CBS' 48 Hours: "Scientology - A Question of Faith"

The Scientology community was not happy with the story, which raised the possibility that Elli Perkins might not have been murdered had her son been given psychiatric treatment. The group refused to provide "48 Hours" with an official spokesman and began taking action to influence the broadcast. "They hit us with numerous e-mails and there were some people at CBS or at '48 Hours' who they knew personally, and so there were some personal requests made as well," says CBS News Senior Vice President, Standards and Special Projects Linda Mason.

Why would a 28-year-old man, described as sweet, kind and gentle, take a knife to his mother one morning in 2003 and stab her over 70 times?

Jeremy Perkins, who had been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, came to believe that his mother, Elli, was evil and out to get him. Experts say the brutal murder might never have occurred, had he received proper treatment to control his psychotic delusions. But Jeremy’s parents were devout Scientologists and their religion strongly opposes psychiatric treatment.

Did Elli Perkins' faith contribute to her death?

[Above is Part 1. Continue onto Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5]

Scientology, which now claims to have 10 million members, and has been the brunt of ridicule (see Tom Cruise), skepticism (see Tom Cruise) and craziness (see you-know-who), now has its own murder. That is the focus of tomorrow night's "48 Hours Mystery."

The story is about the horrific 2003 murder of a gorgeous, upstate, Scientologist mom, Elli Perkins, by her 28-year old schizoid son, Jeremy.

And what a show it is! It will make your hair stand on end.