Best True Crime Documentaries

Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne made a film to honor and show a real story about his friend, Andrew Bagby, for Bagby's baby son. The result is a painful story about a man allegedly killed by his ex-girlfriend.Shirley Jane TurnerShe was pregnant with his child. She left for Canada.

Many failures in the Canadian and American justice systems allowed Turner shared custody of Zachary with Bagby’s parents, even though evidence showed she was emotionally and mentally disturbed. No spoilers, but the ending is hard.

If you have not seenThe JinxRobert Durst was accused of murdering his wife, a close friend, and a former neighbor. Durst created one of the most jaw-dropping twists in modern doc history.

Watching a possible serial killer ruin his own life is chilling and fascinating.

This trilogy shows how the filmmakers and music fans kept pushing the 1993 story of three teens in a small Arkansas town. The story galvanized the nation and drew support from unexpected groups.Among themwere Eddie Vedder, Natalie Maines, Metallica members, Patti Smith, Henry Rollins, Tom Waits, Iggy Pop, and Ozzy Osbourne.

The documentaries repeatedly featuring the story put pressure on the small Arkansas community and the justice system, pushing them toward the right action. Three teenagers—Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols, and Jessie Misskelleywere accused of murdering three younger boys. The teenagers became known as the West Memphis Three and the jury convicted them based onEcholshis Wicca practice, their music taste (Metallica),Echolshis habit of reading Stephen King books,Misskelleyhis guilty confession, and other unclear evidence.Misskelley, like Brendan Dassey ofMaking a Murderer, had a low IQ and was vulnerable during a 12-hour interrogation.

All three were released in 2011 after 18 years in prison.

This documentary series became the talk of summer 2017 for true crime fans. It focuses on the unsolved murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik of Baltimore, Maryland, showing a terrifying sex abuse cover-up involving the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

The Keepersreceived praise after its release,and public angerover an alleged long history of sexual abuse at Archbishop Keough High School. Did the school connect to Cesnik's murder? Watch the series and decide.

Evil Genius: the True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heistrefers to Marjorie Diehl-ArmstrongThis documentary focuses on Diehl-Armstrong, a master manipulator who left a trail of murdered boyfriends and husbands. The series explores whether she set a bomb for Brian Wells and forced him to rob a bank in Erie, Pennsylvania. The series shows more potential culprits involved in the robbery and murder.

Many suspects have died.Evil GeniusEvil Genius leaves viewers with frustrating, possibly unanswerable questions.The questions remain unanswerable.Still, the story is a wild, fascinating ride.

Diane Schuler was a good citizen.She rarely drank. People were shocked when she drove the wrong way on Taconic State Parkway in New York for nearly two miles. She killed her daughter, three nieces, three people in the oncoming car, and herself. Her five-year-old son survived. Schuler’s autopsy showed a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.19, which equals ten alcoholic drinks. THC levels were high in her system at death. New York's legal BAC limit is 0.08.

Schuler's family claimed she was not drunk or high. They said Schuler must have had a medical emergency. The filmmakers offered to check if Schuler was intoxicated or if she actually suffered a medical emergency like a stroke.

Jean-Xavier de LestradeJean-Xavier de Lestrade won a Peabody.This is for his documentary about the murder trial of American novelist and columnist Michael Peterson. The writer faced accusations of killing his wife.Kathleen in 2001Peterson claimed he found his wife at the bottom of the staircase in a pool of blood.

Her injuries and her husband's strange behavior put Peterson under the scrutiny of investigators. Although the jury found Peterson guilty, the filmmaker left the chance of innocence open for discussion.

Watch here:Netflix

When Netflix released it in early 2019, audiences became obsessed withAbducted in Plain Sight.

The documentary traces the events leading up to and during the kidnapping of Jan Broberg. A trusted family friend and neighbor took Jan. This is a strange story mixing blackmail, alien conspiracy theories, and things that need to be seen to believe.

Nail Bomber: Manhunt (aka The Nailbomber) is a 2021 American documentary film directed by Daniel Vernon. This film tells the story of the 1999 London bombings that hit minority communities and the hunt for the far-right extremist behind them.

In New Orleans in 1966, lawyer Richard Sobol arrives from Washington D.C. to defend Gary Duncan, a Black teenager wrongly accused of assaulting a child.

This true crime documentary tookover ten years to makeThe show covers Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey. Both Avery and Dassey were convicted for killing and assaulting Teresa Halbach.

The documentary explores deeper intoDassey's convictionand found evidence that might prove his innocence.

Ken Burns, his daughter Sarah, and David McMahon, his husband, won a Peabody Award.They won a Peabody Award for this documentary.Five Black and Latino teenagers faced conviction in 1989 for brutally raping and assaulting white investment banker Trisha Meili.

The documentary shows the NYPD's aggressive investigation, biased media coverage, and the 2002 vacation of their sentences.

Ted Bundy is a notorious serial killer. This four-part documentary from Joe Berlinger uses real audio from Bundy himself.

The documentary maps the timeline of all ofBundy's slayingsFormer friends of Bundy talk about how normal he seemed.

A Frenchman passing as a missing teen from Texas seems unlikely. But Frédéric Bourdin's determination and a family's need to believe his story made it happen.Frédéric Bourdin's determinationand a family’s desperation to believe his story, that is what occurred.

Nicholas Barclay vanished in 1994. He reappeared in Spain three years later with a French accent and not looking like himself. Bourdin’s presence, explaining how and why he tricked a grieving Texas family, is the documentary's main focus.

Ryan Ferguson got a 40-year prison sentence for murder based on someone's dream. His life ended, but his father worked to clear his name. Bill Ferguson spent 10 years tracking his son's steps until he found proof that freed him.

The case shows how the judicial system often protects a verdict, even when it lacks truth.

Tiller Russell examines police corruption inthe 75th precinctIt covers the NYPD in the 1980s. This documentary offers more entertainment than most fictional crime shows. Cops, criminals (sometimes the same people), and the violent crack war details on Brooklyn streets create a shocking, colorful doc. One former cop states, “Welcome to the Land of F*ck.”

At the center ofThe Seven Fiveformer patrolman Michael Dowd appears during his hearing for 1980s police misconduct, alongside the modern man who speaks plainly. Most people in the doc could have their own TV shows.own TV shows.

In his 1988 documentary, Errol Morris shows the details of Randall Adams' 1976 conviction. Adams was sentenced to death for killing Dallas police officer Robert Wood while in Texas. Morris filmed a witness admitting lies about that night and found police misconduct inconsistencies.

Adams left prison days before his execution.

TheWerner Herzog knows how to place his audience inside the subject's soul. This 2011 documentary shows this skill. Michael Perry and Jason Burkett took a joy ride in a Camaro and faced charges for three homicides.Werner Herzog knows how to place his audience inside the subject's soul. This 2011 documentary shows this skill. Michael Perry and Jason Burkett took a joy ride in a Camaro and faced charges for three homicides.

Herzog shows Perry's death row stay and the coming lethal injection. Herzog's eerie style puts the viewer inside the subject's point of view. Watch any of his docs.

The Gilgo Beach Killer, also known as the Craigslist Ripper, is a serial killer. He is believed to have killed at least 10 people connected to sex work over twenty years.

Filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Rachel Mills examine this case and other unsolved cases. Their investigation moves them through the region and the internet's depths.

Reclusive elderly brothers anchor this haunting documentary. Delbert Ward is accused of killing his brother William. The Ward brothers lived in poor, hermit-like conditions in Munnsville, New York. People saw them as outcasts until Delbert faced charges for William’s death. Filmmakers Bruce Sinofsky and Joe Berlinger start with what seems like a possible mercy killing for Delbert (William had been sick for years) before reaching a darker end.

Watching the townspeople support the brothers is the most moving part of the film.

Gruesome videos from a twisted criminal push a group of online sleuths to start a risky hunt.

Filmmaker Patrick Forbes studies the case of a man innocent but sentenced to death in Texas.

Michael MortonMorton knows exactly how Steven Avery feels. Morton was wrongly convicted of killing his wife Christine in 1987. DNA evidence proved Morton was not the killer; the prosecutor lost his case for keeping evidence.

The documentary's twists keep crime documentary fans watching. It offers a similar result to the Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey cases.

This gripping documentary keeps you on edge. Northwestern journalism students worked to get Anthony Porter cleared just 48 hours before his execution. Northwestern professor David Protess led this work.Northwestern professor David ProtessProtess led authorities to arrest and convict Alstory Simon for the double murder in a Chicago park.

The ending twist makes this one of the most interesting true crime docs.

This explores big cat breeding and its strange underworld, filled with odd characters.

A grieving father fights the opioid epidemic and the powerful people behind it.

A smiling face hides the darkness of a sadistic serial killer who attacks the weak.

A woman's parents were shot.

Police entered a killer's apartment and found a collection of heads, skulls, bones, and other remains.

Devastated families use social media to track down the killers of 24-year-old Crystal Theobald. Why Did You Kill Me? mixes MTV's Catfished and true crime, showing one person's pain and the internet's power.

Anna Stubblefield, a professor, enters a controversial affair with Derrick Johnson, a non-verbal man with cerebral palsy. This leads to a criminal trial questioning views on disability and consent.

The truth about a teen's father emerges.

Dennis Nilsen recorded audiotapes.

Vulgar, vicious texts torment a teen couple for over a year. Investigators hunt for the sender.

A minor Florida neighborhood dispute turns deadly. Bodycam footage and interviews expose Florida's "stand your ground" laws.

Shanann Watts and her children disappeared.

Lyle and Erik Menendez speak out.

An officer risks his safety to help a man escape.

Witness the case of Dennis Rader, a family man and Scout leader who lived a double life as the BTK killer. His daughter Kerri Rawson shares her father's crimes.

What looked like an accident turns into a murder case.

Elizabeth Smart was abducted at 14 from her family's Utah home. Her story unfolds through her words and new material.

Revisiting the Oklahoma City bombing.

This focuses on the aftermath of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings and the lawsuit against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

A young man's sea rescue turns into accusations that he murdered two members of his wealthy New England family.

Aileen Wuornos remains rare: a female serial killer. The film revisits her life and crimes, from childhood abuse to death-row details.

Vincent Chin, an engineer aiming to design cars in Detroit, meets a violent end in the summer of 1982. Two men assaulted and killed him after a bar fight. A plea deal gave the attackers light sentences. Civil rights groups fought for justice, showing the attackers had racist motives.

A chef's life changes when a jet-setting, champagne-drinking woman claims to be his mother.

Examine a mind control conspiracy.

A Texas state trooper stops a woman claiming to have just given birth, but an investigation uncovers a criminal case.

Go past the headlines on pro cyclist Moriah Wilson's life, shocking murder, and how her killer evaded capture.