NEW ORLEANS HOMICIDE DETECTIVE SLEUTHS: 'THE WORST OF THE WORST'

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline

True Crime, News

3.9 • 7.6K Ratings

🗓️ 30 December 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

James Fyfe leaves his Massachusetts security screening job to follow his dreams of becoming a cop.

New Orleans catches Fyfe’s eye, actually circulating ‘help wanted’ posters amid a hiring slump. Fyfe begins as a patrol officer in Algiers and works his way up the Fourth District Task Force into property crimes.

After time on the Violent Crime Abatement Investigation team, Fyfe finally gets a shot in the homicide division, just as NOLA sees a huge spike in violent crime. While many detectives only handle about five homicide cases a year, Fyfe is assigned to nearly 40 cases over three years because he keeps clearing them!

Since 2022, Fyfe has closed 24 consecutive cases he is assigned to, with his co-workers keeping track on a white board they’ve dubbed the "Fyfe-o-meter."

Fyfe’s work helps the homicide division bring its ‘clearance rate’ from 40% in 2022 to above 76%.

As 2024 nears the end, Thanh Vu tends her supermarket, but three "customers" are seeking more than groceries. Thanh, 61, was held at gunpoint while thieves emptied the register and pocketed cigarettes.

When Thanh fights back, she’s shot and left for dead.

Joining Nancy Grace:

James Fyfe - Homicide Detective, New Orleans Police Department, Criminal Law Degree from Northeastern University, and Master’s at Suffolk University; Increased Homicide Unit’s Clearance Rate from 40% to 75% from 2022-2024

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This is an I-Heart podcast.
0:02.3	Guaranteed Human.
0:04.8	Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.
0:09.9	A New Orleans homicide detective, the modern day, Eircule Poirot, slews the worst of the worst.
0:19.3	Now, hold on right there.
0:20.6	Number one, very high crime city, New Orleans,
0:25.4	the big easy. So are some murders worse than other murders? How bad can it be? This guy has the
0:35.4	answer to that. I'm Nancy Grace. This is crime stories. I want to thank you
0:39.2	for being with us. Detective James Fife began his career with the New Orleans Police Department
0:44.2	as a patrol officer before advancing to detective in the fall of 2021. Since his promotion, he has
0:50.6	successfully solved over 24 consecutive cases showcasing his dedication and skill.
0:58.1	It's not just dedication. It's not just hard hours to close 24 consecutive homicides in a row.
1:08.7	That takes serious sleuthing. Who is this guy? Listen. James Fife leaves his Massachusetts
1:16.7	security screening job to follow his dreams of becoming a cop. New Orleans catches Fife's eye,
1:22.6	actually circulating help-wanted posters amid a hiring slump. Fife begins as a patrol officer in Algiers and works his
1:29.9	way up the 4th District Task Force into property crimes. After time on the violent crime abatement
1:35.3	investigation team, Fife finally gets a shot in the homicide division, just as Nola sees a huge spike in
1:41.7	violent crime. And joining us now, homicide detective James Fife. Detective
1:47.8	Fyfe, thank you for being with us. Thanks for having me. It's an honor. Detective Fyfe, 24 consecutive
1:56.4	homicides. That's extremely rare. Do you recall the first homicide you investigated with New Orleans?
2:07.7	Of course. Yeah. A case like that stays with you. I mean, each of them, really. But your first case,
2:11.8	you know, you're analyzing every little step. And for sure, that's not something you forget it was in September of
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 18 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.