Netflix has truly become a go-to platform for true crime aficionados, offering a range of gripping docu-series and documentary films that delve into some of the most fascinating and chilling real-life cases. Here's a list of some of the best true crime documentaries on Netflix that you absolutely can't miss:
The Confession Killer (2019) - This docu-series delves into the story of Henry Lee Lucas, who confessed to hundreds of murders, leading to widespread controversy over the truth of his claims and the handling of the cases by law enforcement.
The Tinder Swindler (2022) - This documentary tells the tale of a conman who used the dating app Tinder to scam several women out of large sums of money, revealing the dark side of online dating.
American Murder: The Family Next Door (2020) - This gripping documentary uses raw, firsthand footage to explore the shocking 2018 case of Chris Watts, who murdered his pregnant wife and two young daughters.
The Confession Killer (2019) - This docu-series delves into the story of Henry Lee Lucas, who confessed to hundreds of murders, leading to widespread controversy over the truth of his claims and the handling of the cases by law enforcement.
The Tinder Swindler (2022) - This documentary tells the tale of a conman who used the dating app Tinder to scam several women out of large sums of money, revealing the dark side of online dating.
American Murder: The Family Next Door (2020) - This gripping documentary uses raw, firsthand footage to explore the shocking 2018 case of Chris Watts, who murdered his pregnant wife and two young daughters.
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00:00My name's Hannah and I'm auditioning for the role of Jomanae Ramsey.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 true crime Netflix documentaries.
00:12For this list, we're looking at Netflix's best docu-series and documentary films about true crime.
00:19If you haven't gotten around to watching these yet, let this be your spoiler alert.
00:23Which true crime doc had you glued to your screen?
00:26Sound off in the comments.
00:30Number 20, Girl in the Picture.
00:32Based on a pair of books, this doc focuses on Sharon Marshall,
00:36a young girl who was abducted by Franklin Delano Floyd.
00:48After kidnapping Marshall and raising her as his own,
00:51the felon assaulted the minor and eventually forced her into marriage.
00:55As Tanya, she was held captive for two decades until 1990,
01:00when she died in a suspicious hit-and-run.
01:03When I first learned that Tanya was actually killed by a hit-and-run driver,
01:08it was more than likely Franklin Floyd that had committed that.
01:12I mean, this guy was gonna be violent. Catching him might be tricky.
01:16The documentary brings truth to the story that initially broke long ago,
01:20which stated that Tanya was staying with her husband Clarence before the accident.
01:24But an FBI investigation followed, bringing insight to something much more convoluted.
01:43Tanya was discovered to be Sharon and Clarence Floyd.
01:47It's a story of horrific twists and turns that are truly unbelievable.
01:52Leading an extreme offshoot of Mormonism,
01:55Warren Jeffs perpetuated systematic abuse four years before his arrest in the mid-2000s.
02:01As head of the Polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or FLDS,
02:07Jeffs forced members of his congregation, including minors,
02:11into living out the FLDS as a way to get a better understanding of what it was like to be a Mormon.
02:17Jeffs was a member of the church's first congregation,
02:20the Latter-day Saints Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
02:23He was a member of the Latter-day Saints Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
02:26members of his congregation, including minors,
02:29into living out the FLDS's mantra,
02:32keep sweet, pray and obey.
02:34This meant entering marriages where wives are expected to blindly serve their husbands,
02:39have children and control their emotions.
02:42It meant to be in control of your emotions and you didn't display
02:47things like anger or resentment or frustration, especially towards the fathers and husbands.
02:53The doc tells the stories of former FLDS members,
02:56which bring to light the disturbing details of being held captive in a cult lifestyle.
03:01More importantly, the interviewees' testimonies represent the strength
03:05of the women who survived the abuse.
03:11This three-parter following Lori Vallow, aka the Doomsday Mom,
03:15exposes the dangers of extreme religious views.
03:18Did a religious group's beliefs lead to the disappearances of J.J. Vallow and Tylee Ryan?
03:24She and her fifth husband, Chad Daybell,
03:26landed behind bars after a string of deaths, accused of first-degree murder.
03:31The extremist duo is awaiting trial after the deaths of Lori's previous husband,
03:36Chad's former wife and two of Lori's kids.
03:48The events preceding the horrors are explored via a slew of shocking material,
03:55including police accounts, phone calls, emails,
03:58podcasts and interviews with people close to Lori who experienced her spiral into darkness.
04:19A spiritual point system, demonic possession, the apocalypse and the belief that Lori is
04:26quote a resurrected god will likely be referenced when the pair stand trial in 2023.
04:36Thanks to a source's suggestion to investigate USA Gymnastics,
04:39America's gymnastics governing body,
04:42the Indianapolis star began conducting research on alleged abuse.
04:48Why does this seem to keep happening? Why do people not report as they're required to do?
04:55A source suggested that I look at USA Gymnastics.
04:57A team of journalists found that coaches had taken advantage of their power
05:01and mistreated hundreds of gymnasts, prompting a published story.
05:06The piece was followed by justice-seeking athletes coming forward
05:09and revealing their traumatic experiences,
05:12specifically at the hands of USA Gymnastics physician Larry Nassar.
05:16They're covering things up for the coaches. I think they would be covering it up for him.
05:21And that was the first time I had heard there could be something wrong with Larry Nassar.
05:28After years of abuse without consequence, criminal prosecution was finally initiated.
05:34It was learned that USA Gymnastics was made aware of the doctor's horrific behavior,
05:39but failed to act, exposing just how harmful
05:42the culture that has silently plagued the world of gymnastics had become.
05:4616. American Murder – The Family Next Door
05:50Using a combination of archival footage, social media posts,
05:54texts, recordings, and home videos, this doc dives into the Watts family murders of 2018.
06:10It is not until midway through the film that we learn that Chris, the Watts patriarch,
06:15ruthlessly took the lives of his pregnant wife and two daughters,
06:19shattering the all-American facade.
06:36Beyond thoroughly explaining how Chris committed the unthinkable,
06:40the documentary tries to piece together the why.
06:43But even with the theories put forward,
06:45it's difficult to fathom the horrific nature of what he did,
06:49making this a truly haunting experience.
06:5215. Killer Inside – The Mind of Aaron Hernandez
06:57Aaron Hernandez was the pro footballer who seemed to have it all.
07:07But success aside, the athlete was deeply troubled,
07:10evidenced by his murder of a fellow athlete,
07:13suspected role in other killings, and eventual death.
07:17By detailing the football star's upbringing and degenerative brain disease,
07:21the series aims to capture a shocking spiral.
07:24As the title suggests, we're given access to the mind of the killer while he's in jail
07:28thanks to the inclusion of phone calls made by Hernandez in prison.
07:41While deeply chilling, the doc serves as a reminder that mental and physical trauma
07:52profoundly impact human decision-making,
07:54even that of those who appear well-positioned to do better.
07:5814. Bad Vegan – Fame, Fraud, Fugitives
08:03As the owner of the popular vegan spot Pure Food & Wine in New York City,
08:08Sarma Mellon-Gallis was an elite restaurateur making quite a name for herself in the industry.
08:20However, in 2015, she stopped paying her staff for months and they walked out en masse.
08:26Behind the scenes, she had entered into a relationship with Anthony Strongis,
08:30who promised he could make her and her pitbull Leon immortal.
08:38Mellon-Gallis later claimed that Strongis used coercive control
08:51to convince her to steal $1.6 million from her restaurant and go on the run with him.
08:57The Netflix series details the bizarre story and Mellon-Gallis' allegations,
09:02including the couple's capture and criminal charges.
09:0513. Strong Island
09:08One of the more deeply personal Netflix documentaries,
09:11Strong Island is sure to leave you equally sad and angry.
09:15At the center of it all is William Ford,
09:18a young black New York teacher fatally shot by a white 19-year-old mechanic on Long Island.
09:23Although Ford was unarmed, an all-white grand jury opted to not indict his killer.
09:39The story itself is a wrenching viewing experience,
09:43made even more so by the fact that the documentary was directed by Yance Ford,
09:47William's own brother.
09:5012. The Innocent Man
09:52Author John Grisham may be primarily known for his fiction,
09:55but in 2006 he published a non-fiction true crime book called The Innocent Man,
10:00Murder and Injustice in a Small Town.
10:08The book and this series focus on Ronald Ron Keith Williamson,
10:12who was convicted of murders in the 1980s that took place in Ada, Oklahoma.
10:17He was eventually exonerated because of DNA evidence.
10:22Netflix explores all of the false confessions that occurred,
10:29and includes many interviews with key players in the real-life drama.
10:33Susie Faye of the Financial Times said,
10:35quote,
10:35The story is ingeniously played out,
10:38each episode ending on a cliffhanger that makes binge-watching virtually unavoidable.
10:5211. The Confession Killer
10:54In most true crime docs,
10:56someone is eventually found guilty,
10:58but this one is especially interesting because that's not the case.
11:03After killing his own mother and two other victims,
11:05Henry Lee Lucas confessed to hundreds of other murders.
11:14This set off an investigation into his abundance of admissions,
11:17which turned out to be lies.
11:19Murder cases across the U.S. were subsequently closed without evidence,
11:24but eyebrows concerning likelihood and logistics were still raised.
11:35Whether Lucas was a pathological liar and or rampant murderer,
11:39the documentary serves as some sort of closure
11:41for families of victims whose cases were not properly handled.
11:4510. Wild Wild Country
11:48One of true crime's bizarrest stories is told in Wild Wild Country,
11:52a six-part series covering Indian guru Osho,
11:55who creates a community in Oregon.
11:58The controversial leader,
11:59with help from his assistant Ma Anandshila,
12:02set up a commune for his followers on a ranch,
12:05much to the dismay of locals in the area.
12:18Discord between Osho's community and Oregon townsfolk
12:21manifested in an equally strange and antagonistic series of events.
12:26Osho's followers engaged in bioterror and illegal wiretapping,
12:30prompting state and federal authorities to get involved.
12:45A national scandal erupted,
12:47making Osho an infamous name that reminds us
12:50of an often overlooked part of American history.
12:56The story of Amanda Knox was fodder for sensationalist news outlets worldwide in 2007.
13:12A young woman, Meredith Kircher, was murdered in Perugia, Italy,
13:16and her roommate Knox was subsequently convicted of the crime.
13:19After several years in Italian prison,
13:21Knox was acquitted and released,
13:23after evidence was found implicating someone else entirely in the crime.
13:33She appears in the documentary to assert her innocence
13:36and to tell her side of the salacious story.
13:38The film was nominated for a Primetime Emmy
13:40for Outstanding Documentary or Non-Fiction Special.
13:46If you want to hear a story that's just totally bonkers,
13:50you cannot miss Abducted in Plain Sight,
13:52which was made in 2017,
13:54but was picked up by Netflix and aired in early 2019.
14:02The tale of what happened to the Broberg family in the 1970s
14:05is so unbelievable that it's hard to believe.
14:08It's the story of a young woman who was abducted by her husband,
14:12The tale of what happened to the Broberg family in the 1970s
14:14is so unbelievable that it will leave you screaming at your TV
14:18with every new twist and turn.
14:26While there is a lot of disturbing content in this documentary,
14:29it's not about a murder,
14:30so if you have a tough time with grisly details,
14:32this could be a good compromise.
14:42Similar to the Ted Bundy tapes and the John Wayne Gacy tapes,
14:51this docu-series sheds light on the life and horrific crimes of a serial killer.
14:55Through sharing previously unreleased recordings of discussions
14:58between the infamous Jeffrey Dahmer and his legal representation,
15:02Netflix allows us some access to the man behind the murders.
15:12Aside from enduring hard-to-digest details of the killer's manhunting,
15:16viewers are also prompted to think about contentious ideas
15:19surrounding law enforcement and justice.
15:22Considering Dahmer's complex mental issues and brutal murders,
15:26the series takes us on a gut-wrenching ride.
15:29We know Facebook is powerful,
15:31but it reached a new level when users Deanna Thompson and John Green
15:35created an online alliance to find a killer.
15:58After a video of a man killing kittens went viral,
16:09the manhunt began.
16:10Further videos surfaced,
16:12each more disturbing than the next,
16:14which saw the Facebook group expand.
16:16The team of investigators were ordinary people
16:19who wanted the criminal's identity confirmed,
16:22something law enforcement had yet to do.
16:28I made a promise I was gonna track him down,
16:30I'm still gonna do it.
16:32Devastatingly, Thompson and Green's concerns and pursuit proved valid
16:36when another killing was posted,
16:38except this time, the victim was a human.
16:41In the end, Luca Magnata was confirmed as the killer,
16:45and the mystery was solved,
16:46solidifying this story as one that is as compelling as it is disturbing.
16:54The story of the murder of pizza delivery man Brian Douglas Wells
16:57with a neck bomb has been called quote,
17:00one of the most complicated and bizarre crimes in the annals of the FBI,
17:04so it was perfectly suited to get the Netflix docuseries treatment.
17:07The case is indeed a strange and complex one,
17:10and in Evil Genius,
17:11Trey Borzellari interviews one of the people
17:13who was implicated in and incarcerated for the crime,
17:16Marjorie Deal Armstrong.
17:18Regardless, Marjorie couldn't hold down a job.
17:21She struggled with daily life,
17:23started to let herself go.
17:24While there may not be a lot of legal conclusions in this case,
17:27the documentary adds an extra layer of context to what actually happened.
17:45This true crime hit details the convoluted scheme of Simon Leviev,
17:50a con man who takes his manipulative tactics to Tinder.
17:58Because he has so much responsibility on his back,
18:01everyone is relying on him.
18:02Projecting the persona of someone who leads a luxurious life as a diamond mogul,
18:06Leviev lures women into a trap,
18:09convincing them that he needs their money to stay safe from his enemies.
18:13He can't use his cards anymore because the security team has said
18:17his enemies are tracing his spend and where he is based on his credit card use.
18:28Leviev would threaten the women he conned,
18:32ghost them when he felt it necessary,
18:34and swindled up to $10 million from individuals around the world.
18:39The documentary is a captivating must-see
18:42if you're interested in witnessing one of the wildest Ponzi schemes ever carried out.
18:50When it was released in 2017,
18:52people could not stop talking about this docuseries.
18:55The Keepers tells the story of the murder of a nun in Baltimore,
18:58high school teacher Sister Kathy Cezik,
19:00which has gone unsolved since it took place in 1969.
19:11This is about much more than a simple murder case,
19:14delving into issues with the Catholic Church that have persisted for decades
19:18and a cover-up suspected by many.
19:26It's just too many coincidences.
19:28Writing for Vice, Pilot Verouet said,
19:37It's wrong, it's wrong what's happened, but they're still unsolved.
19:44In late 2001, writer Michael Peterson
19:47allegedly found his wife dead at the bottom of their staircase,
19:50but he was subsequently charged with her murder.
19:56This story is a riveting one that is full of twists and turns,
20:00including the fact that one of Peterson's friends died in a similar way decades earlier.
20:05This is a documentary series that was gradually added to
20:07since it was first released as a French mini-series
20:10from director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade in 2004,
20:13with Netflix picking up Lestrade's new content for the story over a decade later
20:17and airing the entire series run in 2018.
20:20Okay, now seriously, what do you think of The Owl Theory?
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20:50Number 1. Making a Murderer
20:52This Emmy award-winning series from creators Moira DeMoss and Laura Ricciardi
20:56became a streaming sensation when it was first released in 2015,
21:00telling the story of Wisconsin's Stephen Avery,
21:02a man who had been wrongfully imprisoned for a 1980 sexual assault and attempted murder
21:07and was then convicted of a separate murder almost two decades later,
21:11along with his nephew and alleged accomplice Brendan Dassey.
21:22Your blood pressure could get very high as you watch this deep dive into illegal and moral quagmire.
21:40The follow-up second season updated followers of the case
21:43on what had taken place since season one had wrapped.
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