Friends Speak

Natalee Holloway mysteriously disappeared while on a school trip in Aruba back in 2005. How did this popular and responsible Alabama honours student completely vanish? Evidence points to the man Natalee was last seen with, Joran Van der Sloot. What happened on Natalee's last night on earth? How did Joran walk away from his crime? We hear from the people who knew Natalee best to get their story.

From the outside looking in the Turpin family seemed normal enough, but a phone call in January 2018 changed everything. One of their thirteen children escaped from captivity and exposed the dark secrets of what had been happening inside the Turpin family household for decades. Systematic torture and abuse within the walls of the Turpin home are just the tip of the iceberg as those closest to the family make sense of this tragedy. Hear first-hand accounts from those who knew them best, and learn how blindsided even they were to the horror taking place. Where the Turpins mentally ill, or sadistic psychopaths? Why didn't the children seek help sooner? Perhaps most importantly, can you ever really know what's going on behind closed doors?

Chris and Shannan Watts were by all accounts the perfect couple, with two perfect children Celeste and Bella. In 2018 this family was shattered by the disappearance and murder of Shanann and the kids at the hands of Chris himself. How is it possible for something this horrific to happen in a sleepy mountain town of Frederick Colorado? Did Chris simply snap the morning of the murders, or was it something much more calculated and sinister? Friends of the Watts family come together to unravel the secrets behind this tragedy.

Jodi Arias was found guilty of killing her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander back in 2008. The murder shocked and confused the public. How could this beautiful, intelligent, well-spoken woman brutally stab her ex-boyfriend multiple times before shooting him with a .25 calibre handgun? Was Jodie Arias a sex-crazed stalker with murderous intent? Or was Jodie the victim of abuse at the hands of a controlling boyfriend? Her friends set the record straight.

More than 7 years after acquittal, Casey Anthony's friends speak out. They recall interviews with police and the media circus around her trial. It includes a childhood friend who was rumoured to be Caylee's father; a tattoo artist who inscribed 'Bella Vita' on Casey's shoulder, 2 weeks after her daughter went missing; a friend who recalls being besieged by reporters after the story broke and a former roommate who makes a heart-wrenching visit to the site where Caylee's body was found. It also features members of the prosecution and defense teams. They describe their strategies in a case that had all of America transfixed. Did presenting a bombshell theory involving Casey's father create reasonable doubt amongst the jury? How did prosecutors lose a case considered a 'slam dunk'? Audiences will witness chilling audio and video recordings from Casey, her parents and her friends during the weeks and months following Caylee's disappearance.

The relationship between Don Lewis and Carole Baskin was Shakespearian from the start, a chance high-stakes encounter led to a whirlwind affair ending in them divorcing their previous spouses to be together. Then, they bought a wildlife reserve to feed Carole's love of animals and Don's desire for a diverse business portfolio. But not all was peaceful in paradise. Things came to a head when Don abruptly disappeared on his way to one of his frequent trips to Costa Rica. Their larger-than-life love story became a salacious drama with huge media attention and accusations pointing back to Carole, some claiming she may have even fed him to tigers to get rid of him. The real question is: will we ever know what really happened to Don Lewis, and if Carole Baskin had anything to do with it?

Bobbi Kristina Brown was born into a life of glitz, glamour, celebrity status, and all the substance abuse issues that can come along with it. Exposed at an early age to 'living life in the fast lane,' she was put on a fast track to becoming famous in her own right, while experiencing the negatives right along with it. After her mother Whitney Houston was found to have overdosed in a bathtub, her mental health declined and never quite recovered, instead turning to drugs, alcohol, and her long-time platonic friend turned fiancé, Nick Gordon. When Bobbi Kristina followed in the macabre footsteps of her mother and was also found to have overdosed in a bathtub, friends and family turned to Nick to blame. In a sick twist of fate, within a matter of years Bobbi Kristina was dead and Nick killed himself out of guilt. The real question is: who is really to blame for this tragic string of deaths?

R. Kelly grew up from a poor, broken home where he claims he was abused by multiple female family members and experienced extensive trauma before dropping out of high school. Music was a high point in his life and helped him sky-rocket to fame, bringing R&B music to mainstream audiences. Rumours soon began to swirl about his behaviour towards underage girls he was mentoring, and over time those rumours began to gain traction with various corroborating accounts to back them up. Accused of various underage sexual offences and operating a sex cult, R. Kelly was finally charged in 2019 and convicted of all nine counts in 2021, he is currently awaiting sentencing. The real question is: who really is R. Kelly?

From the outside looking in, the relationship between Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka was picture-perfect - a beautiful young couple with their whole lives ahead of them. Behind closed doors was another story. Paul, a budding psychopath who already had a string of serial rapes under his belt; Karla, deranged and eager to offer up her younger sister and other young women to be raped and murdered. Adding to the distressing nature of their crimes is their twisted obsession with filming and re-enacting them. These tapes were ultimately their downfall, with speculation that Karla received a lenient sentence for providing information about Paul. The real question is: who was the ring leader in these horrendous events, and why?

Scott Peterson met Laci while frequenting a local diner, and it was love at first sight. But their storybook love story quickly wilted behind the scenes with Scott's multiple affairs, none of which Laci knew about. Scott gave up his pro-golf career and the life he had dreamed of to move with Laci to the suburbs and start an 'American Dream' family. But for him, the dream was more of a nightmare. Things became too much to bear when Laci announced she was pregnant, and before giving birth both she and her unborn son were found dead on the shores near Modesto. All signs immediately pointed to Scott who was convicted and sentenced to death, and is now serving life in prison despite his continuous pleas of innocence. The real question is: who is Scott Peterson - innocent man behind bars, or lying murderous psychopath?

From birth Ethan Couch was raised in a bubble of wealth, privilege, and lack-of-consequences. He was taught that money can buy you anything, and there's no reason to be accountable for your actions. His teenage rebellious behaviour escalated out of control in a series of incidents crescendo-ing in the deaths of 4 people and severe injuries of 9 more. During his trial and sentencing a radical defense of 'affluenza' was presented and became a self-fulfilling prophecy: many believe Ethan received a lenient sentence because he had been sheltered by wealth his whole life (losing his sense of consequences and morals). Over the following years he became a repeat offender, always slipping out of any true justice when caught. His behaviour continues to this day. The real question: what really drove Ethan to do the things he did?

1980s Los Angeles brought a string of serial murders that should've been splashed across the front pages of every newspaper and been at the top of mind for every LAPD officer, but weren't. Many suspect the race and occupation of these women were the reason the LAPD turned a blind eye, and was also exactly the reason their killer targeted them. When one of the Southside Slayer's victims survives, the killings stop and the case goes cold for several decades until he begins to strike again. An expose revealing decades of racism and discrimination within the LAPD finally puts enough pressure on the case, and with the help of familial DNA an arrest is finally made, along with a shocking discovery that the actual body count for this monster may be much larger. The real question is: at the core of this story, what truly allowed the Grim Sleeper to get away with it for so long, and how many secrets did he take to his grave?

Michelle Carter and Conrad Roy met during a chance encounter while on vacation, but immediately connected through their struggles with mental health. Over time Conrad's wellbeing declined and, instead of pushing him to get help, Michelle ultimately began helping him prepare for his own suicide. When the designated day arrived and Conrad began having second thoughts, Michelle put the pressure on for him to go through with it, and he did. The motivation behind Michelle's actions comes into question both ethically and legally - was she trying to help, or was she leveraging Conrad's illness to get attention and sympathy for herself? Though the courts sentenced her, many believe it was a lenient punishment that lacked the full weight many think she should've felt. The real question is: were Michelle's true intentions to help Conrad, or help herself at whatever cost?