25 Must Watch Crime Docos on Netflix

Now this is for my fellow true crime addicts. Here is my list of crime documentaries you must watch on Netflix if you are a true crime junkie!

1. Don’t F#ck with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer

I had to list this doco first because even my husband (who doesn’t like watching true crime, was hooked). This case will have you shocked and wanting to watch more. A group of online justice seekers track down a guy who posted a video of himself killing kittens. You will not believe where this leads them! That is all I will say. An interesting doco mixed with mystery, shock and a very twisted man.

 

2. Abducted in Plain Site

This one had me scratching my head many times. This is the case of a young girl who was taken by someone close to her and her family. Some very questionable events happened prior to her abduction that will have you scratching your head too.  The young girl was not only abducted once, but TWICE yes you read that right).

3. American Murder: The Family Next Door

This was probably one of the hardest documentaries to watch. The footage soon of the family and what happened to them truly had me in tears, and in disbelief. It really makes you question even the most “normal” families and husbands. Trigger warning at the end there is some mentions of children. This case took place in 2018 Colorado, when mother Shanann Watts and her two young kids disappear.

 

4. I am a Killer

This series is a great insight into the people and minds behind those who commit murder. Murderers are interviewed as to what led them to the events of the murder and some of their history, if they have regrets etc. These inmates are on death row and give a first-hand account of what happened (in their eyes anyways).

5. Evil Genius

This case begins with the death of a pizza delivery guy who robs a bank with a bomb around his neck. This just continues to get weirder authorities eventually arrest Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong for the man’s death. She was then convicted and sentenced to life in prison, but this doco series shows that there’s more to the conspiracy and murder than what was originally thought.

 

6. The Keepers

This documentary delves deep into the unsolved murder of nun Catherine Cesnik in 1969. Catherine was a teacher at an all-girls religious school, and her students believed that there was a corrupt cover-up by authorities after she suspected that a priest at the high school was sexually assaulting the students.

 

7. The Confession Killer

This case is about a man named Henry Lee Lucas who confessed to ober 200 murders in 1983 BUT they turned out to be lies. Firstly, I was thinking WHY would anyone do that, but what is even more twisted is that the police went along with the false confessions knowing he didn’t commit the murders.

 

8. The Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer

This is about the sick and gruesome murder by Ricardo “Richard” Leyva Muñoz Ramírez. He was named the Valley Intruder and the Night Stalker, he was an American serial killer, serial rapist, kidnapper, child abuser, and burglar who was convicted in 1989. Ricardo had a terrible upbringing which definitely contributed to his sick ways. He started to develop worrisome interests in his childhood and teenage years. He got heavily into cocaine which he would always take before he would commit robberies which later turned into murders. This one I couldn’t watch it the house alone, but it is a must watch!

 

9. Making a Murderer Part 1 & 2

The series tells the case of Steven Avery, a man from Wisconsin, who served 18 years in prison because he was wrongfully convicted for the sexual assault and attempted murder of Penny Beerntsen. But this is where the twists occurs once realised he was later charged in 2005 for murder he committed. Did the authorities turn him into a murderer? Or was it already within Steven all along?

 

10. Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes

The infamous Ted Bundy (if you don’t know about Ted you’ve been living under a rock). This series covers Bundy’s life, crimes, arrests, his escapes and death in detail. Ted was a well-known serial killer that went on for years without being caught. He was seemingly an intelligent, attractive, charismatic guy, but little did you know he was a sick sadistic killer. People related to the Bundy case include surviving victims, witnesses, his family and former friends, along with officers, officials, and journalists all speak out in this series.

 

11. Unsolved Mysteries

This series is a great one if you like the cases to change per episode. This series includes suspricous  deaths, missing people, encounters with spirits and many other strange stories.

 

12. Amanda Knox

This is the case about 20 year old Amanda Knox, who was convicted of murder of her roommate and fellow exchange student Meredith Kercher in Perugia. Amanda spent nearly 4 years in an Italian prison before being acquitted of her conviction. This doco follows the entire case and also who actually killed Meredith. Definitely one to watch.

13. Casting JonBenet

I’m sure you all remember the case of JonBenét Ramsey.  I remember this because JonBenet was the same age as me at the time of her murder (only 6 years old). JonBenét was an American child beauty queen who was tragically killed in her family’s home in Colorado. A ransom note was found in the basement of the home, the father found her body also in the basement 7 afters hours she was reported missing.

 

14. The Sons of Sam: A Decent into Darkness

The case of Son of Sam is infamous, and I found this doco series very insightful into the reality of murders that took place. Maury Terry is an author and trying to prove that the serial killer David Berkowitz aka Son of Sam, did not commit all the murders alone. The investigation goes into a much deeper and complex situation and costs Maury everything.

 

15. The Disappearance of Madeline McCann

Everyone knows the case of Madeleine McCann who vanished when she was on holidays with her family in Portugal. Madeleine disappeared from her bed in the hotel room the family was staying, whilst the parents were having drinks with friends in the hotel restaurant nearby.

 

16. The Confession Tapes

This series presents different cases of possibly false confessions that lead to murder convictions. Each episode covers different views and possible scenarios of what could have happened. It also features experts on false confessions, criminal law and miscarriages of justice.

 

17. Captive

This documentary series reconstructs some of the most terrifying cases of kidnapping and the victims recount their experiences of being held hostage and how they escaped.

 

18. The Staircase

This series covers the case and trial of Michael Peterson who was convicted of murdering his wife Kathleen Peterson. Michael had called the emergency services stating his wife Kathleen had fallen down the stairs after consuming alcohol and Valium. This was an interesting case and the cameras were given access too the extended family, attorneys and the courtroom.

 

19. The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez

This documentary is a tough one to watch because it involves the abuse and neglect on a child named Gabriel Fernandez. This recounts what suffering Gabriel endured at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend. People involved in Gabriel’s life like his teachers speak out about how child protection failed Gabriel which unfortunately led to his death.  As a mother myself this was just terrifying to watch please note there is heavy child abuse in this case.

20. Surviving R Kelly

Surviving R Kelly details the sexual abuse allegations against the famous American singer Robert R Kelly. From sexual abuse to underage girls, to marrying a 15-year-old, to starting a sex cult this documentary had me in shock at what these poor girls went through at the hand of a man who unfortunately was given more power than anyone should ever have. R Kelly was shortly convicted after this docuseries came out.

21. Obsession: Dark Desires

This series covers the cases of those who have been stalked. These victims recount what they went through when they were followed, harasses and stalked over many years and how they are now.

 

22. Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel

This was one of the strangest, mindboggling documentaries I have watched. This covers the tragic case of Elisa Lam who was a 21-year-old Canadian woman who was travelling around the USA. Elisa mysteriously vanished from the Cecily Hotel in LA. What makes this case so interesting is the history that comes with the Cecil Hotel; from serial killers staying there to the many murders and suicides that have taken place in the hotel- this was an eerie story. Elisa seemed to have disappeared into thin air and many theories were shown as to what people thought happened to her. This is a must watch.

23. Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez

This docuseries examines how Aaron Hernandez who was an NFL star was convicted for murder. The documentary explores his conviction for the murder of Odin Lloyd, other murder cases that he was a suspect for, and the factors in his life that shaped his actions/ behaviour.

24. Elize Matsunaga: Once Upon a Crime

Story about Elize that shot and dismembered her husband after she found out he had been cheating on her. This doco was very interesting because Elize tells her side of the story and her thought process behind it. It was also very odd as Elize does not look like a killer, she seems very sweet and not one that you would paint to murder and dismember her husband.

 

25.  The House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths

This case is shocking and will have you wondering why and how? This series covers the case that took place in Delhi where 11 members of a family in Burari were found dead in their house in 2018. The authorities were dumb founded by the case as there was no sign of forced entry, and the family weren’t suffering from any financial strain or debts. Was this a mass suicide or mass murder?

I hope this list helps, make sure you tag me if you watch them!