Whether it’s human curiosity, or something more sinister, people love a good true crime story. Several podcasts have tapped into this trend, and now streaming sites and TV channels are churning out shows such as ‘Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel’ and ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ that delve into crimes new and old. Here’s a look at some of the most interesting true crime documentaries to check out...
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'The Ripper': This British show is based on the serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, who was called the Yorkshire Ripper. The series investigates the murders and the terror he created between 1975 and 1980, while interviewing survivors, family members and journalists. It also takes a critical look at the police force at the time. Sutcliffe, who triggered the largest police manhunt in British history, was found guilty of murdering 13 women.
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'Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer': As far as shows about serial killers go, this one is pretty gruesome and goes into detail about the crimes of Richard Ramirez — known as the Night Stalker. He got the moniker because he used to break into homes in the night and kill his victims. The series focuses on detectives Frank Salerno and Gil Carrillo, who investigated the case.
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'Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness': The show that inspired a thousand memes is more than just fodder for comedy. It’s an intriguing docuseries about a dysfunctional and eccentric zookeeper Joe Exotic and the surprisingly murky world of big cats and animal conservation. The ‘Murder’ part of the title comes from Carole Baskin, who Exotic alleges killer her husband. A bizarre and addictive watch.
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'Making a Murderer': This story spanned many years, and could be considered a landmark film in the trend of true crime documentaries. It follows Steven Avery, who is wrongly convicted of killing a woman. However, after serving 18 years and being let off after DNA evidence exonorates him, he finds himself being accused of killing a different woman. When it released in 2015 it divided people and made many ask, “did he do it?”
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'Don’t [expletive] With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer': This series was was one of Netflix’s Top 5 most-watched documentaries of 2019, and for good reason. It’s a roller coaster ride that begins with a video of animal cruelty and web sleuths. The online investigation leads to a search for the creator of the disturbing videos, Luka Magnotta. Things, however, take a darker turn.
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'The Keepers': This web series looks into the 1969 unsolved murder of Catholic nun Cathy Cesnik and possible child abuse that was taking place at the school she taught at and the wider community. In 1994 and 2014, a former student of Cesnik comes forward to recount the sexual abuse she faced at the hands of the school chaplain. The docuseries features interviews with alleged victims and family members and reveals a disturbing tale.
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'The Staircase': This is another docuseries that gets into your brain and makes you wonder what the truth really is. Novelist Michael Peterson faces an investigation following the death of his wife. He says she had fallen down the stairs at their home but authorities believe he killed her with a weapon. It’s a deep dive into Peterson’s arrest and eventual conviction.
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'Abducted in Plain Sight': How does a young girl get abducted not once, but twice, by her family’s neighbour? That’s the story explored in this documentary that DigitalSpy called “the maddest, darkest true-crime show yet”. It shows how paedophile Robert ‘B’ Berchtold manipulates the Broberg family and grooms 12-year-old Jan, kidnapping her twice.
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'Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez': The case surrounding late NFL player Aaron Hernandez and his conviction for the murder of Odin Lloyd is bizarre and tragic. The three-episode series includes interviews with friends and insiders to try and explain Hernandez’s background and the circumstances that led to his downfall.
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'The Devil Next Door': This series takes viewers into the life of John Demjanjuk, a retired autoworker in Cleveland who is accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity while serving as a guard at Nazi extermination camps during the Second World War II.
Image Credit: Netflix
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