Random Best True Crime Documentaries To Watch (33 items)

(#1) Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
- Film (1996)
This trilogy is notable because of the relentlessness of the filmmakers and the music community, who brought the 1993 story of three teens in a small Arkansas town to life. From the first film to the last, it’s clear why this story galvanized the nation and drew support from unexpected sources. Among them were Eddie Vedder, Natalie Maines, the members of Metallica, Patti Smith, Henry Rollins, Tom Waits, Iggy Pop, and Ozzy Osbourne.

The fact that they kept coming back to the story with three documentaries put pressure on the small Arkansas community and the justice system, encouraging them to do the right thing. Three teenagers - Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols, and Jessie Misskelley - were accused of murdering three younger boys. The teenagers became known as the West Memphis Three and were convicted based on Echols's practice of Wicca, their taste in music (Metallica), Echols’s penchant for reading Stephen King books, Misskelley’s ill-gotten confession, and other murky evidence. Misskelley, like Brendan Dassey of Making 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.
(#26) Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
- TV Program
(#10) Nail Bomber: Manhunt
- Film
(#2) Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
- Film (2008)
Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne set out to memorialize and render a real-life depiction of his friend, Andrew Bagby, for Bagby's infant son. The result is a gut-wrenching story of a man who was allegedly killed by his ex-girlfriend Shirley Jane Turner (she was pregnant with his child at the time). She fled to Canada.

Due to many failures in the Canadian and American justice system, Turner was allowed shared custody of Zachary with Bagby’s parents, despite evidence that she was emotionally and mentally disturbed. No spoilers, but be prepared for the ending - it’s a tough one.
(#21) A Murder in the Park
- Film (2014)
This gripping documentary will keep you on the edge of your seat. Thanks to the work of Northwestern journalism students, Anthony Porter was exonerated just 48 hours before his execution. Their work was headed up by Northwestern professor David Protess and led authorities to arrest and convict Alstory Simon for the double homicide in a Chicago park.

The twist at the end is what makes this one of the more fascinating true crime documentaries out there.
(#25) Conversations With a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes
- TV Program