True-crime fanatics are fascinated by murder for a variety of reasons. Maybe they like piecing together the evidence and trying to solve the puzzle of why it happened. Perhaps they feel it might better prepare them for a real-life threat on their own life. Or maybe true-crime junkies love it for the same reason people love scary movies: it gives them an adrenaline rush. Whatever the reason, Netflix has plenty of series and films available for your true-crime fix. If stories of serial killers and grisly murders pique your interest, then you'll want to check out these murder documentaries on Netflix [1].
American Murder: The Family Next Door
This documentary revolves around the 2018 murder of a pregnant woman and her two young daughters at the hand of her husband. Constructed entirely from Facebook posts, body cam videos, text messages, and other raw firsthand footage, American Murder: The Family Next Door shows how a family who appears picture-perfect on social media can actually be hiding some very dark secrets.
Watch American Murder: The Family Next Door on Netflix [3].
Strong Island
This Oscar-nominated documentary was created by Yance Ford, who tells the story of his 24-year-old brother's murder in 1992. Killed by a white mechanic who claimed self-defence, Ford reveals how an all-white grand jury in Suffolk County declined to indict his brother's killer despite the overwhelming evidence.
Watch Strong Island on Netflix [4].
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez
How did an NFL star become a convicted killer? Told through interviews with friends and fellow players, this three-part docuseries breaks down the story of the late Aaron Hernandez, who was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2015 and, days later, decided to take his life.
Watch Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez on Netflix [5].
The Innocent Man
Based on John Grisham's 2006 book, The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town, this six-part Netflix series follows two murders that took place in Ada, OK, in the 1980s. When the police investigations for the murders of cocktail waitress Debbie Carter and Ada resident Denice Haraway were both mishandled, innocent men were sent to jail, and it would be years before their cases were reexamined.
Watch The Innocent Man on Netflix [6].
I Am a Killer
This docuseries (which currently has two seasons) tells the stories of 10 convicted killers each season, with every instalment focusing on a different notorious prisoner who has been sentenced to death for capital murder. You can also watch the spinoff series, I Am a Killer: Released [8], which revolves around Dale Wayne Sigler, a convict who was paroled 30 years after being sentenced to death for murder.
Watch I Am a Killer on Netflix [9].
The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez
In 2013, an eight-year-old boy who endured months of abuse and torture at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend was eventually beaten to death, despite the fact that several people reported signs of abuse to social workers. This six-part docuseries tells Gabriel Fernandez's story, examining what happened to his murderers and how the system failed him.
Watch The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez on Netflix [10].
Making a Murderer
Filmed over 13 years, this two-season docuseries follows the case of Steven Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey, who were wrongly accused of raping and murdering a woman named Teresa Halbach in 2005. The first season presents the case, while the second season — released three years later — introduces Steven's new lawyer, as well as the man who have actually murdered Teresa.
Watch Making a Murderer on Netflix [11].
Amanda Knox
Most people are familiar with Amanda Knox, a woman who was convicted for the 2007 murder of her roommate in Italy, Meredith Kercher, and sentenced to four years in an Italian prison only to eventually be acquitted. However, this documentary tells her story like never before, featuring interviews with Amanda Knox's ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, Italian prosecutor Giuliano Mignini, and even Amanda Knox herself.
Watch Amanda Knox on Netflix [12].
The Keepers
This seven-part docuseries examines the unsolved murder of Cathy Cesnik, a Catholic high school teacher and nun from in Baltimore who disappeared in 1969. The case was then reopened in the '90s, when one of Cathy Cesnik's former students claimed that the high school's chaplain (who was also accused of abuse) may have been involved.
Watch The Keepers on Netflix [13].
The Staircase
Based on the case of novelist (and convicted killer) Michael Peterson, this docuseries tells the story of his second wife Kathleen Peterson's death in 2001, which Peterson claimed was accidental, though a medical examiner later determined that she had been beaten to death. The series — which began with eight instalments in 2005 before being updated in 2013 and 2018 — follows the investigation from Peterson's arrest to the ensuing trial and eventual verdict.
Watch The Staircase on Netflix [14].
Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
Released 30 years after Ted Bundy's execution in Florida, this four-part docuseries features never-before-heard audio interviews with the infamous serial killer (who committed more than 30 violent sex crimes against women before being caught in 1978) during his time on death row. Even if you're familiar with the story of the Ted Bundy, this one is worth a watch.
Watch Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes on Netflix [15].
The Confession Tapes
This unique two-season docuseries features a new case every episode, presenting possibly false or coerced confessions that eventually lead to the murder convictions of those featured. After reviewing each case, the series works to exonerate the individuals by offering alternate possibilities as to how the crimes could have been committed.
Watch The Confession Tapes on Netflix [16].
Who Killed Little Gregory?
In 1984, a four-year-old boy named Grégory Villemin was abducted from his home in France and murdered, and though his body was found, the case remains unsolved. Who Killed Little Gregory? follows his parents' journey to get answers and the wildly complicated series of events that ensured.
Watch Who Killed Little Gregory? on Netflix [17].
I Called Him Morgan
This documentary revolves around the life and death of jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan and his common-law wife Helen Morgan, who was later convicted for his murder in 1972. Decades after serving her prison sentence for Lee Morgan's killing, the documentary allows Helen to reflect on their lives together and the legacy that the musician left behind.
Watch I Called Him Morgan on Netflix [18].
Murder Mountain
This six-part docuseries takes place in Humboldt County, CA, where 60 percent of the marijuana grown in the US is produced and where a man named Garrett Rodriguez went missing (among several others) from this giant weed-producing community. From 30-year-old open cases to much more recent disappearances, Murder Mountain exposes these unknown crimes, as well as all of the potential causes for the starling number of missing persons.
Watch Murder Mountain on Netflix [19].
Evil Genius
This four-part documentary follows a high-profile 2003 robbery gone wrong in Erie, PA, when a pizza delivery man named Brian Wells was murdered when he was forced to rob a bank with a bomb around his neck. The series traces the ensuing manhunt and arrest of the person responsible for the bizarre "pizza bomber" crime.
Watch Evil Genius on Netflix [20].
Don't F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer
This twisted three-part series revolves around one of Canada's most infamous murderers, Luka Magnotta. Though he started off circulating videos of himself killing kittens, Magnotta's crimes eventually escalated to the murder of a man named Jun Lin, and a group of colourful internet sleuths helped cops track down the deranged killer in an international manhunt.
Watch Don't F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer on Netflix [21].
The Fear of 13
This documentary follows the story of Nick Yarris, who spent 21 years on death row in Pennsylvania after he was convicted of murder, only to be released in 2004 when DNA evidence proved he was innocent. Yarris serves as narrator, and in the documentary, he talks about his early life, his arrest, and why he eventually petitioned the court to be executed.
Watch The Fear of 13 on Netflix [22].
Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story
In 2004, a then-16-year-old Cyntoia Brown was convicted of murder and robbery and sentenced to life in prision, though she was involuntarily being prostituted at the time of the murder and claimed she had acted in self-defence. Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story follows Brown's story from her early childhood to her eventual release in August 2019.
Watch Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story on Netflix [23].
Casting JonBenét
Created two decades after the murder of child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey, this documentary revolves around the casting process for a fictitious JonBenét film. Interviews with the would-be actors — during which they offer their own insight and speculation — reveal the extent of the obsession surrounding the mysterious case, which has yet to be solved.
Watch Casting JonBenét on Netflix [24].
The Alcàsser Murders
In 1992, three teens from Alcàsser in Spain — Miriam García, Toñi Gómez, and Desirée Hernández — were kidnapped, raped, tortured, and murdered after attempting to hitchhike to a nightclub in a nearby town. This five-part docuseries offers new interviews and evidence surrounding the case, which became notorious in Spain due to the highly criticized police investigation.
Watch The Alcàsser Murders on Netflix [25].