Did You Watch “The Jinx”? Here are Six True-Crime Docs to Stream Next
Crime scene tape marks off the area law enforcement investigators are working outside the house of a fatal shooting on Aug. 8, 2013, in DeSoto, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Americans are captivated by the saga of millionaire murder suspect Robert Durst in the wake of the stunning conclusion of The Jinx.
In the final episode of the HBO docuseries on Sunday, Durst, who had been linked to multiple deaths and was seemingly unaware that his microphone was still live, appeared to incriminate himself, muttering, “What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.”
The real estate heir was arrested on Saturday and charged with the 2000 murder of writer Susan Berman on Monday.
The Los Angeles Police Department says the arrest was not linked to revelations in the HBO series, which over the course of six episodes examined the 1982 disappearance of Durst’s wife Kathie, the 2000 murder of his friend Berman, and the 2001 murder of his neighbor Morris Black. Durst’s lawyer contends that the timing of this weekend’s arrest was “based on ratings.”
The arrest is a turn of events that has sparked intense debate and catapulted true-crime documentaries into the national dialogue.
These six true-crime films from FRONTLINE explore the dark corners of both the human mind and the criminal justice system — and they’re all streaming online, for free, right now:
A Death in St. Augustine
On the night she broke up with her police officer boyfriend, 24-year-old Michelle O’Connell was found dead from a gunshot in the mouth. Next to her was her boyfriend’s semi-automatic service pistol. The local sheriff’s investigation concluded it was suicide — but was it? This documentary from FRONTLINE and The New York Times raises some troubling questions.
Death by Fire
Did Texas execute an innocent man? Examine the controversial case of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed for the arson deaths of his three children.
The Child Cases
Sudden child deaths are often assumed to be murder, and caregivers are frequently the accused. A joint investigation by FRONTLINE, NPR and ProPublica looks into nearly two dozen cases in which people were accused of killing children based on flawed forensic opinions and then later cleared.
The Confessions
Eight men charged. Five confessions. But only one DNA match. Why would four innocent men confess to a brutal crime they didn’t commit? Inside the incredible saga of the Norfolk Four — a case that cracks open the justice system to reveal almost everything that goes wrong when innocent people get convicted.
Law and Disorder
Henry Glover was last seen alive in the backseat of a white Chevy Malibu on Sept. 2, 2005, just days after Hurricane Katrina hit. With Glover’s story as a jumping-off point, FRONTLINE, the Times-Picayune and ProPublica investigate questionable police shootings by the New Orleans Police Department in the wake of Katrina.
Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald?
At the heart of the John F. Kennedy assassination lies the puzzle of Lee Harvey Oswald: Was he an emotionally disturbed lone gunman? Part of a far-reaching conspiracy? Or an unwitting fall guy? Watch this compelling investigation of the man at the center of the political crime of the 20th century, and make up your own mind.
Watch these six documentaries (and more than 170 others) for free, right here.
