SUNY Canton Professor lends expertise on docuseries “Me Hereafter”

CANTON, N.Y. (WWTI) – In episode three of the ABC docuseries “Me Hereafter,” available on Hulu, SUNY Canton Assistant Professor Kelly R. Ficner reflected on a case from her past career with the St. Paul Police Video Management Unit.

Ficner was responsible for video collection and analysis on the well-documented 2013 murder case of Kira Steger, a 30-year-old clothing store employee at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. Steger’s husband, Jeffery Trevino, became the prime suspect in the murder case after work colleagues noted her absence and they found her car in the mall parking lot.

“ The forensic video gave a timeline of Jeffrey’s movements and gave us an indication of his path ,” Ficner said. “ We could see him after being at the mall, which corresponded with the other evidence in the case. We also saw video of the car at the mall, freeway footage and neighborhood recordings telling us where he was and when he was there .”

Committee Films produced the portions of Me Hereafter featuring Ficner, the true crime series uses investigative footage, interrogation videos, dramatic reenactments and interviews, providing a voice for victims as detectives investigate their murders.

“ Most shows we see are from someone else’s viewpoint; this one is from the victim’s perspective ,” Ficner said. “ We often know the killers’ names, but we very rarely hear about their victims .”

In 2021, Ficner appeared on Investigation Discovery’s documentary series “See No Evil” related to the same case. Ficner references the Steger case in her classes and said she would use both television shows to allow students to compare the reenactments while learning more about the case.

Ficner has worked on other cases that have been highlighted in television shows, including “First 48,” “Ice Cold Killers,” “Forensic Files,” and “Gangland.”

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