Who really killed Effie? The daycare owner and mother of two was shot to death just outside of her apartment in 1989. A man was arrested and spent 16 years in prison for the crime. But Effie’s daughter, Pooneh Gray, is convinced that police got the wrong man. She’s spent 31 years and over $1 million tailing the people she believes organized a hit on her mother. And now, her team of lawyers, private investigators and forensics experts - bolstered by recent advancements in DNA technology - are closer than ever to catching who they believe is the real killer.

On April 12, 2021, first responders were called to a group home on a quiet street in Gilbert, Ariz., where they found a man washing away blood in the shower. As investigators tried to piece together what happened, neighbors would learn that a convicted killer had been released to live on their street. “Locked Inside” reveals the events leading up to this tragedy and questions how it may have been prevented, exposing holes in the state’s justice and mental health systems along the way. Hosted by 12 News investigative reporter Erica Stapleton, “Locked Inside” is a coproduction of 12 News in Phoenix and VAULT Studios.