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The Best True Crime Documentaries to Stream on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video This October

Prepare yourself...

true crime documentaries netflix hulu amazon october 2020 The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo
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  • Photo Credit: Netflix

Looking for some chilling true crime to watch this October? We've searched Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video for the very best true crime documentaries and docu-series streaming this month. 

Including both new series and films, like Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries: Volume 2 and Amazon Prime Video's Time, as well as lesser-known investigations from the past, this month has many complex and captivating cases waiting to be watched.

Check out the list below for the best true crime documentaries to stream this October.

Related: 19+ True Crime Podcasts to Fuel Your Inner Sleuth 

Netflix

Unsolved Mysteries: Volume 2 (2020)

True Crime Documentaries July 2020 Unsolved Mysteries Netflix
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Revisiting elusive cases from the past,Unsolved Mysteries looks into real-life mysteries that have yet to be put to rest. The first volume of Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries was packed with a range of gripping cases from complex disappearances to supernatural occurrences. The much-anticipated second volume, coming to Netflix October 19, promises to deliver even more mind-racing cases.

Related: 11 Chilling Shows to Watch After You’ve Binged Every Episode of Unsolved Mysteries 

The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo (2020)

The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo true crime documentaries netflix hulu amazon october 2020
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After the gruesome 2008 murder of her 16-year-old daughter Rubi Frayre, Marisela Escobedo Ortiz vowed to see justice served. However, after locating her daughter's killer, the Mexican justice system failed to hold the suspect accountable. Refusing to back down, Marisela continued her unrelenting fight. This documentary chronicles Marisela's heartbreaking search for justice in the wake of Rubi's death. 

Abducted in Plain Sight (2017)

true crime documentaries netflix hulu amazon october 2020 abducted in plain sight
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An adolescent girl is abducted by her neighbor—not once, but twice. And while he seems charming on the outside, appearances are not everything. Following the strange and unsettling story of how the same man abducted the teenager multiple times, Abducted in Plain Sight exposes a case from the 1970s that is almost beyond belief. 

Strong Island (2017)

true crime documentaries netflix hulu amazon october 2020 strong island
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Nominated for an Academy award, Strong Island is an essential true crime documentary. In Strong Island, film maker Yance Ford reexamines his brother's murder and the trial that followed, in yet another story of racial injustice in the criminal justice system.  

Evil Genius: the True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist (2018)

true crime documentaries netflix hulu amazon october 2020 evil genius
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In a story you truly must see to believe, a pizza delivery driver is swept up into bank robbery scheme—with disastrous results. But with deadly consequences and a backstory that takes years to unravel, there is much more than meets the eye in the five-part docu-series.

Hulu

Murder Comes Home (2020)

true crime documentaries netflix hulu amazon october 2020 murder comes home
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Bringing together home videos, crime scene investigation footage, and personal narratives, Murder Comes Home tells true crime stories in a powerful and moving manner. Bringing the crimes to life and capturing their impact in a way that resonates, Murder Comes Home chronicles six heart-wrenching crimes.

Twisted Love (2020)

true crime documentaries netflix hulu amazon october 2020 twisted love
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  • Photo Credit: 44 Blue Productions and Investigation Discovery

Diving into disturbing and jaw-dropping crimes, Twisted Love exposes the lengths people will go in the name of "love." Consisting of six episodes, each with a uniquely troubling story, the docu-series sheds light on a bizarre set of cases.

Related: 8 Books About People Who Killed for Love 

Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda (2013)

true crime documentaries netflix hulu amazon october 2020 homicide hunter: lt. joe kenda
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So often focused on the perpetrators, victims, and families, true crime documentaries and docu-series do not always give clear insight into the life and minds of the investigators. But told through the perspective of a 23-year veteran police detective, Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda does just that. With almost 150 episodes in total, Lt. Kenda shares the many memorable and shocking cases from his time as a homicide detective. And with the complete season nine recently added to Hulu, there is a whole new batch of cases to catch up on. 

Killer Unknown (2018)

true crime documentaries netflix hulu amazon october 2020 killer unknown
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Working their way through the cold cases of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Killer Unknown chronicles a special task force's efforts to solve two disturbing crimes: the 1973 murder of Veda Woodson, and the 1998 murder of 16-year-old Dena Ann Dean. 

Related: 29 Unsolved Murders That Will Send Shivers Down Your Spine 

Deadly Legacy (2018)

true crime documentaries netflix hulu amazon october 2020 deadly legacy
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Focused on an infamous case from more than forty years ago, Deadly Legacy seeks to find answers long overdue. 

John Wayne Gacy, known as the "Killer Clown," assaulted and murdered at least 33 boys and young men. Yet a number of Gacy's victims remain unidentified. Delving into these mysterious cases, cold case detective Jason Moran attempts to finally give a name to these individuals.

Related: 9 Little-Known Facts About John Wayne Gacy 

Amazon Prime Video

Time (2020)

true crime documentaries netflix hulu amazon october 2020 time
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Time tells a powerful story of one family's experience with the United States' justice system. The documentary follows Fox Richardson as she fights to free her husband from prison, after he is sentenced to 60 years for a robbery they both committed in a time of hardship. Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, where Garrett Bradley won best director for a US documentary for the film, Time shares moving stories of strength and perseverance. 

Cold Case Files Classic: Season 1 (2002)

true crime documentaries netflix hulu amazon october 2020 cold case files
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Available until October 31, don't miss your last opportunity to watch Cold Case Files Classic: Season 1. Cold Case Files Classic combines new investigations and previously unavailable forensic technologies to try to solve murders. With renewed scrutiny, Cold Case Files Classic tracks down leads and makes breakthrough discoveries. 

Outcry (2020)

true crime documentaries netflix hulu amazon october 2020 outcry
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Note: The full season of this docu-series is available via VOD, but the first episode is free to watch now. In a docu-series where sports and crime converge, Outcry follows the developments of a shocking sexual assault in a small city in Texas. Even more shocking than the sexual assault of a four-year-old boy, was the alleged perpetrator of the crime–Greg Kelley a standout high school football player. The docu-series calls into question the work of the Cedar Park police department that handled the case and looks to uncover what really happened. 

Unsolved: The Story of the Cape Ripper (2014)

cape ripper true crime documentaries netflix hulu amazon october 2020
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From 1992 to 1996, a serial killer stalked the streets of Cape Town, South Africa, targeting sex workers. Twenty-six lives were claimed during the murderer's spree. Drawing on the opinions of expert investigators and eyewitnesses, this short true crime documentary seeks to shed new light on the shocking and brutal case. 

Tessa Beetge: A Life Interrupted (2014)

tessa beetge true crime documentaries netflix hulu amazon october 2020
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This revealing crime drama doc tracks the story of Tessa Beetge, a woman from South Africa and a convicted drug mule who was arrested while trying to smuggle 10kg of cocaine through Sao Paulo airport. At first, the Beetge's apprehension appeared cut and dry. But the plot thickened when it was revealed that Beetge was operating at the behest of the former wife of the State Security Minister.

Featured still from "The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo" via Netflix