Best movies & TV Shows like An American Murder Mystery: The Staircase

A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like An American Murder Mystery: The Staircase Starring Diane Dimond, Diane Fanning, and more. If you liked An American Murder Mystery: The Staircase then you may also like: Prosecuting Casey Anthony, The Staircase Murders, Capturing the Friedmans, Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man, The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11 and many more popular movies featured on this list. You can further filter the list even more or get a random selection from the list of similar movies, to make your selection even easier.

Novelist Michael Peterson and his wife Kathleen are the toast of Durham, North Carolina. But that all changes on December 9, 2001, when Kathleen is found dead in her home at the bottom of a staircase. Michael claims it was a tragic, accidental fall. But was she murdered? In this three-part series, we investigate the shocking details of the case through the people closest to it. We'll also reveal a 16-year-old secret and examine one of the most dramatic trials in recent history.

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Prosecuting Casey Anthony

"Prosecuting Casey Anthony" reveals Florida prosecutor, Jeff Ashton’s inside story of the true crime drama that captivated and then shocked the nation when Caylee Anthony’s mother, Casey, was acquitted of killing her daughter, despite what many thought to be overwhelming evidence of guilt. The movie is seen from Ashton’s (Lowe) perspective and it takes viewers behind-the-scenes of both the investigation into Caylee’s tragic death and the ensuing trial, shedding new light on the many questions of what happened to the two year-old girl, how Ashton and his fellow prosecutors built their case and why a woman so shrouded in suspicion was proclaimed innocent. With in-depth information about the case and the accused, "Prosecuting Casey Anthony" examines what the prosecution got right, what they got wrong and why Ashton remains convinced of Casey Anthony’s guilt...

The Staircase Murders

After he calls 911 to report his wife's accident, successful novelist and aspiring politician Michael Peterson (Williams) becomes the prime suspect in her alleged murder.

Capturing the Friedmans

An Oscar nominated documentary about a middle-class American family who is torn apart when the father Arnold and son Jesse are accused of sexually abusing numerous children. Director Jarecki interviews people from different sides of this tragic story and raises the question of whether they were rightfully tried when they claim they were innocent and there was never any evidence against them.

Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man

Jessica Fletcher discovers a shocking old family secret that leads her on a journey to the deep South to bring to light the mysterious details surrounding the death of a slave owned by one of her long dead ancestors in the mid-1800s.

The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11

Days after 9/11, letters containing fatal anthrax spores spark panic and tragedy in the US. This documentary follows the subsequent FBI investigation.

Babes in the Wood

The Babes in the Wood Murders were the murders of two nine-year-old girls, Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway, on 9 October 1986, by a 20-year-old local roofer, Russell Bishop in Brighton, England. Bishop was tried and acquitted in 1987. The case remained openuntil 10 December 2018, when Bishop was found guilty of the murders in a second trial. The investigation into the two girls' murders is the largest and longest-running inquiry ever conducted by Sussex Police. With exclusive access to police tapes, this is the remarkable story of how police finally brought a child killer to justice after thirty-two years.

Nazis at Nuremberg: The Lost Testimony

Never-before-heard trial testimony reveals shocking new details about World War II and the inner workings of the Nazi war machine.

The Devil on Trial

Explore the first – and only – time “demonic possession” has officially been used as a defense in a U.S. murder trial. Including firsthand accounts of alleged devil possession and a shocking murder, this extraordinary story forces reflection on our fear of the unknown.

Forever

Doctor Henry Morgan, New York City’s star medical examiner, has a secret. He doesn't just study the dead to solve criminal cases, he does it to solve the mystery that has eluded him for 200 years—the answer to his own inexplicable immortality. This long life has given Henry remarkable observation skills which impresses his new partner, Detective Jo Martinez. Each week, a new case and their budding friendship will reveal layers of Henry’s long and colorful past. Only his best friend and confidant, Abe knows Henry’s secret.

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst

Robert Durst, scion of one of New York’s billionaire real estate families, has been accused of three murders but never convicted. Brilliant, reclusive, and the subject of relentless media scrutiny, he’s never spoken publicly—until now. During interviews with Andrew Jarecki, he reveals secrets of the case that baffled authorities for 30 years. In 2010, Jarecki made the narrative film All Good Things based on the infamous story of Robert Durst. After Durst saw the film, he contacted Jarecki wanting to tell his story. What began as a feature documentary ultimately became a six-part series as more and more of his incredible story was revealed.

On the Case with Paula Zahn

Award winning journalist Paula Zahn unravels shocking crimes interviewing those closest to the case including lawyers, the victim's family, detectives and the convicted murderer themselves.

Fatal Attraction

Each pulse-pounding hour-long episode centers around an incredible and dangerous romance. Shocking crime, kidnapping or even murder is only half of the story! In the end, the “true love” that draws these couples together isn’t the kind that celebrates silver anniversaries – instead it leads to cross-country manhunts, bizarre cover-ups and dramatic trials. Driven by powerful, real-life stories, Fatal Attraction weaves together intimate, first-person interviews, exclusive interrogation footage and rare archival material. Along the way, it gives you a glimpse into the dark heart of a dangerous romance. Listen as the key players, family of the survivors and those that investigated the horrific crimes reveal the secrets to each sordid tale. Fatal Attraction… because love doesn’t just hurt, it can kill!

The Coroner: I Speak for the Dead

While detectives search for clues among the living, veteran Dauphin County, PA, coroner Graham Hetrick uncovers secrets of the dead. Each episode features a stylized re-enactment of a compelling homicide case taken directly from Hetrick's files. As viewers are led through a series of twists and turns, Hetrick peels back the layers of the investigation to reveal how the murder happened and who is to blame.

People Magazine Investigates

Uncover the heart-wrenching true stories behind crimes that transcended headlines and became part of popular culture. Exclusive first hand interviews reveal shocking twists, new evidence, and unexpected resolutions.

Is O.J. Innocent? The Missing Evidence

After examining evidence both old and new, the team questions O.J.’s role in the crimes. Was he involved in these murders…or was another person was responsible? Dr. Henry Lee, a forensics expert from the original investigation, discusses the confounding details and problems with the preliminary evidence collection from the crime scene, and what impact that may have had on the trial.

Law & Order True Crime

An anthology series that delves into the players, the crime and the media circus, detailing the day-to-day battles of the trial and unveiling the shocking truth of what really went down when the cameras stopped rolling.

Murder by Numbers

Each episode of this true-crime series begins with the grisly discovery of a body and the onset of an intense investigation. When police think they've solved the case, shocking twists sends each investigation into the depths of evil.

The Confession Tapes

This true crime documentary series investigates cases where people convicted of murder claim their confessions were coerced, involuntary or false.

Homicide: Hours To Kill

Follow determined investigators working the most shocking murder cases as they reconstruct the tragic final hours in the victim's life, in order to find their killer and crack the case.

World's Most Evil Killers

World’s Most Evil Killers delves into the gripping real-life stories of the world’s most terrifying and prolific killers. From Fred and Rose West to Ed Gein – The Clown Killer – and even to The Milwaukee Cannibal. Each episode focuses on one notorious killer and features authentic first-hand accounts of their behavior, from detectives who ran the case, journalists who reported on the stories, relatives, and at times survivors, alongside series experts who provide analysis. These criminologists, crime journalists and psychologists examine how the infamous killers made headlines both nationally and internationally and why they still continue to evoke fear and fascination in the public eye.

Jodi Arias: An American Murder Mystery

Sex, lies and murder – what happened to Travis Alexander? This three-part special examines the most salacious murder case in American history. We explore the investigation and trial that captivated the nation with interviews from central figures.

Marcia Clark Investigates The First 48

Delve into some of America’s most shocking crimes that have remained unsolved or ended with controversial outcomes. Each episode focuses on a specific case and examines the first 48 hours after the crime to reveal new angles and unravel enduring mysteries.

Mark of a Killer

All serial killers commit murder to satisfy their grand fantasies, but the murderers featured in this true-crime docuseries take it one step further, committing heinous acts that allow them to extend their fantasies and relive the excitement of their crimes again and again.

Very Scary People

A chronicle of the twisted lives of some of the most frightening, diabolical characters in recent history. Each two-hour episode traces the heinous, criminal acts of these elusive miscreants and the eventual road to justice.

McMillion$

A detailed account of the McDonald's Monopoly game scam during the 1990s as told by the participants in the case, including the prizewinners and the FBI agents who caught the security officer who orchestrated the entire scheme.

White House Farm

Factual drama based on the notorious White House Farm murders, and the ensuing police investigation and court case.

I'll Be Gone in the Dark

An exploration of the case of the Golden State Killer who terrorized California in the 1970s and 1980s, committing 50 sexual assaults and 10 murders, and true crime author Michelle McNamara's obsessive quest to find justice on behalf of his victims.

Trial by Media

In this true crime docuseries, some of the most dramatic trials of all time are examined with an emphasis on how the media may have impacted verdicts.

Murder on Middle Beach

A four-part documentary series revolving around the case of single mother Barbara Hamburg, who was brutally murdered in 2010 near her home in the upper-middle class enclave of Madison, Connecticut. The series presents first-time filmmaker Madison Hamburg’s complicated journey as a young man determined to solve an unspeakable crime and absolve the people he loves, while looking for answers within his fractured family and community.

The Dakota Entrapment Tapes

In a sleepy North Dakota town, where the crime rate is so low people often don’t lock their front doors, 20-year-old college student Andrew Sadek mysteriously disappears in May 2014 and is found dead almost two months later. What Andrew’s friends and family didn’t know was that in the months before his death, he had been coerced into becoming an informant for an aggressive police task force that had been secretly operating for years. As details of Andrew’s double life are revealed, the cover of the shadowy program is blown, laying bare the collusion and abuse of power of local law enforcement at all levels. Following the Sadek family’s fight for the truth about how their son was killed, the film skillfully uncovers the forces at play in his death and reveals why law enforcement secretly waged a war on drugs, on a college campus that didn’t have a drug problem.

Murder Among the Mormons

High-stakes exploits turn deadly — and shake a global church to its core — in this extraordinary true crime story.

Killer In Question

Lurking behind every murder is the truth. But what if the people involved in the case disagree on what the truth is and what really happened? We have to determine who is trustworthy, and who isn't. We must decide which details matter and which ones don't, and whose memories seem clear and accurate. This original series interviews people with conflicting perspectives on a real murder case to reveal the true Killer In Question.

The Staircase

An exploration of the life of Michael Peterson, his sprawling North Carolina family, and the suspicious death of his wife, Kathleen Peterson.

Manhunt: The Railway Killers

In December 1985, Alison Day disappeared after getting off a train at Hackney Wick station. Over the next six months, two more women would be snatched at stations in the South East. Rumours began to circulate that a serial killer was stalking the railways, and that he was linked to a series of sex attacks across London, going back years. But who was he? And could there be any truth in the rumour that there was a team of killers, working together? It took another fourteen years for the police to close the case on the so-called ‘Railway Killers’. It was a case that completely rewrote our understanding of murderers, and how to catch them. Through dramatic reconstruction and testimony from police officers, and the victims’ friends, The Railway Killers reveals every twist and turn in the case. Across three episodes this landmark series explores the devastating impact of these crimes, as well as the shocking revelation of the killers’ identities.

Catching Killers

The investigators behind infamous serial killer cases reveal the harrowing, chilling details of their extraordinary efforts in this true crime series.

Crime Scene Confidential

In her twelve years as a Crime Scene Investigator for Orange County, Florida, C.S.I Alina Burroughs investigated some of the most startling and devastating cases in the country - from the tragic 2008 death of toddler Caylee Anthony to the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre. Through her work she has learned that people may not always tell the truth, but the forensic evidence never lies. In a gripping ID series, Burroughs revisits controversial and shocking murder cases from across the country, taking a fresh look at the forensic evidence with the hope to bring more clarity to these complex crimes and closure to those the victims left behind.

The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe

The extraordinary and compelling story of how John Darwin faked his own death to claim life insurance and avoid bankruptcy will be told in The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe. The drama relates how Anne Darwin's husband, a prison officer, came up with the hare-brained scheme to defraud insurance companies, unbeknownst to their two sons.

Two Shallow Graves

The disappearance of the McStay's haunts police for three years until their remains turn up in the desert. Prosecutors say evidence proves Chase Merritt killed them, Merritt said he's innocence, claiming they are misinterpreting the facts.

First Blood

“First Blood" examines some of America’s most notorious serial killers through the prism of their first known kills to reveal what drove them to the moment when violent fantasy and curiosity became a devastating reality.

Spector

A four-part documentary series about enigmatic, legendary music producer Phil Spector and what happened on the fateful night of February 3, 2003 when actress Lana Clarkson was shot dead in his mansion.

Still Missing Morgan

On a humid evening in 1995, Colleen Nick’s life would be forever changed when her daughter, Morgan Nick, was kidnapped while playing with friends nearby. Her friend, Patty Wetterling, is one of few people who can relate to life with a child missing for 27 years. Patty’s son, Jacob, was kidnapped six years before Morgan. When the Morgan Nick case is reexamined in 2020, a documentary crew was there with the new investigators - leading to the first dramatic shift in the investigation in 25 years.

Who Killed Robert Wone?

Details the 2006 murder of Robert Wone, a young attorney who was found mysteriously stabbed to death at a friend’s home in Washington, D.C.

Burden of Proof

When 15-year-old Jennifer Pandos went missing in 1987, her parents told everyone she ran away. Decades later, her brother Stephen begins a relentless odyssey in search of the truth. His investigation into the case threatens to destroy his family as he becomes strongly convinced that his parents are both implicated in the crime. As time passes, more threads unravel and new evidence comes to light, Stephen starts to question everything he has come to believe.

Billionaire Murders

On a cold December day in 2017, the bodies of Multi-Billionaire power couple, Barry and Honey Sherman, are found cruelly and bizarrely posed in the basement of their Toronto mansion. The case immediately becomes headline news attracting global interest. More than five years later, no suspects have been named, no arrests have been made, and the double-murder case remains unsolved. Now, in a four-part series, the nation's leading Investigative Journalist and pre-eminent expert on the case, Kevin Donovan, is on a quest to uncover the truth. Told from his perspective, Billionaire Murders reveals an intimate look at who the Shermans were and what may have happened to them. Featuring exclusive access to prominent Canadians who knew Barry and Honey, as well as Donovan’s fellow journalists and several people who are integral to the investigation, this series delves deep into the mystery of their murders including many twists, turns and outrageous conspiracy theories about “who dunnit.”

The Long Shadow

Dramatizing one of the most infamously notorious and shocking serial killer cases in the world, the hunt for Peter Sutcliffe, commonly dubbed the Yorkshire Ripper, between October 1975 and January 1981, South Yorkshire police undertook the biggest manhunt in British criminal history. The search for Sutcliffe lasted five years, involved over a thousand officers and changed the way the British police worked forever.

Cold Case Files: DNA Speaks

Bill Kurtis examines cold cases that are solved through advancements in DNA, along with help from victims’ families, law enforcement and the public. Each episode tells the story of how forensic evidence is used to solve murder cases that have remained unsolved for years.

Never Let Him Go

In December 1988, Scott Johnson, a gay American mathematician, was found dead beneath a cliff in Sydney, Australia. His death was quickly determined to be a suicide. But Steve Johnson, Scott's older brother, had doubts and would spend the next 35 years trying to solve the mystery of Scott's death. He could have never imagined the tinderbox he would crack open—a wave of anti-gay violence, which was systematically ignored for decades.

Prosecuting Evil with Kelly Siegler

A true-crime series examining the most shocking murder investigations and toughest trials in Texas history - all told with Kelly's unique insight and unparalleled access. As Chief of Special Crimes in the busiest courthouse in the Lone Star state, Kelly Siegler battled to get killers into courtrooms to face their formidable defense attorneys. With her own firsthand accounts, alongside investigators and victims' families, Kelly reveals what really happened beyond the newspaper headlines to bring Texas-style justice.

The Indrani Mukerjea Story: Buried Truth

Featuring new revelations and unprecedented access, this docuseries digs into the disappearance of 25-year-old Sheena Bora and the shocking aftermath.

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