American Crime Recap: A Murder in Modesto in "Episode One"

By Patty Gopez | Mar 6th, 2015

Welcome to Riveting Moments for American CrimeIf you've missed the latest most talked-about episode, here you'll find highlights and recaps. *Warning: This contains spoilers.

In the series premiere, "Episode One," Matt Skokie and his wife Gwen are found after being attacked in their Modesto, CA home. Matt is killed, while Gwen is left unconscious, barely hanging on by a thread. Reports of the attack are all over the news, bringing together both sets of parents, while four suspects are taken in with connections to the murder.

Russ Breaks Down: Matt's father Russ Skokie (Timothy Hutton) is contacted in the middle of the night and summoned to identify his son's body. After confirming the body is indeed Matt's, Russ excuses himself to have a private gut-wrenching breakdown in the bathroom. 

Aubry Gets Beaten Up: Carter Nix (Elvis Nolasco) and his girlfriend Aubry Taylor (Caitlin Gerard) are getting high at a party when she stops to use the restroom. There, Aubry is confronted by a couple of girls looking to score drugs. When she denies them, they know she's lying and beat her up, taking her drugs in the process. When Carter finds her, she's beaten to a bloody pulp. 

Barb Brings Up a Dark Past: Following a session with a therapist, Russ and his estranged ex-wife Barb (Felicity Huffman) bicker on the car ride back. The bickering escalates into a full-on argument, with Barb dredging up Russ' dark past: a gambling addiction that tore the family apart and left Barb as a single mother to her sons. 

Tony Messes Up... Big Time: With his overprotective father Alonzo (Benito Martinez) constantly watching, young Tony Gutierrez (Johnny Ortiz) just wants to make his own decisions. Apparently, that includes lending out Alonzo's car to the wrong people, such as the likes of Hector Tontz (Richard Cabral). It's a mistake that has some major consequences, including Tony getting arrested for murder. 

Matt's Secret Comes Out: Russ meets with Detective Thompson, who provides him with some shocking news: police found mass amounts of drugs in Matt's house. The amount found, as well as the packaging, indicates the drugs were more than just for his own personal use, and it's suspected that Matt was a drug dealer. The news comes as a shock to Russ, who considered himself very close to his son and knew nothing about this aspect of his life. 

It's a tough week for everyone involved, especially for Barb and Russ who lost their son. Coming up next week, they come face-to-face with the suspects, Aubry and Carter, for the first time at the arraignment hearing. Will Barb and Russ get closer to closure? Meanwhile, Tony finds himself terrified when he's placed into juvenile detention. 

Read the full detailed recap for "Episode One" here.

Don't miss an all-new episode of American Crime SUNDAYS 10|9c on ABC.