Movies like American Murder: The Family Next Door you can watch on Netflix

I think it’s safe to say that America was shocked when Chris Watts admitted to murdering his pregnant wife Shan’ann and their daughters, four-year-old Bella and three-year-old Celeste. In case you aren’t familiar with this case highlighted in American Murder: The Family Next Door, I’ll give you a little background.

As reported by Good Housekeeping, Shan’ann Watts and her daughters were declared missing in August 2018. Chris Watts initially told police that he had no idea where his wife and daughters were, and he started giving media appearances begging the community for help in searching for his missing family.

It turns out that Chris’ worried father routine was just an act. Shortly after his family disappeared, he confessed to murdering his wife and daughters. Their bodies were found exactly where Chris said they would be.

As an employee of Anadarko Petroleum, Chris had access to their facilities. Shan’ann’s body was located in a shallow grave at an Anadarko Petroleum site, with the bodies of Bella and Celeste hidden in oil tanks. Chris is currently serving five life sentences without the possibility of parole.

These heinous crimes are the focus of a documentary called American Murder: The Family Next Door, which premiered on Netflix last month. The film uses social media, law enforcement videos, phone records, and home video footage to explain what happened. If you’re looking to check out another true crime documentary on Netflix, then you’ve come to the right place.

Documentaries like American Murder: The Family Next Door

Here is a list of eight crime documentaries like American Murder: The Family Next Door that you can watch on Netflix.

1. Abducted in Plain Sight

Abducted in Plain Sight has so many twists and turns that you’ll end up wondering how things got so out of hand. The film explains how an Idaho girl named Jan Broberg was kidnapped by her neighbor Robert Berchtold in the 1970s on more than one occasion. Jan herself appears in the documentary and she explains how Berchtold used calculated manipulation, grooming, and alleged aliens to sexually abuse her.

2. The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

For those who don’t know, Marsha P. Johnson was a gay rights activist who was a key player in the Stonewall uprising of 1969. As reported by IMDb, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson investigates Johnson’s death in 1992.

Johnson was found floating in the Hudson River and although investigators initially ruled the death a suicide, many members of the local community considered Johnson’s demise suspicious.

3. Dream/Killer

According to IMDb, Dream/Killer tells the story of 20-year-old Ryan Ferguson, who was sentenced to 40 years in prison for a crime he did not commit back in 2005. Ryan’s incarceration leads his father, Bill, to go on a decade-long journey to prove his son’s innocence.

4. Amanda Knox

Time marches on, but people are still fascinated by the story of Amanda Knox. As told by IMDb, this film explains how American exchange student Amanda Knox was convicted and eventually acquitted for the death of her roommate Meredith Kercher, who was found stabbed in Italy in 2007.

I’ve watched several documentaries about this case, and the story leaves me baffled every time.

5. Strong Island

Strong Island follows filmmaker Yance Ford investigates the murder of his brother William Ford Jr., who was killed in 1992 when he was only 24 years old. Racial bias played an enormous role in William’s killer going free.

6. The Fear of 13

The Fear of 13 has been on my list for a while. As reported by IMDb, this film tells the story of a murderer who spent 23 years waiting to die on Death Row.

7. Audrie & Daisy

Audrie & Daisy is an absolutely heartbreaking documentary about sexual assault, online bullying, and just how much damage social media can do to someone’s mental health. After two separate American high school girls are raped, their families face cyberbullying and slut-shaming in the wake of the tragedy.

8. Out Of Thin Air

As reported by IMDb, Out Of Thin Air tells the story of six suspects who confessed to two violent crimes in Iceland in 1976. The suspects were convicted despite the lack of bodies of the murder victims or any real evidence. The suspects were submitted to torture, solitary confinement, and coercion in order to get their confession.