Ok, so you’re a fan of True Crime TV Documentaries, but you’re not sure what’s worth a watch: should you really watch the new Grace Millane documentary on Netflix (in short, yes you should, but it is also horrible). For some cases less close to home, we have four other solid recommendations too.
Whether you’re looking for a new TV recommendation, what to read next, or what to line-up next in your podcast queue, we’ve got you covered, with our new entertainment series, ‘So You’re a Fan Of’. We’ll be working our way through new or popular TV shows, movies, books/authors and podcasts and will then match-make you with other suggestions for you to try!
The Lie: The Murder of Grace Millane
This one really does hit close to home. All the true crime documentaries on this list are slick, big-budget operations – but it’s an entirely jarring experience seeing that treatment and those same high-definition sweeping shots showcasing your own backyard.
All New Zealanders know this story – the disappearance of a young British tourist who went missing in downtown Auckland on the day of her 23rd birthday. We all heard the news and hoped for her safe return. We’ve all travelled overseas – often embarking on OEs at tender ages, while our parents no doubt only properly exhale when they see us back home in the NZ arrivals lounge.
Sadly, the worst news was discovered – Grace’s body found in the depths of the Waitakere ranges. Her killer was quickly found, yet, due to other pending charges, we knew nothing of this man – except for the fact that we loathed and despised him.
This Netflix documentary is completely harrowing. Even if you’ve followed the case, this feels all new. It begins with CCTV footage from all over Auckland’s CBD – the streets were busy, it was Christmas. Through this footage we then follow Grace and her killer, Jesse Kempson on a Tinder date as they bar hop across the city. She leans into him as they walk to his apartment. It’s the last time she’s seen alive.
The most haunting footage is of Jesse the next morning, wheeling a suitcase outside at 8am. We now know that Grace’s body was in that suitcase.
Grace’s murder really was one of our darkest times – watching Jesse tell lie after lie and then, grotesquely try to portray the death as somehow being Grace’s fault, saying that she wanted to engage in rough sex and copy scenes from 50 Shades of Grey, made me feel absolutely sick – and, embarrassed that this could all play out in NZ.
It’s certainly not an enjoyable watch, but, as a Kiwi, this feels like compulsory viewing.
Where to watch it: Netflix
American Murder: Laci Peterson
When Laci Peterson went missing on Christmas Eve in 2002, her family were absolutely distraught. Laci was just 27 and was currently eight months pregnant with her first child. Her husband was the one to make the missing persons call – that morning they had watched TV together and then he’d headed out fishing. His wife said she was going to take the dogs for a walk. But when Scott Peterson got home, Laci was nowhere to be found and their dog was running around with its leash still attached.
Her friends and family were in front of media as much as possible, trying to get her face out there. They were heavily involved in search parties, scouring through the area she would have walked the dog.
But Scott kept a relatively low profile. And slowly, more and more troubling details came out. Until tragically, On April 13 2003, nearly four months after Laci’s disappearance, the body of her son, Conner, was found in the San Francisco Bay area, very close to where Scott took his boat that Christmas Eve. The next day, Laci’s remains were also discovered.
Scott was charged with two counts of murder and was later found guilty of first-degree murder of his wife and second-degree murder for his son.
This doco is a hard watch at times, interviewing Laci’s mother, her best friends, as well as Scott’s relatives and the law enforcement officers who brought the case to its conclusion.
But, it also highlights the horrifying statistic that was true in 2002 and continues to be true today in the States: that homicide is the number one cause of death for pregnant women. This doco does a beautiful job in highlighting that fact and serving as a reminder to check in on our friends, as often, things can be very different behind closed doors as to what they seem on the outside.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini
Ok, if you’ve never heard of this case, don’t read any further – just head to Disney+ and give it a go, because if you had no idea what was coming, this three-part doco would be one heck of a crazy mystery to slowly see unfold.
But, if you have heard of Sherri Papini, you’ll likely remember her face: she was a beautiful young mum, with an angelic face and cascading long, thick blonde hair. She and her husband Keith seemed to have the perfect relationship, and Sherri was dubbed ‘super mom’ by many, because she somehow seemed to juggle it all AND throw the best parties for her kids and have the best Halloween costumes.
That all came crashing down when one afternoon her husband couldn’t get hold of her. His panic only intensified when he realised she’d never picked up the kids from daycare. Then he found her phone and earphones (with a big chunk of her hair) on the side of the road. And so, a media frenzy began – partially fueled by Keith, in an attempt to get his wife’s face in front of as many people as many times possible in the hopes it might bring her home. Inevitably, many people were mounting their suspicions at her husband, wondering if he was responsible.
But three weeks later, Sherri reappeared, waving down help on the side of an interstate, wearing restraints. She was battered and bruised – her hair had been cut and back had been branded.
This case was about to get a whole lot stranger though. In the end it took six years for the truth to finally come out and holy heck, is it a doozy.
Where to watch it: Disney +
American Nightmare
This story is a doozy, with so many twists and turns, you’re never quite sure what is coming next or where the truth really lies.
On March 23, 2015 in California 27-year-old Denise Huskins disappeared after a home invasion, where she and her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn were startled awake at 3am by an intruder.
Aaron calls the police the next day saying that a man wearing a wetsuit, armed with a Taser broke into the house – he drugged Aaron, forced Denise to tie him up, and then took her with him. Immediately, there was suspicion that Aaron had something to do with her disappearance.
There was a ransom set two days later, for $11,000 – but mysteriously, Denise turned up – completely unscathed – and with an overnight bag in hand.
The book, Gone Girl, had gone gangbusters a couple of years prior, and it wasn’t long before the public – and the police – were drawing comparisons and wondering if the kidnapping ever took place.
The police even went as far as making a statement saying that the couple should apologise to the community for wasting valuable resources on the hoax case.
Except… months later a man named Matthew Muller was arrested for a home invasion, and during that investigation they discovered a computer that had been stolen from Aaron. Matthew confessed to the crime – and so Aaron and Denise sued the city, reaching a $2.5m settlement.
Watch it on: Netflix
The Murder of Meredith
Most of us will know the name Amanda Knox. The young American who studied abroad in Italy during 2007, when one night, her flatmate was brutally murdered. Amanda was videoed standing outside the police station, kissing and giggling with her Italian boyfriend. Amanda’s behaviour quickly earned the attention of the police, and she was later charged, convicted and served four years behind bars, before having her conviction overturned.
Her face and name was everywhere during those mid 2000 years – and, the 10 years to follow, when she did several tell-all interviews with the biggest names in primetime TV. Her story is one of the most well-known true crime stories, the world over.
But, the name of another woman has been completely forgotten in the midst of the media frenzy: Meredith Kercher, another international student who was murdered that night.
This BBC doco puts Meredith at the front and centre of the story and follows who she was and what really happened to her on that fateful night in Perugia.
Where to watch it: TVNZ
