Witness to Murder

Cheryl looks out her bedroom window and witnesses a young woman being strangled to death. She rushes to report it to the police, hoping to stop the killer. When detectives arrive downstairs, Albert Richter moves the body before their eyes, making it seem like nothing happened.

The police arrive at Albert Richter's door, but no body is found and nothing confirms Cheryl's account. Albert acts nonchalant, as if the incident were a troubling dream. The officers remain skeptical and Cheryl's credibility is questioned.

The next day, Albert puts the body in a trunk and leaves to dispose of it. Cheryl's mounting mistrust grows as she pieces together the potential cover-up, even as others dismiss her story.

Cheryl notices an apartment for rent on the same floor and is shown a tour by the building manager. She finds torn drapery and a pair of earrings that look familiar, hinting at a hidden connection to the case.

Cheryl drives away to the police department with the earrings, hoping to clear her name. Meanwhile Albert phones the police to pre-emptively undermine the investigation, and Cheryl is accused of robbery.

Cheryl and Albert confront each other at the police station, and Albert decides not to press charges. The scene leaves Lt. Lawrence Mathews suspicious of Cheryl and her account.

Lt. Mathews goes to Cheryl's apartment and reveals that Albert is an ex-Nazi who has been denazified and is now an unsuccessful author planning to marry a wealthy heiress.

A body is found in Griffith Park, later identified as Joyce Stewart. Cheryl's account begins to gain credibility in Lawrence's eyes, though he remains cautious about whether what she saw was real.

Albert secretly types threatening letters from Cheryl's name to frame her as unstable. As a result, Cheryl is forcibly admitted to an insane asylum.

After Cheryl's release, Lawrence and a fellow policeman go to the building of the deceased woman to see if anyone recognizes Albert, but no one does and the case stalls.

Albert returns to Cheryl's home and confesses that he killed the woman because she was insignificant to him and he did not want his future wealth threatened. He believes Cheryl's supposed insanity will protect him.

Albert presents a purported suicide note attributed to Cheryl and tries to push her out of her window. A policewoman buzzes at the door, and Cheryl flees, pursued by Albert and the police who think she is suicidal.

Cheryl runs up a high-rise under construction and reaches the top, cornered by Albert. She fights to survive as he closes in.

Albert pushes Cheryl toward the edge, but she is saved by construction planks underneath. Lawrence arrives and grapples with Albert; in the ensuing struggle, Albert falls to his death. With the killer dead, the police begin to believe Cheryl's account.

Lawrence rescues Cheryl and the police now believe her story. Cheryl's memory of the night is vindicated, and the danger is over.