Sometimes a little exposure is all you need to crack the case! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most notable true crime TV shows and podcasts that uncovered previously unknown information about the cases they were based on, and helped solve the crimes.
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00:00 - Would you say the police failed Lynn Dawson?
00:02 - Yes, they did.
00:03 - Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:04 And today we're counting down our picks
00:06 for the most notable true crime TV shows and podcasts
00:09 that uncovered previously unknown information
00:11 about the cases they were based on
00:13 and helped solve the crimes.
00:15 - But it was Durst's own words in an HBO documentary,
00:17 "The Jinx," that helped finally do him in.
00:20 - Number 10, "The Disappearance of Kayla Unbehind,"
00:24 Unsolved Mysteries.
00:25 In July, 2017, a young girl named Kayla Unbehind
00:28 was abducted by her non-custodial mother, Heather,
00:31 after a court-ordered house visitation.
00:33 Unbehind's father, Ryan Iskurka,
00:35 who won full custody of her earlier that year,
00:38 had gone to pick her up from Heather's house
00:40 only to find both mother and daughter had disappeared.
00:42 - Kayla Unbehind was abducted by her mother, Heather,
00:46 after a judge granted Kayla's father
00:48 full custody of the child.
00:49 - Unbehind remained missing for six years
00:52 until she was featured on an episode of Unsolved Mysteries,
00:55 which included age progression pictures of her.
00:57 - The father was absolutely incredible in helping us
01:01 and providing us with images of the family,
01:04 and that's really what's key
01:05 in doing these age progression photos.
01:07 - She was later spotted by a store owner
01:09 in Asheville, North Carolina,
01:10 who recognized her from the show and called the police.
01:13 - When investigators say someone in North Carolina
01:15 who saw that Netflix show recognized Kayla
01:18 at a clothing store and alerted police.
01:20 - Following her identification,
01:22 Unbehind was reunited with her father
01:24 while her mother was arrested by law enforcement.
01:27 Number nine, the murder of Tara Grinstead, Up and Vanished.
01:31 The first season of the investigative podcast,
01:33 Up and Vanished, focused on the mysterious disappearance
01:36 of Tara Grinstead, a high school teacher in Osceola, Georgia.
01:39 - Reportedly last seen at a cookout with friends,
01:42 then she went missing.
01:44 - Her disappearance almost two weeks ago
01:46 has galvanized this community.
01:48 - Grinstead was reported missing in October, 2005
01:51 after failing to show up for work
01:52 and declared dead in absentia five years later.
01:55 In 2016, Up and Vanished premiered
01:58 and brought renewed attention to the cold case.
02:00 - My first goal was to find out
02:03 what happened to Tara Grinstead.
02:04 My second goal was to find out
02:08 who had nothing to do with this.
02:09 - Remarkably, six months after its launch,
02:12 authorities received a tip that led to the arrest
02:14 of Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes.
02:16 Ryan Duke faced charges related to Grinstead's murder,
02:20 but was acquitted, ultimately only receiving
02:22 a 10-year prison sentence for concealing her death.
02:25 Bo Dukes, however, was convicted
02:27 of helping to cover up the murder,
02:28 earning him a 25-year term.
02:31 - We always believed that it would be solved.
02:33 We just did not know when.
02:35 For us, this just starts another chapter
02:39 in a very long and painful journey.
02:41 - Number eight, the murder of Hazel Obando, cold justice.
02:45 25-year-old mother of two, Hazel Obando,
02:48 was found dead in the Fort Myers, Florida home
02:50 she shared with her boyfriend, Earl Joyner.
02:52 Joyner had discovered her body on Valentine's Day, 2016,
02:56 and called the police,
02:57 who noticed some suspicious elements in the case.
03:00 - The 25-year-old mother of two
03:01 was found shot to death in her home
03:03 at the Maplecrest Apartments in Fort Myers
03:05 on Valentine's Day of 2016.
03:06 - For three years, the murder investigation went cold
03:09 until the team from Oxygen's true crime series,
03:12 "Cold Justice," stepped in to assist.
03:14 This collaboration allowed detectives
03:16 to focus entirely on the case.
03:17 - It's just one of those cases where you think
03:19 with just a little bit more effort
03:21 and concentration and push, it can be clear.
03:24 - They delved deeper into Joyner's relationship
03:26 with Obando, uncovering domestic violence allegations
03:29 and claims that he was unfaithful to her.
03:31 In the end, Joyner was arrested, tried,
03:33 and sentenced to 25 years in prison for Obando's death.
03:37 - Joyner not only pleaded guilty today,
03:39 he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
03:41 - Number seven, the murder of Hae Min Lee, serial.
03:45 In January, 1999, Hae Min Lee, a high school student
03:49 from Baltimore, Maryland, went missing.
03:51 Her body was discovered four weeks later,
03:53 leading to the arrest and subsequent life imprisonment
03:55 of her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, for her murder.
03:58 The case drew international attention
04:00 when it became the subject
04:01 of the widely popular investigative podcast, "Serial."
04:04 - Syed spent more than two decades behind bars.
04:07 The case gained national attention
04:08 after that podcast called "Serial."
04:10 There was also a 2018 HBO documentary about the case.
04:13 - As a result of the podcast's impact,
04:15 fresh DNA testing was conducted,
04:17 which appeared to exclude Syed.
04:19 In 2022, Syed's conviction was vacated,
04:22 and he was released from prison
04:24 after Baltimore prosecutors admitted finding new evidence
04:27 that implicated other individuals.
04:29 - Adnan Syed walked out of prison yesterday.
04:31 A Maryland judge vacated his conviction
04:34 for the murder of his high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee.
04:37 The judge giving prosecutors 30 days
04:40 to proceed with a new trial or drop the case.
04:43 - However, Lee's brother appealed this decision
04:45 to a higher court,
04:46 and Syed's conviction was reinstated months later.
04:49 - This is a procedural issue.
04:51 The appeals court ruled here
04:52 that the victim's family was not given proper notice
04:55 to appear at that hearing
04:56 where Syed's conviction was vacated in September.
04:59 - Number six, the murder of Paul Howell, "The Last Defense."
05:03 The ABC docuseries "The Last Defense"
05:06 explored the case of Julius Jones,
05:08 a black man who was convicted in 2002
05:10 of killing insurance executive Paul Howell
05:12 during a carjacking.
05:13 - Oklahoma City and Edmond police officers
05:16 unleashed a massive effort
05:17 in search of 19-year-old Julius Jones.
05:20 - The docuseries is important
05:22 so people can understand that it is not always fair.
05:25 - Jones maintained his innocence ever since,
05:28 even as he sat on death row in Oklahoma.
05:30 The documentary highlighted various aspects of the case,
05:33 including the absence of conclusive DNA evidence
05:36 and the potential influence of racial bias
05:38 in Jones's conviction.
05:39 - A television documentary called "The Last Defense"
05:43 highlighted Jones's case,
05:45 suggesting the trial was tainted
05:47 and the wrong man had been convicted.
05:50 Soon, a "Justice for Julius" crusade was launched
05:53 with money and celebrity backing.
05:55 - While the show did not result in Jones's freedom,
05:57 it likely played a part in the parole board's decision
06:00 to recommend the commutation of his death sentence
06:02 to life imprisonment.
06:04 In November 2021,
06:05 mere hours before Jones's scheduled execution,
06:08 Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt approved this recommendation.
06:12 - And for it to come down almost to the 11th hour,
06:15 this decision, what do you make of that?
06:18 - That was, it's very hurtful.
06:19 I felt like it was very cruel.
06:21 - Number five, the murder of Kristen Smart,
06:24 your own backyard.
06:26 Back in 1996, Kristen Smart,
06:28 a freshman at the California Polytechnic State University,
06:31 disappeared after attending an off-campus party.
06:34 She was last seen by her classmate, Paul Flores,
06:37 who had offered to take her home.
06:38 - Flores has been under suspicion
06:40 since Smart disappeared back in May of 1996.
06:43 He was the last person spotted with the 19-year-old,
06:46 seen walking her home from a party
06:48 at California Polytech State University
06:51 in San Luis Obispo the night she went missing.
06:54 - Although Smart was declared legally dead in 2002,
06:57 her body remained missing.
06:58 In 2019, the true crime podcast, "Your Own Backyard"
07:02 began covering the case, drawing fresh attention to it
07:05 and leading police to new witnesses
07:06 they hadn't questioned before.
07:08 - Police say the popular podcast,
07:10 "Your Own Backyard,"
07:11 which shed a new light on Smart's disappearance,
07:13 helped lead them to the arrests.
07:15 - This eventually led to the discovery
07:17 that Smart's body had been buried
07:19 underneath Flores' father's house, but was later moved.
07:22 Authorities charged Flores with first-degree murder
07:25 and were able to secure a conviction
07:26 and a sentence of 25 years to life.
07:29 The convicted killer, Paul Flores,
07:31 finally sentenced to 25 years to life
07:34 after seeming to evade responsibility for decades.
07:37 - What this sentencing will provide
07:39 is accountability.
07:41 - Number four, the assassination of Malcolm X.
07:43 Who killed Malcolm X?
07:45 Prominent civil rights activist, Malcolm X,
07:47 was assassinated on February 21st, 1965,
07:51 while at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan, New York.
07:54 - Then a man stepped up 15 feet from the stage.
07:57 He crouched, took perfect aim,
08:01 and blasted right through the lectern into Malcolm's heart.
08:06 - Three men, Muhammad Abdul Aziz,
08:08 Khalil Islam, and Thomas Hagan,
08:10 were arrested, tried, and sentenced to life in prison.
08:12 - Tell me about hearing the guilty verdict.
08:15 I felt like a prisoner of war.
08:18 - Hagan confessed to his involvement in the murder,
08:20 but maintained that Aziz and Islam
08:22 had nothing to do with it.
08:23 The 2020 Netflix documentary, "Who Killed Malcolm X?"
08:27 re-examined the evidence and revealed crucial information
08:30 that prompted the Manhattan DA to reopen the case.
08:33 - The exoneration came after Manhattan District Attorney,
08:35 Cyrus Vance, reopened the case
08:37 following a 2020 Netflix documentary called,
08:41 "Who Killed Malcolm X?"
08:43 and work done by the Innocence Project.
08:46 - As a result, the convictions of Aziz and Islam were vacated
08:50 and both men received a combined settlement
08:52 of $36 million from New York City and the state.
08:56 Number three, the murder of Lynette Dawson,
08:58 the teacher's pet.
08:59 The true crime podcast, "The Teacher's Pet,"
09:02 centered around the 1982 disappearance
09:04 of Australian nurse and mother of two, Lynette Dawson.
09:07 At the time, Dawson was married to former rugby player
09:10 and teacher, Chris Dawson.
09:11 - For four decades, he'd stuck to the story
09:14 that his wife, Lynette, had walked out on their marriage.
09:17 - Chris had engaged in an extramarital affair
09:19 with his teenage student,
09:20 whom he later married after his wife's disappearance.
09:23 The podcast became immensely popular,
09:26 garnering nearly 30 million downloads
09:28 and mounting pressure on the police to re-examine the case,
09:31 which they ultimately did.
09:32 - Headly breathed life into the case,
09:35 uncovering a trove of new information
09:37 in his podcast, "The Teacher's Pet,"
09:40 that captivated millions of people across the world.
09:44 - Months later, Chris was arrested
09:46 and charged with the murder,
09:47 although the whereabouts of her remains are still unknown.
09:50 In 2022, Chris Dawson was found guilty of the crime
09:54 and sentenced to 24 years in prison.
09:56 - Christopher Michael Dawson on the charge
09:58 that on or about 8th January, 1982 at Bayview,
10:02 you did murder Lynette Dawson.
10:04 I find you guilty.
10:06 - Number two, the death of Kathleen Peterson, the staircase.
10:10 The December, 2001 death of Kathleen Peterson
10:12 occurred under mysterious circumstances.
10:15 She was found by her husband, Michael Peterson,
10:17 at the bottom of a staircase
10:18 in their Durham, North Carolina home.
10:20 - What happened in that stairway was a tragic accident.
10:23 - A global audience given a front row seat
10:27 to judge the man they watch on the screen.
10:30 - Peterson was accused of her murder
10:32 and subsequently convicted after a highly publicized trial
10:36 in 2003.
10:37 Directed by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade,
10:39 the docu-series "The Staircase" explored Peterson's case
10:42 and popularized the owl theory,
10:44 which suggested that Kathleen had been attacked by an owl.
10:47 - And I really came to the conclusion,
10:50 this was a attack by a wild bird of prey.
10:55 Outside, I repeat, outside of her residence.
10:59 - Peterson was later granted a new trial
11:01 after it was discovered
11:02 that one of the prosecution's expert witnesses
11:04 had lied under oath.
11:06 He decided to enter an Alford plea,
11:08 which allowed him to maintain his innocence
11:10 while acknowledging there was enough evidence
11:12 to convict him.
11:13 - The plea allows him to maintain his innocence
11:16 while agreeing that there's evidence to convict him.
11:18 - Accepting this Alford plea
11:19 has been the most difficult thing I've ever done, ever.
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11:39 Number one, the murder of Susan Berman, "The Jinx."
11:44 The first season of the HBO docu-series "The Jinx"
11:47 centered around real estate heir Robert Durst
11:49 and the cloud of suspicion that surrounded him.
11:52 - Did you have anything to do
11:53 with the disappearance of your wife?
11:55 - No, I don't know where she is.
11:57 I don't know what happened to her.
11:59 I don't know how it happened to her.
12:01 I had nothing to do with what happened to her.
12:06 - Durst had been a suspect
12:07 in three high-profile criminal cases,
12:09 the disappearance of his wife, Kathleen McCormick,
12:12 as well as the murders of his friend, Susan Berman,
12:15 and his neighbor, Morris Black.
12:16 The show uncovered new evidence in Berman's murder,
12:19 prompting police investigation
12:21 and leading to Durst's arrest
12:22 just one day before the finale aired.
12:24 - Last weekend, as "The Jinx" crescendoed
12:26 to its grand finale,
12:28 a new chapter begins.
12:30 New Orleans police arrest Durst
12:32 on a warrant issued in Los Angeles
12:34 for the murder of Susan Berman.
12:35 - He was charged with first-degree murder,
12:38 subsequently convicted,
12:39 and sentenced to life imprisonment
12:41 without the possibility of parole.
12:43 Durst faced additional charges
12:45 related to the death of McCormick,
12:47 but he passed away from cardiac arrest
12:49 before his trial could commence.
12:50 - At the end of his life,
12:51 Robert Durst was in failing health
12:53 and serving a life without parole sentence for murder,
12:56 having plenty of time to perhaps wonder
12:58 how he got away with it all for so long.
13:00 - What other true crime shows
13:01 gave investigators a much-needed break in the case?
13:04 Let us know in the comments below.
13:05 - What the hell did I do?
13:07 (soft music)
13:10 Killed 'em all, of course.
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13:21 (upbeat music)
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