The Staircase

I didn't realize how far down the Netflix true crime hole goes until I started writing these entries. The Staircase is a series that I was eager to watch but gave up on after three or four episodes. It was too slow moving for me.

One of the reasons why I wanted to watch it was that the death of Kathleen Peterson, who was found dead at the bottom of the stairs, was a long-drawn out case where the murderer was potentially an owl. I can tell you, from personal experience, that even a small bird can cause a lot of surprise and chaos, so I wouldn't expect anything less from a larger bird with giant talons.

The case against Michael Peterson had also been featured on countless other shows like Forensic Files, American Justice and Dateline, so I was curious to see what had been left out. Oooof, it's certainly a case of too much information. I may pick up the show again later--who knows?

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The Confession Killer

When I watch true crime, I go for the more thoughtful and deep shows that pointed to systemic flaws or barriers to justice. The Confession Killer is a two for one deal as it explores how the Texas Rangers created a strange celebrity in alleged serial killer Henry Lee Lucas. Lucas was the product of a deeply disturbing and traumatizing childhood that set him on a life of crime. He went on a confession spree in 1983 and soon became a celebrity as the Texas Rangers closed 213 cases and paraded him before the cameras. By 1985, however, Lucas was revealed to be mostly a fraud as rangers gave him access to case files and let's face it...the math didn't add up. He had to be constantly on the road murdering people!

The Texas Rangers are pretty legendary--they had a radio show, TV and a sacred cow mythos surrounding them. However, no law enforcement agency is above reproach, especially when it comes to shoddy work.

Distressingly, these false confessions mean that the real killer(s) are out there and any closure victims' families had was ripped open.

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