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Best True Crime Documentaries on Amazon Prime Video

15 True Crime Docs on Amazon Prime Video You Might Lose Sleep Over

Mar 25 2021

You know that feeling you get when you see the words "Based on a True Story" at the end of a horror film, right before the credits roll? Well, these true crime documentaries will have you feeling all those chills and goosebumps the whole way through. Gone are the days where true crime was a genre for lazy Sunday afternoons, because if you try to watch these documentaries in the background or while you try to take a nap, it's safe to say you'll end up at the edge of your seat with your eyes peeled instead. Looking for a film you won't be able to stop theorizing and texting about for weeks? Ahead are 15 of the best true crime documentaries currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

Image Source: Everett Collection

1. The House of Suh

An unpredictable story of manipulation and murder, The House of Suh exposes the dark secrets of a Midwestern Korean-immigrant family and a murder that ended with a 100-year prison sentence. What led their perfect son Andrew Suh to shoot and kill his sister's fiance? The intricate pieces of the puzzle come together in a shocking way in this chilling documentary.

Watch The House of Suh on Amazon Prime.

2. The Murder of Meredith Kercher

It took six years of trials to reach a final verdict on the murder of British study abroad student Meredith Kercher. This documentary chronicles her full story from the day she was tragically killed in her Perugia apartment leading up to the incrimination of her American roommate Amanda Knox.

Watch The Murder of Meredith Kercher on Amazon Prime.

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3. You Belong To Me: Sex, Race And Murder in The South

This documentary takes us back to Live Oak, Florida in the year 1952, when a Black woman named Ruby McCollum killed her white physician, Dr. Clifford Leroy, after years of sexual abuse. A case that haunted the jurors and even the prosecutors, Ruby McCollum's trial and incarceration sheds light on the systemic racism and Paramour Rights of the Jim Crow era.

Watch You Belong to Me: Sex, Race, and Murder in the South on Amazon Prime.

4. Lorena

This four-part documentary from executive producer Jordan Peele features the story of Lorena Bobbitt, who sliced off her husband's penis in 1993 following years of domestic abuse. In light of the scandal being turned into nothing but a national joke, Lorena is a re-investigation of the sexual assault and moral issues that were largely ignored the media's coverage of the case.

Watch Lorena on Amazon Prime.

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5. Conviction

On November 15, 1989, 15-year-old Angela Correa went out to take photos for her class project. Two days later, her body was found, and her innocent 16-year-old classmate Jeffrey Deskovic became the prime suspect. Wrongfully convicted for rape and murder by virtue of two confessions, Jeffrey Deskovic's story in Conviction speaks to the shortcomings of the American justice system.

Watch Conviction on Amazon Prime.

6. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

In this heart-wrenching documentary, filmmaker Kurt Kuenne tells the story of his childhood friend Andrew Bagby, who was murdered by his pregnant ex-girlfriend Shirley Turner. Through a series of interviews with the people that were closest to Bagby, Dear Zachary unravels the complicated custody battle between Bagby's killer and his grieving parents, while serving as a cinematic scrapbook for the son who never got the chance to know him.

Watch Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father on Amazon Prime.

Image Source: Everett Collection

7. American Tragedy

American Tragedy explores the Columbine school shooting from the perspective of Sue Klebold, the mother of one of the shooters, Dylan Klebold, whom she once lovingly called "Sunshine Boy." Grappling with the grief over the son she thought she knew and remorse for the innocent lives he took, this documentary highlights the lessons Sue Klebold learned as the mother of a school shooter and what Americans can take away from the tragedy.

Watch American Tragedy on Amazon Prime.

8. The Imposter

The Imposter recounts the twisted case of Frédéric Bourdin, who exploited one family's grief over the disappearance of their 13-year-old son Nicholas Barclay to get the childhood he never had. In a series of interviews, Bourdin himself explains how he was able to successfully convince Spanish and American officials as well as many of Barclay's family members of his identity despite being French with brown eyes and dark hair, instead of American with blue eyes and blonde hair.

Watch The Imposter on Amazon Prime.

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9. The Witness

50 years after his sister's violent murder, William Genovese narrates The Witness, covering the investigation of the widely publicized stabbing that took place in Queen, NY. Through accounts from the 38 witnesses, this documentary breaks down the truth and the long-held public opinion of Kitty Genovese's 1964 death.

Watch The Witness on Amazon Prime.

10. Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four

Southwest of Salem examines the wrongful convictions of Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna Vasquez, four lesbians who allegedly gang-raped two young girls. After 15 years of fighting for their innocence behind bars, a pivotal court hearing debunks the scientific evidence that had been used against them.

Watch Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four on Amazon Prime.

Image Source: Everett Collection

11. Unseen

Unseen depicts the Cleveland Police Department's astonishing 2009 discovery of eleven women's bodies decomposing at the home of known sex offender Anthony Sowell. Through this investigation, this documentary addresses the invisibility of marginalized women and why society turned a blind eye to the killing spree that they were victim to.

Watch Unseen on Amazon Prime.

12. I Don’t Like Mondays

After 16-year-old Brenda Spencer was charged with murder for the Cleveland Elementary School shooting, she infamously told officials, "I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day." This documentary explores Brenda Spencer's case from her disturbing confessions to the conditionality of her imprisonment.

Watch I Don't Like Mondays on Amazon Prime.

Image Source: Everett Collection

13. H.H. Holmes: America's First Serial Killer

H.H. Holmes follows the 19th century macabre exploits of Herman Mudgett, who went by the name Dr. Henry Howard Holmes. Without the threat of advanced forensic investigation, this documentary showcases how Holmes' got away with murdering more than 200 people as well as his operation of The Murder Castle in Chicago.

Watch H.H. Holmes: America's First Killer on Amazon Prime.

14. Kidnapped: Natascha Kampusch

Narrated by the victim herself, this documentary recounts Natascha Kampusch's abduction and her eight years of captivity at the hands of Wolfgang Přiklopil. Featuring rare footage from the dungeon she lived in from the ages of 10 to 18, Kidnapped reveals the horrific details of her case and the extent of her ordeal.

Watch Kidnapped: Natascha Kampusch on Amazon Prime.

Image Source: Everett Collection

15. No Place to Hide: The Rehtaeh Parsons Story

Through the eyes of Rehtaeh Parsons's parents, No Place to Hide re-examines the criminal case that led to Canada's illegalization of cyberbullying. From Parsons's sexual assualt to the police investigation and her subsequent suicide, this documentary is a testament to police indifference towards sexual assualt cases.

Watch No Place to Hide: The Rehtaeh Parsons Story on Amazon Prime.

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