LIST: True crime offerings involving mothers that are worth a watch
Looking for true crime offerings to watch on streaming platforms?
While the usual suspects are K-drama, fantasy, and other feel-good genres, true crime has also been a hit. There’s that curiosity about the criminal’s motives, the quest for justice, and perhaps the thrill of the incident knowing it happened—and can happen again—in real life.
Since it’s May and Mother’s Day is just around the corner, you might want to consider watching these true crime films involving moms. Whether they’re the victims, the perpetrators, or anything else in between, these would surely deepen the viewer’s maternal relationship.
Sins of Our Mother (Netflix)
Sins of Our Mother is a three-part series about Lori Vallow, a mom who spiraled downward into religious fanaticism and paranoia even as she and her fifth husband, Chad Daybell, stand trial for the murder of their children.
It presents firsthand accounts from those closest to the victims and alleged perpetrators. It also deals with Vallow’s seemingly stable upbringing and a timeline of her adult years.
What Jennifer Did (Netflix)
The movie depicts the murder of Bich Ha Pan and the attempted murder of her husband Huei Hann Pan during a home invasion. Their daughter, the titular Jennifer, was thought to be a victim, too, but was later found to be the one behind everything.
It examines the Pans' story as well as statements from investigators, the family's close friends, neighbors, Jennifer's teachers, and friends.
Shadow of a Doubt — Personal Justice (Prime Video, Apple TV)
In every episode of Personal Justice, a subject details their own story of an unsolved crime.
The fifth one in particular, titled Shadow of a Doubt, revolves around Clarence Elkins who was "wrongfully convicted in the 1998 murder of his mother-in-law." Seven years later, he was exonerated by DNA evidence.
A Life Too Short: The Isabella Nardoni Case (Netflix)
The movie is based on the 2008 murder of five-year-old Isabella de Oliveira Nardoni, who was thrown from the window of the sixth floor of her father and stepmother’s apartment in Brazil.
Isabella eventually died in the hospital, and doctors found she had marks on her neck and forehead, and had signs she may have been strangled.
Her father and stepmother were later convicted for the crime, though maintained that they’re innocent.
Girl in the Picture (Netflix)
The movie is about the mysterious death of a 20-year-old mother due to a supposed car accident. Her much older husband Clarence raises suspicion, while their two-year-old son Michael is placed under foster care.
The mother of the woman, identified as Tonya, was called but said her daughter died as a toddler. Clarence, meanwhile, fights for Michael’s custody, and after a paternity test shows he isn’t the father, he kidnaps Michael and disappears.
Authorities would eventually find that there’s a claim to Tonya’s life insurance by Franklin Floyd, who turns out to be Clarence, a convicted felon.
The Most Hated Man on the Internet (Netflix)
The three-part series is about a mother named Charlotte Laws who’s on a mission to bring down Hunter Moore—a self-proclaimed “professional life ruiner” who posts revenge porn—after he shared her daughter’s nudes on his website Is Anyone Up?, which contains hacked and stolen content.
Charlotte then starts a campaign to bring down the website.
It features interviews, including from Charlotte, Moore’s lawyer and ex-girlfriend, and one of the women on the platform.