE IS A LOT ABOUT MY

LIFE I WOULD LIKE TO

CHANGE.

A LOT THAT I AM NOT PROUD

OF.

A LOT I NEED FORGIVENESS

FOR.

Reporter: JIM, THE GOOD

GUY, NEEDED A SAVIOR, TOO.

I, FOR A LOT OF YEARS,

WORKED HARD TO RESIST GOD'S

SPIRIT.

AT SOME POINT I JUST SAID,

OKAY, I'M DONE.

I BELIEVE IT.

I'M IN.

I SUBMITTED EVERYTHING TO

CHRIST.

I SUBMITTED EVERY WAKING

THOUGHT.

I FELT LIKE I WAS GETTING

TO WITNESS A MIRACLE UNFOLD

RIGHT BEFORE ME.

IT WAS JUST AMAZING.

THE FIRST THING THAT

CHANGED FOR ME WAS THE SENSE

THAT THIS HUGE SEPARATION I

HAD ALWAYS DRAWN FROM THE

PEOPLE WHO WERE ON ONE SIDE

OF THE BARS AND THE PEOPLE

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE

BARS VANISHED.

I HAD BECOME A MUCH MORE

FORGIVING PERSON, I HOPE,

BECAUSE I'M CONSTANTLY

REMINDING MYSELF OF MY NEED

FOR FORGIVENESS.

Reporter: JIM WENT ON

TO BECOME A CELEBRATED COLD

CASE DETECTIVE.

HE ALSO DEFENDS HIS FAITH AS

A CHRISTIAN A AP

APOLOGIST.

TOGETHER HE AND SUSAN BUILT

THEIR LIVES ON CHRISTIAN

EVIDENCE.

I THINK GOD REACHED ME

THROUGH THAT EVIDENCE.

FOR FOLKS LIKE ME, I NEEDED

TO BE REACHED THIS WAY.

SO I'M ONLY A CHRISTIAN

TODAY BECAUSE IT'S TRUE.