Henry Lee Lucas confessed to over 600 murders and drew detailed sketches of his victims – making him America’s most prolific serial killer.
One problem: most of these murders never happened.
Why’d the police buy it?
It’s like “The Silence of the Lambs” meets “The Imposter” (speaking of “The Imposter”, if you like docs about false (or mistaken) identity, check out my list of “Documentaries Like Three Identical Strangers” (I’m up to 12 of them now!).
Trailer for “The Confession Killer”
Watch “The Confession Killer”
You can watch “The Confession Killer” on Netflix at https://www.netflix.com/title/80213588
Ratings:
- My Rating: 93/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 91/100 (Users); /100 (Critics)
Release Date: December 6, 2019
My Review of “The Confession Killer”
The Setup
“The Confession Killer” is the bizarre Netflix miniseries directed by Robert Kenner (known for “Food, Inc.” and 5 episodes of American Experience) and Taki Oldham (“Billionaires’ Tea Party and “(Astro) Turf Wars”.
This five-episode doc (total runtime about 245 minutes) investigates the strange and unsettling case of Henry Lee Lucas.
This is a man who confessed to hundreds of murders in the 1980s.
But as the series unravels, so does Lucas’s credibility—and the actions of law enforcement who took his claims at face value.
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
- Lucas confessed to over 600 murders, calling himself one of history’s worst serial killers.
- Police came from all over to solve old cases with Lucas’s help, often without checking if his stories made sense.
- Lucas got VIP treatment while confessing: steak dinners, plane rides, and special attention from law enforcement.
- Some of the murders he confessed to happened when he was hundreds of miles away.
- A Texas prosecutor claimed Lucas was the “most prolific serial killer ever” without solid proof.
More Highlights from the Doc
- The Lucas Task Force: A group of Texas lawmen believed Lucas and used him to “solve” cold cases. They sometimes fed him details during interrogations to get the answers they wanted.
- Ottis Toole: Lucas said he killed many people with his partner Ottis Toole. Their relationship and crimes added another creepy layer to the story.
- Unfair Convictions: Lucas’s confessions led to convictions for crimes he likely didn’t commit. This robbed real victims and their families of justice.
- The Spotlight: Lucas loved attention. Even when he gave different details about the same crimes, police often believed him anyway.
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- Lucas’s IQ was 87, and he had a history of mental illness. This made him easy to manipulate.
- DNA tests later cleared Lucas of some murders, proving he had lied.
- Some lawmen didn’t trust Lucas’s story. Reporter Hugh Aynesworth and Texas Ranger Phil Ryan worked hard to reveal the truth.
- The case showed big problems in the justice system, like how some officers rushed to close cases instead of looking for real evidence.
Wrap Up
I don’t know what to call “The Confession Killer”. Is it true-crime? Is it serial killer?
I guess that’s what’s unique.
It shows how one man’s lies and a broken system mess with how justice is served.
Thanks for reading!
Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac, Daily Doc