Binge-worthy Crime Documentaries

Six documentaries to watch before your state's stay-at-home order is lifted!

McMillions

Hulu

McMillions is the true story of how $24 million was stolen from the McDonald's Monopoly game from 1989 to 2001, the mystery mastermind behind the scam, and the FBI agents on his trail. For over a decade, McDonald's awarded prizes in it's Monopoly  promotional game unaware that the biggest winning tickets were being stolen and sold. An anonymous tip to the FBI in 2001 triggered an investigation which uncovered dirty dealings by ex-cons with ties to the mafia. 

How to Fix A Drug Scandal

Netflix

In 2013, Massachusetts State Police arrest 35-year-old crime drug lab chemist Sonja Farak for tampering with evidence, and that was only the beginning. Over time, details emerged that Farak had been using drugs that she was tasked with testing. Did anyone know what had been going on? When did they find out? The scope of Farak's addiction and the number of people convicted as a result of her drug testing, comes to light despite repeated efforts to suppress evidence in the case.

Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story

Netflix

In 2004, 16-year-old runaway Cyntoia Brown killed Johnny Allen, shooting him in the head after solicitation of sex went wrong. At the time she committed the murder, Cyntoia spent her days using drugs and being pimped out by 24-year-old boyfriend for drug money. The Tennessee justice system determined she should be tried as an adult, not a juvenile. When her defense failed to convince a jury that the shooting was self defense, not murder, she was sentenced to life in prison. In the years that follow, with Cyntoia being diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome, significant muturation during her incarceration, earning a college degree, a key change in Tennessee law regarding sex trafficking, and a former prosecutor on her side, her argument for legal clemency got stronger and stronger. In 2017, with a new pro-bono legal team, Cyntoia hopes to have her sentence commuted with a plea to then-Governor Bill Haslam.

The Pharmacist

Netflix

This documentary tells the story of Dan Schneider, a small town pharmacist in Louisiana, working to identify his son's killer and how this led to his gathering evidence against a prolific 'pill mill' doctor in New Orleans. The Pharmacist presents an early look at what would become a national health crisis, as the use of OxyContin rose in popularity in the 1990s and early 2000s causing an opiod epidemic. 

The Case Against Adnan Syed

Hulu

The Case Against Adnan Syed explores the 1999 disappearance and murder of 18-year-old Baltimore County high school student Hae Min Lee, and the subsequent conviction of ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed. This case was brought to global attention by the popular Serial podcast in 2014. 

Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer

Amazon Prime

This Ted Bundy documentary re-frames the infamous serial killer's crimes from a female perspective, uncovering the disturbing and profound way his psychological hatred of women collided with the feminist movement and culture wars of the 1970s. After years of silence, Bundy's long time girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall, her daughter Molly Kendall, survivors, and victims' family members discuss how Bundy's crimes changed their lives.

Make sure to check out My Favorite Streaming Finds!