5 horrifying true crime stories Menendez & Dahmer creators should do next

Since there’s no sign of Ryan Murphy and Netflix slowing down on their true crime craze, there are a few infamous cases they may as well get around to covering next.

Ryan Murphy’s true crime empire isn’t what it used to be. Starting strong with the likes of The People v. O. J. Simpson and The Assassination of Gianni Versace, Murphy dove into the criminal world, exploring new perspectives with an unexpected energy.

Sadly, shock factor has become the name of the game with this particular brand of drama. Monster Season 2 has been a magnet for criticism, and it’s been announced that Murphy’s Monster Season 3 will cover the heinous crimes of Ed Gein, which is just more evidence that Netflix doesn’t know what they’re doing when it comes to true crime. 

With that in mind, knowing what we know about Murphy’s incredibly specific and drama-prone approach to the genre, here are the five true crime cases we think have a chance of actually being a good fit. (Warning: disturbing content ahead.) 

The Black Dahlia

If you’re thinking that Ryan Murphy already did a Black Dahlia series, you’d only be half wrong. The creator covered the subject briefly in American Horror Story Season 1, turning the sad story of Elizabeth Short into a sexualized ghostly side plot. Since he’s already dipped his toes into that particular case, it makes sense to go back and say everything he didn’t get around to saying in AHS.

The Black Dahlia case has become one of the most infamous true crime cases of all time, thanks to its shocking nature and the fact it’s never been solved. 

On the morning of January 15, 1947, the body of Elizabeth Short was found severely mutilated in Leimert Park, Los Angeles. The details of her horrific mutilation are the stuff of nightmares, and the distressing case was made all the more horrid by the fact that Elizabeth’s killer was never found. 

So, why should the Murphy-Netflix true crime conglomerate cover this particular case? Well, there’s the ‘40s LA setting, the sense of mystery and scandal in post-war Hollywood, and a gripping case that baffled police for years. A well-considered murder mystery with a bleak outcome sounds ripe for potential and suits Murphy’s vision.

Natalie Wood

HBO

While the Black Dahlia murder touches on that Hollywood landscape, the death of Natalie Wood would most certainly appeal to Murphy’s proclivity for drama. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s covered subjects in this era (see Hollywood and his Feud anthology), but it could just serve as his most intriguing case of all – and one that, for many, is relatively untouched.

In 1981, Natalie Wood died on a weekend boat trip, accompanied by her husband, Robert Wagner, and Christopher Walken. Although her death was initially ruled as an accident, with many believing she had simply fallen from the boat in the night, many factors raise suspicion. 

Perhaps the darkest and most surprising piece of evidence was that Wood had a well-documented and deep fear of water. What’s more, witness accounts suggest that she and Wagner had argued that evening. All this has led many to question what really happened.

A Hollywood starlet with a complicated past and dwindling stardom? A weekend away with multiple accounts and differing takes on what happened? A death in which the details don’t quite add up? This has Murphy written all over it. 

JonBenét Ramsey

CBS

The JonBenét Ramsey case has been covered by most media forms: video essays, documentaries, and soon, a Paramount+ drama. But this might be one of the few instances where Murphy’s signature style could actually serve as a benefit to telling this particular story.

JonBenét Ramsey was a six-year-old girl who was found dead in her home on December 29, 1996. Her body was discovered in the basement of the Ramsey family mansion, and it was determined that she had been killed by strangulation and a skull fracture. Her death shocked the nation, but the case became infamous due to the strange circumstances around Ramsey and her family.

A child pageant star, a wealthy family, and a suspicious ransom note…from beginning to end, nothing about JonBenét Ramsey’s murder made sense, and the world has since been obsessed with uncovering what really happened to her. A truth which, sadly, we may never know.

With the circumstances of the Ramsey case being set amid the strange and dazzling world of child pageantry, taking place in the home of a wealthy family during Christmastime, few stories have as disturbing an atmosphere. Murphy’s signature style of glamor and luxury would help convey the seemingly untouchable and fundamentally strange nature of the Ramsey home.

John List

TLC

Too often, true crime dramas are reserved for the most vile of serial killers. And if there’s one thing Ryan Murphy loves to do, it’s put the epitome of evil on screen (and he’ll probably cast some good-looking actors to do it, too.) 

But in order to keep the genre alive and to prove that there’s more to it than Ted Bundy and the like, it would be worth the effort to turn attention to some lesser-known but equally shocking cases, like the List family murders.

On November 9, 1971, John List murdered his wife, mother, two sons, and daughter in their home in Westfield, New Jersey using a handgun. After leaving their bodies in the house, List went on the run for 17 years, assuming a new identity and life until he was eventually found and arrested. 

The details of the case are upsetting and haunting. Although the case was notorious at the time, it’s since become clouded by more famous cases. But it’s undoubtedly one of the most diabolical instances of family annihilation, and the case contains a multitude of twists and ghastly imagery. 

The manhunt element of the case is something Murphy has touched on before in The Assassination of Gianni Versace, and John List’s crime and run from the law similarly verges on the line of unbelievable in nature. 

If Murphy can learn to step away from the lashings of blood and gore (though there would be plenty to be found here) and focus on the post-spree elements of cases like these, he’d be able to tap into a whole other level of true crime dramatization. 

Chicago Tylenol Murders

History Channel

One of the best things Ryan Murphy ever did was adapt the O. J. Simpson murder trial. The trial and media frenzy itself is undoubtedly fascinating, but where Murphy succeeded was in examining the case from a multitude of perspectives. 

From the defense team to the prosecution, to those caught in the crossfire, the first season of American Crime Story gave us true crime through the eyes of several well-rounded characters, and the case of the Chicago Tylenol Murders is primed for the same treatment.

Between September 28-29 1982 in the Chicago metropolitan area, at least seven people were killed as a result of tampered Tylenol capsules. The victims, who ranged from 12 to 32 years old, were going about their lives and would have taken a Tylenol due to headaches or other mild ailments, only to quickly collapse and die shortly after consuming them. 

What had happened is one of the most notorious cases of mass poisoning ever recorded: someone had secretly tainted the capsules with cyanide. 

To this day, the attacker has never been caught. But it’s thanks to the effort of medical officials that the seemingly unrelated deaths were connected, and a mass shutdown came into place. The scale of the Chicago Tylenol Murders might appear small on paper, but the impact it had on the manufacturing and distribution of medicine cannot be understated. 

It’s a case that changed the way the world worked, even if just a little. The two-day attack ought to be explored in detail, through the different perspectives and experiences of those who were affected. 

Even after the case, the ripple effect of the poisonings continued to grow, giving it potential to be one of the more investigative Ryan Murphy-Netflix collabs that takes him away from his gorehound sensibilities. 

For more, take a look at the disturbing details you need to know about the Menendez case. You can also take a look at the 10 movies and TV shows you should watch after Baby Reindeer, and find out more about Netflix’s Mr. McMahon documentary.