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Daily Record
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
7 chilling true crime documentaries on Netflix to binge this weekend
Netflix is home to some of the most disturbing true crime documentaries that are all the rage with fans of the genre - but these are the most chilling of them all. There's nothing quite like cosying up under your duvet with a few nibbles, ready to delve into the latest true crime documentary on Netflix. Recent figures from the streaming giant reveal the popularity of the genre, with American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden and Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders both making the Top 10. And who could overlook the impact of Making A Murderer and American Murder: Gabby Petito, sparking countless theories and debates across various platforms like Reddit. If you're searching for your next true crime documentary to binge this weekend, we've got you sorted with seven of our top choices - but they're not for the faint-hearted. American Murder: The Family Next Door This 2020 documentary recounts the true story of the Watts family murders, which occurred two years prior. Utilising archival footage from social media posts and text messages to home video footage and police recordings, it unravels the mystery that shrouded the family, revealing midway through that Chris Watts murdered his pregnant wife Shanann, and her two daughters, four-year-old Bella and three-year-old Celeste. Reports of their disappearances began when friends of Shanann contacted the police saying they'd not heard from her, but Chris quickly became a key part of the search, even appearing on TV to plead for their return. He claimed to have no idea of their whereabouts, but his lies and secrets began to unravel after a failed polygraph test. Viewers eventually discover the horrific events that transpired, after Chris murdered his wife and buried her in a grave at his workplace, where he also disposed of his two daughters' bodies in an oil tank. His motives were never definitively established, but he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of first-degree murder and was handed five life sentences without the possibility of parole, with three to be served consecutively. Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer In 2019, Netflix released what might be its most terrifying documentary, which traced the true story of an online manhunt. It charted an amateur investigation by social media users into a series of animal cruelty acts committed by a Canadian pornstar named Luka Magnotta. In 2010, he shared a video of himself killing two kittens in a plastic bag by suffocating them with a vacuum cleaner. After witnessing the horrifying act when the video went viral, a Facebook group was created to try and gather evidence against him. However, matters took a darker turn when Magnotta evaded authorities and began to commit more serious crimes, culminating in the murder of Jun Lin. He posted the video of Lin's death online, and sent his body parts to various institutions including the headquarters of Canada's two major political parties. He fled to Europe but was apprehended in 2014 and convicted of Lin's murder. He was given a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years. Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. The four-part documentary, Bad Vegan, chronicles the rise and fall of Sarma Melngailis and Anthony Strangis, founders of Pure Food and Wine, and a married couple. Their New York City restaurant was a favourite among A-listers such as Bill Clinton and Alec Baldwin, and was known for its pioneering vegan cuisine. However, when Sarma married Anthony - who is actually named Shane Fox - her downfall and that of her restaurant began. Sarma claimed that her husband, a conman, manipulated her into stealing money from their business. He managed to convince her that he had lived for centuries and could grant her and her dog immortality. Eventually, he emptied her bank account and they both went on the run, only to be apprehended while ordering a non-vegan Domino's pizza. In 2017, Anthony admitted to charges of grand larceny, criminal tax fraud, and a scheme to defraud. He received a five-year probation sentence for stealing nearly $1,000,000 from the investors and employees of Pure Food and Wine. Sarma also confessed to stealing over $200,000 from an investor and scheming to defraud, in addition to facing criminal tax fraud charges. She was sentenced to almost four months in prison and filed for divorce from Anthony in 2018. The Tinder Swindler Netflix's The Tinder Swindler revealed the deceitful actions of Shimon Hayut, who impersonated Simon Leviev, the billionaire son of a diamond tycoon. The series follows three victims, Pernilla Sjoholm, Cecilie Fjellhøy and Ayleen Koeleman, as they join forces to uncover the true identity of a man who swindled them out of thousands of pounds to fund his extravagant lifestyle. He would whisk them away on romantic trips and lavish them with luxury, only to leave them drowning in debt. The Netflix programme suggests that Hayut hopped from one woman to another, stealing an estimated $10,000,000, while also being sought globally for various crimes. Following the airing of the series, Hayut maintained his innocence and refuted claims of fraud. It was later alleged that the real Leviev family were taking legal action against Hayut for defamation and invasion of privacy, after he impersonated the son of Israeli-Russian businessman Lev Leviev, even going to the extent of photoshopping himself into family photographs. Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare Sweet Bobby unveils one of the most shocking instances of catfishing - the twisted tale of Kirat Assi's ordeal. Based on a podcast bearing the same name, the Netflix series recounts how Kirat was deceived for over a decade. The actual individual behind the account - whom she believed to be a man named Bobby - wove a web of deceit, manipulating Kirat and their relationship, lying about health issues and creating multiple false personas to convince her she was interacting with a whole community of people acquainted with Bobby. Radio presenter Kirat's romantic illusions were shattered when she uncovered the truth about the man she believed she knew, only to find out he had a family and was oblivious to her existence. Her world fell apart upon discovering the true identity of the person who had catfished her for over ten years, but she found empowerment by taking legal action, as revealed in the Netflix series, and later pursued a civil lawsuit. Speaking to Metro about the ordeal, she expressed: "It's never gone away. It's always there. I hope by coming forward, other victims are not treated the same way." The Most Hated Man on the Internet Netflix's 2022 release, The Most Hated Man on the Internet, delves into the story of Hunter Moore, infamously dubbed the 'king of revenge porn'. Moore was the creator of a notorious 'revenge porn' site that encouraged users to upload images and videos, often containing nudity or explicit content, which reportedly included underage individuals and band members. Countless victims suffered as their private photos and social media details were disseminated online. The documentary series chronicles the downfall of Moore and his infamous website, culminating in his conviction and subsequent two-year imprisonment. After the series, he made some shocking comments including that he was "proud of what [he] created" and claimed: "I did do my time, I feel like I did pay my dues, and it wasn't all negative, and I had a great time and I would definitely do it over and over again, but I would do it in a different way and I would definitely take back any of the trauma that anybody suffered from the website or anything negative that happened through the site because back then I didn't understand it." Producers on the series also shared that Moore had initially agreed to be a part of the series before pulling out, but they were later glad to be able to share the story from the victims' narrative. Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey This instalment of Netflix's Cold Case series follows the mysterious death of JonBenét Ramsey, a six-year-old found dead in her parents' basement. On Boxing Day in 1996, her parents John and Patsy awoke to find her missing, and discovered a ransom note asking for $118,000. After contacting the police and searching their home, John found her body dead in the basement, but the investigation that followed sparked numerous questions. The Netflix show reveals the intricacies of the police case, and alleged mistakes made, as well as the media sensation around her death after controversy over her participation in child pageants, and the possible suspects.
Daily Mirror
01-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Five disturbing details missing from Netflix's Chris Watts murder documentary
Netflix documentary American Murder: The Family Next Door tells the real-life story of how one man brutally murdered his wife and children, before dumping their bodies in the most callous way. However, some key details were omitted Netflix is known for its regularly updated stream of gripping and shocking true crime content, but one documentary remains one of the most horrifying. Viewers were left so deeply disturbed by Netflix documentary American Murder: The Family Next Door, they were 'sick to their stomach' when it was first added to the streaming platform. The show told the story of a father who brutally murdered his pregnant wife and children. On August 13, 2018, Chris Watts, 35, strangled his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, 34, to death and then killed his two daughters, Bella, four, and Celeste, three, in Colorado, where the family lived. Shanann's body was found on property owned by Anadarko Petroleum, one of the US's largest oil and gas drillers in Colorado, where Watts worked as an operator. Investigators found the bodies of Bella and Celeste nearby in an oil tank. Watts pleaded guilty to nine charges, including murder and the unlawful termination of a pregnancy. He is currently serving a life sentence without parole in Wisconsin. The Netflix documentary, which was aired in 2020, followed the tragic turn of events. From showing how Chris and Shannan met and began their romance to the aftermath of her and their daughters' murder, the documentary also used real-life footage to bring Watts' crimes to life. As seen on the doc, he eventually confessed to the triple murder, but some details from the story were omitted. Here, the Mirror looks at the five chilling details that were missing from the documentary, as reported by US news site 1. 'Evil' mother-in-law Shannan isn't thought to have had a good relationship with Chris Watts' parents and branded her mother-in-law, Cindy Watts, "evil". She believed Cindy endangered their youngest daughter, Celeste, by serving her ice cream with peanut chips, despite her severe nut allergy, Daily Mail reported. 'You should call your dad and tell him you did not appreciate your mom putting your daughter at risk today,' she told her husband in a furious message. 'She's evil and willing to risk your daughter's life just to get under my skin.' Tensions escalated to the point where Watts' parents reportedly blocked Shanann on Facebook and skipped Celeste's birthday party entirely. They hadn't even attended their son's wedding. As the doc showed, devastated Cindy vowed in court to continue to support her son despite his despicable crimes, which included the deaths of his young daughters. 2. Marriage obsession American Murder: The Family Next Door depicted Watts as having an affair with coworker Nichol Kessinger, but it didn't reveal that the illicit romance was a full-blown relationship and Kessinger had hopes of marrying Watts, reports Daily Mail. Just nine days before the murders, on August 4, 2018, Kessinger searched Google for over two hours, looking at wedding dresses. She also browsed topics related to 'marrying your mistress,' according to Business Insider. After discovering Watts had lied to her, Kessinger is said to have later filed to change her name in Jefferson County, Colorado. 3. Alleged affairs Amanda McMahon claimed she had a one-night stand with Watts in March 2018 after meeting him on Tinder. 'It got really fast and aggressive,' she said of the encounter. She told the police that she had to physically fight Watts off her after he turned violent, putting his hands around her throat and trying to initiate anal sex despite her reluctance. He also reportedly revealed details of his "rape fantasy" to her in extreme detail. And a few months after the murders, The Mirror spoke to the gay escort Trent Bolte, who claimed he had a 10-month affair with Watts in 2018. However, Watts denied any involvement. 'I've never been with a guy,' he told police. 4. Female prison visitor According to an 'Inmate Visitation History' document dated January 6, 2020, a woman named Anna Nowak was approved to see Watts and made 31 visits between March and December 2019. The document shows that she was once turned away after exceeding the maximum visits for a single day. 5. Plans for romantic getaway The documentary hinted at marriage troubles - using Shanann's own text messages, but she also made serious efforts to save the relationship - because she loved her husband and she didn't want a broken home for her two daughters who doted on their father, The Daily Mail reported that the unsuspecting spouse was looking for travel deals on Groupon and had also arranged childcare for Bella and Celeste so she and her future killer could holiday together. To the outside world, the Watts looked like any family next door - a loving couple and two adorable children living a happy, normal life together. But behind closed doors, it was a very different and horrifying story.
