TV One’s ‘Celebrity Crime Files’ premieres Monday

Each episode explores some of the most controversial crimes of a generation, documenting the rise and fall of the entertainment, sports and literary world’s most prominent and promising figures including Marvin Gaye, Jam Master Jay and Peter Tosh.

Celebrity Crime Files’ first season explores the real story behind crimes involving: 

Rae Carruth — the former NFL player conspired to murder his pregnant girlfriend and make the murder look like a random act of violence.  What Carruth didn’t expect, was that she would survive long enough to dial 911.

Marvin Gaye — the international superstar, with a plethora of No. 1 hits and sold-out tours was murdered after getting involved in an argument between his parents. The perpetrator: His father, who shot Gaye with the pistol that Marvin had given as a gift months before.

Donald Goines — one of the most successful African-American writers of urban fiction books, was shot to death along with his wife in Detroit with a speculated but unknown motive.

LaLa Brown — the up-and-coming star in the Hip Hop community had just found success as the lead singer on the Lyfe Jennings song S.E.X. when she was murdered along with her boyfriend in a Milwaukee recording studio.  

 Jam Master Jay — the Run-DMC DJ was working in his music studio when he was shot and killed.  Surprisingly, though many of his friends were in the studio that night and heard the crime occur, no one actually witnessed the shooting or saw the assailants enter and leave the building.  

Peter Tosh — the Jamaican reggae musician was held captive and tortured by a three-man gang in his own home before receiving a fatal shot to the head. 

Merlin Santana — a promising actor and rapper with stints on the Cosby Show and The Steve Harvey Show under his belt, the 26-year-old was fatally shot while sitting in a parked car in Los Angeles, soon after a young girl falsely accused him of rape.