Top 15+ best true crime documentaries you need to be watching on Netflix

Calling all true crime lovers! By now, you'll know that Netflix is the place to go if you're in the mood for a crime documentary marathon. Over the years, the streaming platform has released some chilling content in the genre, from 'did they or didn't they do it?' storylines to 'I can't believe this a true story' plots. And not only does Netflix regularly churn out brand new true crime docs - which get more unreal by the day - they also leave their older archives available for when you feel like a dose of corruption and scandal. So, whether you're organising the ultimate binge session with your best mates, or you're planning on freaking yourself out by watching terrifying docs throughout the night, we've got you covered. Here are the 15 best true crime documentaries you need to catch on Netflix. Watch them at your peril… (Picture: Getty Images)

1. Amanda Knox

American college student Amanda Knox was twice convicted of brutally murdering her roommate, Meredith Kercher in 2007, while studying as an exchange student in Perugia, Italy. Amanda served almost four years in an Italian prison for the crime, before being exonerated in 2015 by Italy's highest court. This Netflix documentary gave Amanda and those closest to her the chance to tell her story (Picture: Netflix)

2. The Tinder Swindler

When The Tinder Swindler was released on Netflix in 2022, the world couldn't believe it was a true story. To unpack, it centred around a group of women who had all been 'swindled' out of millions of dollars by 'Simon Leviev,' a supposedly wealthy, jet-setting diamond mogul who they met on the online dating app, Tinder. The true crime series followed the group of women, Cecilie Fjellhøy, Pernilla Sjoholm and Ayleen Charlotte as they attempted to hunt down and recover the money that had been stolen from them - which in full, was estimated to be around $10 million (Picture: Netflix)

3. American Nightmare

This three-part true crime series was created by The Tinder Swindler creators, Felicity Morris and Bernadette Higgins. It tells the story of Denise Huskins, who was abducted from her boyfriend Aaron Quinn's home. In 2015, the couple were asleep when they were awakened by a stranger who tied them up, drugged them and then kidnapped Huskins. The authorities didn't believe the case - known as the 'Gone Girl kidnapping' - and accused Quinn of harming his girlfriend (Picture: Netflix)

4. Lover, Stalker, Killer

This Netflix doc retells the tragic events that happened between 2012 and 2017. After mechanic Dave Kroupa joined a dating website, he ended up being involved in a deadly love triangle with Shanna 'Liz' Golyar and Cari Farver. After Dave told Liz he didn't want a serious relationship, she seemingly accepted this. He then met Cari online, and started dating her. But when Liz and Cari accidentally met one day, Liz's obsession with Dave started. This led to a case of deception, stalking and murder (Picture: Netflix)

5. American Murder: Laci Peterson

This entry into the hugely popular American Murder series kept viewers hooked when it landed in 2024. The docuseries focuses on Laci Peterson, who was eight months pregnant when she vanished from her home in Modesto, California, on Christmas Eve 2002. Her remains, and those of her unborn son, were found a few months later, with her husband Scott later convicted on two counts of murder. Although he is serving a life sentence without parole, he has continued to protest his innocence - and the case has continued to fascinate people (Picture: Netflix)

6. Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives

Sarma Melngailis was at the peak of her career - she owned Manhattan’s Pure Food and Wine, a raw vegan restaurant that was a favourite of and regularly frequented by A-list celebrities. However, when she met and married a man on the internet who claimed he could make her dog immortal - and grow her vegan empire - her life and finances began to quickly veer off the rails (Picture: Netflix)

7. The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker

This one tells the story of Kai Lawrence, an eccentric nomad, who went viral in 2013 for saving a woman's life by hitting her attacker over the head with a hatchet. He became an overnight sensation and instant celebrity after he recounted the event to a local news team. Following this, Justin Bieber's team reached out to him to star in a music video, Keeping Up With the Kardashians execs wanted to give him his own reality series, and he even appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel show. However, a few months later, he was arrested and charged with the murder (Picture: Netflix)

8.Waco: American Apocalypse

This Netflix docuseries gives viewers a look at never-before-seen footage from the infamous 1993 standoff between federal agents and a heavily armed religious group, the Branch Davidians, led by David Koresh. The streaming platform released the series on 22 March 2023, which was the 30th anniversary of the siege (Picture: Netflix)

9. Take Care Of Maya

In early 2015, Jack and Beata Kowalski's nine-year-old daughter Maya began experiencing a slew of symptoms, including headaches, blurred vision, breathing problems, skin lesions and chronic pain. At first, the family never received a firm diagnosis, but Maya was eventually told she had a rare condition called complex regional pain syndrome (known as CRPS) by anaesthesiologist and pharmacologist, Dr Anthony Kirkpatrick. The doctor suggested Maya undergo ketamine infusion treatment – as he'd used it successfully on many patients before. The Kowalskis found the treatment to work at first, but Maya ended up in hospital a year later with crippling stomach pains. Beata, who was also a nurse, insisted Maya be given a high dose of ketamine to alleviate her daughter's pain, but the hospital eventually called child abuse paediatrician Dr Sally Smith, who accused her of abuse by Munchausen syndrome by proxy. It was later proved that Beata didn't suffer from the mental illness. However, Maya was subsequently placed in state custody and made to stay in hospital for months while Jack and Beata fought to bring her home (Picture: Netflix)

10. Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife

This is another medical true crime docuseries that focuses on the Swiss-Italian surgeon Paolo Macchiarini. The doctor was world famous for his revolutionary stem cell-infused windpipe transplants, but his patients kept dying. Paolo was eventually found guilty of widespread, intentional malpractice, which caused the patients he treated to die slow, painful deaths. In the Netflix trailer, the surgeon is described as the 'biggest con in medical history' (Picture: Netflix)

11. Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes

This limited true crime docuseries is the third instalment in the Conversations with a Killer series, created and directed by Joe Berlinger. The series reflects on the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's murder spree between 1978 and 1991 in Wisconsin, where he killed, dismembered and cannibalised 17 men and boys. The doc includes interviews with journalists, lawyers, and police, plus taped archival footage where he confesses to his gruesome crimes(Picture: Netflix)

12.Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich

Stories from survivors recall the abuse, manipulation and trauma they suffered at the hands of American financier and sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. It exposes his sex trafficking ring and how he used his wealth, power and reputation to carry out decades of abuse (Picture: Enterprise News and Pictures)

13. Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case

This 2023 Netflix doc follows the devastating story of the 21-year-old British tourist, Lucie Blackman, who was reported missing in July 2000 in Japan. Earlier in the year, Lucie had moved to Tokyo with her friend Louise Phillips, and was working as a hostess in a nightclub called Casablancas, where part of the role was to go on paid dates (called 'dōhan' in Japanese) with customers. But after one particular date, Lucie never came home, which led to a global missing persons campaign to find her. Tragically, Lucie's body was discovered in February 2001 (Picture: Netflix)

14. Worst Roommate Ever

The four-part show offers true-life stories about flatmates and living companions from hell, including the tale of Janie and Rachel, whose friendship was shattered by the former's weird - and ultimately murderous - behaviour. The second episode focuses on the case of a retiree who takes in a lawyer, only for events to take a terrifying turn, and the other instalments see a veteran move in with an army friend's widow, sparking a series of deadly accidents, as well as a case where a viral TikTok video sparks an investigation into a Seattle resident whose tenants mysteriously disappeared. You may never want to share a flat with anyone again after watching this (Picture: Netflix)

15.Capturing the Killer Nurse

Netflix released this true crime documentary film in 2022. It explores the sinister story of ICU nurse and serial killer Charles Cullen, who was found to be murdering his patients over a period of 16 years while working in hospitals and nursing homes in the United States. The Netflix special also explains how investigators were able to prove Charles was guilty, which eventually led to his incarceration where he later confessed to around 40 murders (Picture: Netflix) This article was originally published in March 2024