Is this true crime YouTube page with millions of views real? AI controversy explained

It’s 2024, meaning there’s fresh AI controversy. This time, it’s related to a viral true crime YouTube page with millions of views. 

In the world of TV and movies, artificial intelligence has become a hot topic. It was one of the reasons for the Hollywood strikes last year, with actors union SAG-AFTRA calling for regulations on its use in entertainment. 

The big issue related to studios’ plans to hire background actors for a day, scan them, and use their digital replicas in future projects – without pay or consent. Though the strike has since been resolved, it’s far from over, with voice actors in the video game industry now taking action. 

But what about true crime? Surely, in an area so concerned with cold hard facts, we wouldn’t need to worry about AI, right? Wrong, apparently. 

Viral true crime YouTube page is completely fake

The YouTube channel True Crime Case Files launched eight months ago, racking up millions of views with its deep dive into “unsolved mysteries, heinous crimes, and chilling investigations”. The only problem? It appears to be completely fake. 

The channel has dozens of videos on true crime cases, each of them mimicking well-known creators in this realm such as JCS and Explore With Us. 

However, rather than shedding light on factual events, each of True Crime Case Files’ videos appear to be AI-generated, including the images of victims, perpetrators, and locations, as well as the scripts and narration. 

No footage is used, instead presenting still images to tell the story. Yet, nowhere on the page does it indicate these cases aren’t real. 

In its bio, it states, “Our channel is your go-to destination for gripping true crime content. Join us on a journey through the darkest corners of criminal history as we analyze cold cases, dissect crime scenes, and uncover the truth behind baffling mysteries. 

“From riveting detective work to shocking revelations, our videos combine engaging storytelling with expert insights. True Crime Case Files promises to be your portal into the thrilling world of real-life criminal investigations.”

So far, the page has amassed more than 83,000 subscribers, with its most popular video – titled ‘Husband’s Secret Gay Love Affair with Step Son Ends in Grisly Murder (True Crime Documentary)’ – earning a whopping 1.8 million views. 

The story centers on Richard Engelbert, said to be “a successful real estate agent from Littleton, Colorado, whose secret gay affair with his stepson, Harrison, led to a brutal murder” in 2014. 

However, there’s no evidence that any of this happened. And it was this video that led to the channel’s exposure, as the Denver Post was reportedly asked why it didn’t cover the case – and that’s when it did its own deep dive. 

As reporter Elizabeth Hernandez explains, the “video’s narration says the case was subject to local and national media attention,” but no evidence of this case can be found on Google, nor on law enforcement officials’ records. 

Eric Ross, media relations director for the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, told the outlet the story appeared to be fake as “none of the names popped up in a search of Colorado’s court records.”

Meanwhile, Sgt. Krista Schmit from the Littleton Police Department said they did not investigate the crime described. 

There are also issues related to the production, with the narrator changing the alleged murder location from the fictitious Bleak Street to Oak Street, as well as the pronunciation of “Engelbert.” 

Are any of the cases real?

As of August 2024, True Crime Case Files has 104 long-form videos, and none of them appear to be based on real cases. 

While this is yet to be officially confirmed, much like the Richard Engelbert case, there’s no evidence online that would suggest any of these crimes took place. 

The video titles are undeniably attention-grabbing – for instance, the latest is ‘Teenage Groom Murdered after Marrying 65-year-old Bridezilla (True Crime Documentary)’. 

According to the description, it centers on 19-year-old Noah Beasley in Sedona, Arizona, whose “life took a tragic turn” after marrying 65-year-old Gertrude Hartford-Beasley.

But a quick search online will come up with no valid sources such as court documents or official news outlets reporting on what is described by the YouTube channel as a “sensational trial.”

Another issue is there are no contact details for True Crime Case Files or any indication of who’s behind it, meaning the only way to interact with the creator is via the comments section. 

AI in true crime is a worrying trend

Even if this page isn’t AI-generated, it wouldn’t be the first time the technology’s usage has come into question in the true crime realm. 

Earlier this year, Netflix docu-series What Jennifer Did was accused of using AI-manipulated images of Jennifer Pan to reflect her life leading up to the murder of her parents. 

More recently, the streaming service’s Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam used digitally altered footage to have Lou Pearlman narrate excerpts from his book from beyond the grave. 

But when it comes to the idea of entirely made-up crimes, it indicates a worrying trend, as the videos have hundreds of comments from viewers who believe the cases to be real. 

In response to the Richard Engelbert deep dive, one wrote, “It’s unconscionable that a mother allowed her child to be abused, but the fact that she’s also a principal is frightening.”

“This wasn’t an affair, it was abuse,” said another, while a third added, “Imagine your son’s life is falling apart and all you care about is your career. What a mess.”

Elaborating on this concerning trend, Casey Fiesler, an associate professor at the University of Colorado Boulder who specializes in technology ethics, told the Denver Post that she’s seen similar AI-generated content to spread false conspiracies. 

“I’m not surprised to see this kind of thing,” she said. “True crime makes a ton of sense as a genre in the same way that conspiracy theories do because people watch this kind of content. The motivation for it is money.”

Fiesler estimated that the channel could have earned tens of thousands of dollars for the Engelbert video alone.

“The way that people believe something just because they see it on the internet is going to be increasingly a problem,” she continued. 

“The thing that generative AI has done is sort of democratize these types of bad actors in the sense that the more people who are able to create this kind of content, the more of it we will see.”

For more AI scandals, read about Lionsgate’s Megalopolis trailer drama, the Late Night with the Devil backlash, and the creepy detail in True Detective Season 4.

If it’s (real) true crime you’re after, take a look at what happened to Worst Ex Ever’s Justine Siemens, where Mei Li and Rosa Hill are now, and the disturbing details to know about American Murder: Laci Peterson.