What happened to Christa Worthington? Details explored ahead of 48 Hours on CBS

48 Hours is set to return to CBS with a classic case from 2002, where renowned fashion writer Christa Worthington was stabbed to death in her Cape Cod, Massachusetts, home by a man who few considered a suspect in a long list of men with potential motives. This case was the subject of 48 Hours' 20th season.

The episode originally aired on March 6, 2007, and is set to re-air on Saturday, July 6, 2024, at 9:00 PM EST on CBS. The synopsis for the case reads:

"Authorities search for the killer of an A-list fashion writer who left her fast-track career and moved to Cape Cod, where she became the town's first murder victim in 30 years."

This case is especially harrowing because it was the first murder Cape Cod had seen in over 30 years. Moreover, the victim happened to be a relatively known figure, leading to intense media coverage during the investigation.

Thankfully, despite the delays, the authorities managed to catch Christopher McCowen, the man responsible for the brutal murder of the young mother and sent him to prison.

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Who was Christa Worthington and what happened to her?

Christa Worthington was born on December 23, 1956, in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. Belonging to a prominent family, Christa went on to pursue the career of her dreams and moved to New York. There she pursued Fashion writing and soon started writing for prominent magazines like ELLE and Harper's Bazar, among many others.

After a period of extensive work in the industry, Christa Worthington decided it was time to move to somewhere quiet and focus on writing a novel. She moved to Truro, Massachusetts, in 1997, where her family owned some property.

After moving to Cape Cod, Christa met and began an affair with Tony Jackett, a constable with six children and a wife. Their relationship soon got Christa pregnant, and though Tony Jackett did not like this news much, as it would hamper his married life, Crista was very happy and soon turned all her focus to her kid, Ava.

Tony gradually detached from their lives and Christa Worthington continued to live happily with her daughter. That was until Tim Arnold, a former lover of Christa, went to her house to allegedly return her flashlight but found her stabbed to death. Her child, Ava, was unharmed. He called the authorities immediately. Authorities determined that Christa had been assaulted and murdered. They also determined that she was dead for at least 36 hours before Arnold checked.

The killer stabbed Christa so hard that the knife allegedly pierced the kitchen floor. The single wound punctured her lung and killed her.

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Who killed Christa Worthington?

As soon as the police began the investigation, they found a long list of suspects, starting with Arnold, whose DNA was found in Christa's house. The police also delved into a long list of Christa Wothington's ex-lovers, which also created some negative attention from the media for the victim.

Arnold was cleared from the list and so was Tony Jackett, who had a solid alibi. However, the police came up with an innovative solution. As the place was a small one, they collected DNA samples from all the men in the area and eventually found a match.

The police determined that Christopher McCowen, a resident of Cape Cod who worked as a garbage collector, was responsible for the murder. During his interrogation, McCowen also changed his story several times, making it easier to convict him of the crime.

The court found him guilty and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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The upcoming re-airing of CBS' 48 Hours will cover this case in more detail.