"48 Hours" Probes 19-Year-Old Murder Mystery

Nineteen years after Mischelle Lawless was found murdered in her car, the CBS "48 Hours Mystery" program revisits the brutal crime that shocked the small town of Benton, Missouri.

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When I look back, I wish that maybe I'd listened a little more or been there a little more because she was always there for me.

Lawless, just 19 years old, was discovered bludgeoned and shot to death in her vehicle on November 8, 1992. Her best friend, Melissa Gaines, recalled Mischelle as a vibrant and fearless individual, a green belt in karate who was halfway to earning a black belt. "I can't even remember anything she was ever scared of," Gaines told correspondent Erin Moriarty. "She was fearless."

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January 1st. Slept real late. Family went to Mingo and I went to Leon's. We loved and ate and talked and rented movies. Made me feel loved today and I am really happy. Love him. Great first day of 1992!

The discovery of Lawless's body was a jarring event in what was described as "small town USA," where such violence was unexpected. Rick Walter, a part-time deputy sheriff at the time, described the scene as grisly. Blood evidence suggested a violent altercation, with Lawless fighting for her life against more than one assailant. "I believe she was beat at the bottom and knocked unconscious. There was a lot of blood… I think that she was fighting for her life. I think she was fighting more than one person," Walter explained.

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Her little bubbly self came bouncing up and introduced herself and it was all over. She was part of my life from that moment on.

Investigators found three spent shell casings from a .380 caliber handgun in Lawless's car, revealing she had also been shot. Walter theorized that after regaining consciousness in the car, Lawless was shot point-blank in the face, then in the back of the head, and once more in the back. "I can't imagine what she went through that night," he said.

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I can't even remember anything she was ever scared of. She was fearless.