The Octopus Murders: Does Inslaw still exist?

Netflix’s recent true crime documentary, American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders, starts off with a case involving software company INSLAW – but does it still exist? Here’s everything you need to know. 

Directed by Zachary Treitz, American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders is a fascinating new true crime docu-series from Netflix. As per the official synopsis: “When journalist Danny Casolaro was found dead in a hotel bathtub, police ruled it a suicide. But his family and colleagues believe he may have been murdered for investigating a conspiracy he called ‘The Octopus’ – a hidden organization connected to stolen government spy software, a string of unsolved murders, and some of the biggest political scandals of the 20th century. 

“Years later, researcher Christian Hansen pushes to uncover the secrets behind Casolaro’s death, and the story that killed him. From Stardust Frames, Duplass Brothers Productions, and director Zachary Treitz – this four-part docuseries untangles a mystery decades in the making.”

Amid the release of the docuseries, numerous questions are circulating, including the status of the company that kickstarted the investigation, INSLAW. Here’s what we know. 

The Octopus Murders: Does Inslaw still exist?

INSLAW, the tech company known for developing case management software PROMIS, still appears to exist. Founder William “Bill” Hamilton is listed on LinkedIn as the President of INSLAW, Inc, while a rudimentary website for the company is still present online. 

The site’s about section reads: “INSLAW has been the leading vendor of case management software products in the United States for over 42 years. INSLAW’s case management software is currently licensed to customers in the public and private sectors of the United States, Europe, and the Pacific Rim.”

Netflix

Its customers include “courts and prosecution agencies, law enforcement and correctional agencies, corporate and government law departments, claims litigation offices, and special investigation units of large property and casualty insurance companies.”

Hamilton is listed as the key contact on the website too, while the company is said to be located in Potomac, Maryland.

INSLAW became the catalyst for journalist Danny Casolaro’s investigation into a multi-tentacled conspiracy theory he named “The Octopus,” having first discovered it while reporting for trade magazine Computer Age on an ongoing dispute between the Department of Justice and Hamiton. 

As is explored in the opening episode of American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders, INSLAW developed the software PROMIS (Prosecutors Management Information System) in the 1970s and ‘80s, initially designed to manage caseloads for prosecutors. 

PROMIS offered features such as case tracking, scheduling, document management, and data analysis. It evolved into a highly sophisticated and customizable database system used by various government agencies, including law enforcement and intelligence organizations.

However, PROMIS became controversial due to an ongoing case that started in 1982, when the Justice Department awarded a $10 million contract to INSLAW to install the case management software in US Attorneys’ offices around the country. 

Hamilton later claimed that the DOJ withheld their rightful payments. There were also allegations that INSLAW’s software was unlawfully modified by intelligence agencies to include backdoors for espionage purposes, leading to legal battles and congressional investigations in the 1980s and ‘90s.

In 1985, INSLAW filed for bankruptcy, with a federal bankruptcy judge ruling in favor of the company and stating the Justice Department “took, converted, stole” PROMIS through “fraud, trickery and deceit.” However, the ruling and multi-million-dollar reward were later overturned on appeal. 

But this case is just the tip of the iceberg, with Netflix’s Tudum stating that when Casolaro started digging, “no one could have predicted that a report on an ongoing dispute between the Department of Justice and Bill Hamilton would lead him to the hidden underbelly of some of the shadiest stories of the 1980s.”

Whistleblower Michael Riconosciuto, who appears in American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders, has ties to the case, having provided an affidavit testifying that he’d been told to reprogram INSLAW’s software in order to spy on overseas governments.

The streamer goes on to state that Riconosciuto claimed to have knowledge of “countless clandestine government operations,” which he shared with Casolaro and, decades later, photojournalist Christian Hansen – who picked up the case following Casolaro’s death. 

In 1991, shortly after providing the affidavit, Riconosciuto was arrested on drug charges, which he denied. “Though he quickly returns to prison, Riconosciuto is eventually released, and the documentary shows that he continues to provide Hansen with cryptic tips and tantalizing information,” adds Netflix. 

American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders is available to stream on Netflix now. If you’re looking for something fresh to watch, check out the new true crime and documentaries coming to streaming soon. You can also find out what movies you should be streaming in March, as well as what TV shows to add to your watch list.