Summary
- Catching Killers on Netflix focuses solely on investigators of serial killers, challenging viewers to solve cases.
- The series delves into the psychology and motivation of notorious serial killers, offering candid accounts from investigators.
- Each episode recounts serial crime cases in vivid detail, engaging viewers with actual crime scene footage and reconstructions.
Netflix has never shied away from exploring true crime stories. Over the years, the streamer has produced some of the most revealing and thought-provoking crime docuseries and documentary films, examining evidence and providing candid witness accounts to bring attention to some of the worst atrocities committed throughout the U.S. and several parts of the world. Its commitment to the genre continues in Catching Killers, a true-crime docuseries that made its debut back in 2021.
Unlike similar shows on Netflix though, Catching Killers is told solely from the perspective of the investigators and other law enforcement officials on the case as they take on one of the most notorious types of suspects: serial criminals. In doing so, it puts the viewers themselves on the investigative trail as serial crime cases are revisited every episode. Whether it’s a serial murder or bombing, each episode challenges everyone to put their crime-solving skills to the test.
- Release Date
- 2021 - 2023-00-00
WHERE TO WATCH
Catching Killers is a true-crime documentary series that examines the investigations and arrests of notorious serial killers. Through in-depth interviews with investigators and archival footage, the series delves into the psychology and motivations of killers, and the techniques used to bring them to justice.
Netflix’s ‘Catching Killers’ Takes Viewers Inside the Investigation
More often than not, true crime shows explore beyond the crime itself. There are multiple interviews with family and friends, as well as photos and videos of the victim in happier times displayed. In the case of Catching Killers, however, there is no time for that. When a serial criminal strikes, there is always more than one victim, and the investigation gains momentum in response.
Serial killers, understandably, are more terrifying than usual. The idea that someone can strike again is unsettling. It puts everyone on the edge. For investigators — whether it’s detectives, police officers, or federal agents — the more they work on it, the more it feels personal, even as the case evolves to include other law enforcement officials who take over recounting the investigation on the show. And, because this series is told from their perspective, it also feels personal to the viewers straight away.
Sometimes, cases hit home, and a victim’s death becomes an actual personal loss. In the episode “End of the Line: The Railroad Killer,” Texas police chief Randy Kennedy recalls how he came to discover the body of a longtime friend inside her home. The older woman, who had no known enemies, had been beaten to death. Her body was left on the floor and covered with a blanket as the killer escaped through a window at the back of her house. A week later, Kennedy discovered that the suspect had struck again just 250 miles from his crime scene. It soon becomes clear that his friend was the victim of a serial killer who would later be identified as Angel Maturino Reséndiz, a.k.a. the Railroad Killer. Texas Ranger Drew Carter also becomes involved in the case before FBI agents Thomas McClenaghan and Kimberley Barkhausen join the hunt and eventually catch Resendiz.
In the episode “Thrill Kills: The Phoenix Serial Shooter,” viewers are immediately introduced to Detective Clark Schwartzkopf, who interviews multiple victims of several random drive-by shootings. Through these interviews, he eventually learns the make and model of the car that the suspect had been using in the shooting sprees. Schwartzkopf also recalls how a meeting with another officer led to a name: Samuel Dieteman. That’s when Schwartzkopf gets assistance from Sargeant Don Sherrard, who is tasked with conducting surveillance of Dieteman. The surveillance team eventually learns of Dieteman’s co-conspirator, Dale Hausner. Sherrard would later describe how the team managed to track the two suspects back to their apartment and recover trash full of incriminating evidence. Not long after that, an arrest warrant was issued against the two suspects, and Schwartzkopf decided to turn Dieteman and Hausner against each other to get them to confess to the shootings.
'Catching Killers' Has Featured Some of the Biggest Crime Cases Over the Years
Image via Netflix
Image via Netflix
Image via Netflix
Image via Netflix
Image via Netflix
In Catching Killers, some cases pique national interest too. And because the whole point of the show is to take viewers through the entire process of catching the suspect, it covers every part of the investigation in rigorous detail, even when it takes a wrong turn. Such is the case in the episode “Manhunt: The Olympic Park Bomber,” where FBI agents Tom Bush and Woody Johnson find themselves hunting down a serial bomber after a pipe bomb is detonated at the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia. The explosion left one person dead, and several hundreds injured as the U.S. tried to grapple with the thought of a domestic terrorist who could strike again while the country hosted the 1996 Olympic Games.
Early on, investigators zeroed in on a possible suspect: a security guard named Richard Jewell who was on duty at the time of the incident. Jewell located the bomb early on, helping prevent further loss of life. For Bush and Johnson, however, Jewell could easily be the bomber too, setting himself up to look like the hero of the hour. It took three months before the FBI finally concluded that Jewell wasn’t the bomber (his story would later inspire a Clint Eastwood movie). By then, however, the real culprit had struck again, setting off a bomb at a Georgia abortion clinic before triggering another explosion after first responders and investigators arrived on the scene and killing an officer. Fortunately, there’s also a break in the case after an eyewitness report leads investigators to suspect Eric Rudolph from North Carolina. At this point, it is up to agents Jim Russell and Rick Schwein of the FBI’s North Carolina office to bring Rudolph into custody. In the rest of the episode, the two agents detail the process of catching Rudolph after he successfully evades authorities for years.
Netflix’s Catching Killers provides an in-depth look into the hunt for some of the most notorious serial criminals in history. With candid accounts from the investigators themselves, the show offers a unique take on crime investigations, taking viewers along as each case is recounted in vivid detail (sometimes, with the help of actual crime scene footage and scene reconstructions) from start to finish. In doing so, Catching Killers allows us to see the case from an investigative perspective, engaging with viewers like no other true-crime docuseries has done in the past. The show also fosters a deep emotional connection to each case and its victims, making the quest for justice more impactful and satisfying.
Catching Killers is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.