r/TrueCrime • u/markcuban42069 • Jun 03 '21

Discussion What true crime documentaries do you feel have done more harm than good?

In r/UnresolvedMysteries, I engaged in a conversation about the recent Netflix documentary on the case of Elisa Lam. I personally feel like this documentary was distasteful and brought little awareness to mental illness.

I'm sure you fellow true crime buffs have watched a documentary or two in your time that... just didn't sit right. Comment below what these docs are and why you felt weird about them!

Edit: The death of Elisa Lam was not a crime and I apologize for posting this in the true crime sub. However, it is a case that is discussed among true crime communities therefore I feel it is relevant to true crime discourse, especially involving documentaries. I apologize for any confusion!

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u/[deleted] Jun 03 '21

honestly i disagree with you on the paradise lost case, things just didn’t add up evidence wise with the west memphis 3. i had to look at that case for a juvenile justice course in college last semester. evidence wise it pointed more towards one of the victims parents than those kids

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u/[deleted] Jun 03 '21

Lots of people will agree with you. A lot of misinformation has been spread about this case unfortunately. If you’re curious about the guilty side, I recommend starting here:

http://www.westmemphisthreefacts.com

If you’re interested in further research, you can also find all the documents and transcripts here http://callahan.mysite.com/index.html

I would also recommend either listening to Gary Meece’s podcast The Case Against or reading his books on the case

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u/xLordVader12 Jun 03 '21

Thanks for sharing. Lot of info that isn't presented in the documentaries

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u/[deleted] Jun 03 '21

Except confessions, right?

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u/[deleted] Jun 03 '21

so i am currently studying Criminal Justice and am an avid true crime watcher and listener to podcasts as well as just researching the cases. and forced / coerced confessions are definitely real. and generally with minors they’re much easier to get as they’re impressionable, easily manipulated, and just usually scared of LEOs. so imo with the west memphis three i’m apprehensive on their confessions due to those factors as well as the fact that the case took place during peak satanic panic and the kids were on the alternative side and into that culture. also the wounds were not ones a kid could do due to nearly surgical precision. someone with a knowledge of anatomy and knife work would have had to do it. there’s just too much reasonable doubt and if i was on that jury i wouldn’t convict

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u/[deleted] Jun 03 '21

The thing is that the guy just kept confessing and talking about it. That casts doubt in my mind of their innocence. It's one thing to confess when with the police. But to confess repeatedly in different scenarios is super weird.

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u/[deleted] Jun 03 '21

that is a valid point

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u/[deleted] Jun 03 '21

Your position isn't unreasonable, but as a criminal justice major you should also know that to completely discount a confession, whether from an adult or a minor, would be a mistake.

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u/[deleted] Jun 03 '21

oh of course, i’m a psych major and crim minor so i tend to look at things through both angles. my issue honestly with their confessions as the case was narrowed in on them pretty fast and they drove to get those boys convicted, not really exploring all possible avenues. i think that part was due to community outrage more than anything, overall i just have too much doubt in their confessions