 |
| Infamous Murders | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 51 |
| Original release | |
| Network | The History Channel |
| Release | 2001 – 2004 |
Infamous Murders was a documentary television series shown on The History Channel in the U.S. and the U.K. The U.S. edition was narrated by Don Peoples. In the U.K. edition the narrator is uncredited.
The 51 episodes of the series were produced by Nugus/Martin Productions Ltd. in 2001. The show was aired on The History Channel in both the U.K. and U.S. In the U.S. the show was included as part of the 154-episode run of History's Mysteries. During the hour long show, two episodes of Infamous Murders were presented together.
Each episode was thirty minutes long. Three crimes that share a common theme such as motive, means, or victims are given ten minutes of time apiece. The series concentrated on notorious murders carried out during the 20th century. In the beginning of each show a particularly infamous crime would be examined as an example. The words “Infamous Murders now examines…” would follow and the other three murders would be presented.
The series relied on historical documents for visuals rather than reenactments. Dramatic music was used to heighten the narration along with rostrum shots of photographs, and vintage television/film footage.
Reruns of the show could be seen on The History Channel, the Crime & Investigation Network, Biography Channel, and History International. After History International became H2 in 2011, the rights to the series were discontinued.
A 17 disc DVD version of the series was released in the U.K. as Ultimate Crimes: The World’s Most Infamous Murders by Odeon Entertainment in 2002. Each disc contains three episodes.
Narrator (U.S.): Don Peoples
Music: De Wolfe Music
Music Advisor: Alan Howe
Production Facilities: Barnes Trust Television
On-line Editor: Joe Turner
editor: Crispin Julian
Rostrum: Frameline
Research Director: George Marshall
Script Writer: Nicolas Wright
Line Producer: Ron Glenister
Producer/Director: Jonathan Martin
Executive Producer: Philip Nugus
Produced by Nugus/Martin Productions Ltd.
Angels of Death (2001) Nurses sometimes kill: Donald Harvey, Orville Lynn Majors, Beverly Allitt
Bizarre Murders (2001) Young Ronald DeFeo shoots his family; mountain-gorilla researcher Dian Fossey is hacked to death; Italian banker is found hanging from a bridge.
The Cannibals (2001) Several killers, both real and fictional, consume their victims: Jeffrey Dahmer, Andrei Chikatilo, Ed Gein
Celebrity Murder (2001) Sometimes famous people also get killed: Sharon Tate; Gianni Versace; Joe Orton.
Crimes of Prejudice (2001) Deaths of civil-rights workers; political and ethnic killings; murders of gay men.
Cult Killings (2001) Cult leaders exert huge power over members, sometimes causing them to kill or to commit suicide: Jonestown massacre, The Order of the Solar Temple, Aleph (formerly Aum Shinrikyo).
Deadly Doctors (2001) A doctor convicted of killing her daughter-in-law may be innocent; a doctor gets away with the murders of 132 patients; a British doctor may have killed as many as 1,000 female patients.
Deadly Kidnappings (2001) Although kidnapping is relatively rare, it can easily can turn to murder: Charley Ross, Lindbergh kidnapping, murder of Muriel McKay, kidnapping and murder of Lesley Whittle
Deadly Ladies (2001) Women sometimes kill: Madame Fahmy, Ma Barker, Velma Barfield, Karla Faye Tucker.
Death in the Country (2001) Even America's heartland is not immune to violent crime: Billy Cook, Gaston Dominici, Ángel Maturino Reséndiz.
Evading Justice (2001) Several serial killers evade punishment: Green River Killer, Zodiac Killer, New York Zodiac Killer and Jack the Stripper.
Evidence of Murder (2001) Crucial evidence sometimes brings killers to justice years later: Browne and Kennedy, James Hanratty, John List, Brian Donald Hume.
Final Justice (2001) Criminals who received the capital punishment: Robert Alton Harris, Gary Gilmore, Steven Timothy Judy.
From Coast to Coast (2001) Traveling murderers roam the country or the world in search of victims: John Eric Armstrong, Ted Bundy, Christopher Wilder.
Gangland Murders (2001) Prohibition-era gangsters Al Capone and Lucky Luciano fight for supremacy; bank robber John Dillinger becomes public enemy number one.
Hollywood Murders (2001) A suicide note accompanies the death of a movie producer; in 1935 a screen idol becomes an apparent suicide; in 1958 a teenage daughter is charged with the murder of an actress's boyfriend.
Horror on the Highways (2001) The anonymity of the highway and the speed of its traffic make it an ideal dumping ground for murderers. Henry Lee Lucas, William Bonin, Joseph Paul Franklin
Inheritance Killers (2001) Money can be the motive for murder: Steven Benson, Jeremy Bamber, Lyle and Erik Menendez.
Intent on Murder (2001) Some killers choose their victims by type: Belle Gunness, John Wayne Gacy, Gary Heidnik, Kenneth Erskine.
Killing for Pleasure (2001) Neville Heath, the Hillside Strangler, and the Coed Killer.
Killing for Thrills (2001) Some killers transform their homes into chambers of horror: Leonard Lake and Charles Ng, Fred and Rose West, Thomas Neill Cream
Lady Killers (2001) Serial killers John Christie, Richard Speck, and William Heirens.
Mass Murderers (2001) Rampage killings: Fritz Haarmann, Hungerford massacre, Charles Whitman, Dean Corll
Model Murders (2001) Many young women's dreams of an easy and glamorous modeling career are cut short. Judy Ann Dull, Vicki Morgan, Linda Sobek.
Murder at the Top (2001) Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma; Ernst Röhm; Bishop Juan Conendra Geradi.
Murder by Decree (2001) Murder is sometimes used to silence people who threaten the system: Martin Luther King, Georgi Markov, Joseph Yablonski.
Murder for Hire (2001) Hit-men are paid to kill: Judge Peel, Mother Duncan, Carlos the Jackal.
Murder for Profit (2001) Some kill to satisfy their greed: Dorothea Puente, Michael X, John George Haigh.
Murder in Cold Blood (2001) Some murderers kill for no apparent reason: Juan Corona, Dennis Nilsen, Wayne Williams.
Murder in High Office (2001) Anwar Sadat; Yitzhak Rabin, Hendrik Vewoerd.
Murdered on Duty (2001) When a colleague dies in the line of duty, police officers work tirelessly to catch the killer: Katherine Ann Power, Guenther Podola, Roberts, Whitney & Duddy.
Murdering Conmen (2001) Conmen worm their way into victims' lives and kill them for their cash: Donald Merrett, Roy Fontaine, Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck.
New York Mafia Murders (2001) The struggle for mob leadership leads to an endless cycle of murder and blood feuds: Frank Costello, Joe Gallo and Larry Gallo.
Poisoned to Death (2001) Poisoners leave clear trails for police to follow.: Mary Ann Cotton, Herbert Armstrong, Graham Young, Judy Buenuano.
The Poisoners (2001) Doctors abuse their positions of trust to administer poison to their victims: Harvey Crippen, Carl Coppolino, Arthur Waite.
Political Assassinations (2001) Politics can be a deadly business: Mahatma Gandhi, Robert F. Kennedy, Aldo Moro
Political Killings (2001) Malcolm X; Sacco and Vanzetti; Harvey Milk and George Moscone.
Premeditated Murder (2001) Some killers plan their actions to the very last detail: Ruth Snyder, Mark David Chapman, Leopold and Loeb.
A Question of Doubt (2001) The disappearance of Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa; a man accused of the 1919 murder of a young Englishwoman is acquitted; a doctor stands trial for the 1954 murder of his wife.
Red Light Murders (2001) The life of a prostitute can be brutal and short: Murder of Robin Benedict, Robert Lee Yates, Richard Cottingham.
Royal Murders (2001) Saudi Arabia's King Faisal; Czar Nicholas II; the 2001 death of the king and queen of Nepal.
Savage Surgeons (2001) Surgeons use their expertise to hide their crimes: H. H. Holmes, Buck Ruxton, Jeffrey R. MacDonald, Marcel Petiot.
Society Murders (2001) Influential friends and expensive lawyers sometimes allow the wealthy to get away with murder: Jock Delves Broughton, William Woodward, Lord Lucan, Harry Oakes.
Somebody Killed the President! (2001) U.S. presidential assassinations: James Garfield, William McKinley, John F. Kennedy.
Spree Killings (2001) Two young couples become serial killers; a misfit crosses America and murders at least 20 people: Bonnie and Clyde, Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate, Paul John Knowles
Stalking the Innocent (2001) Some killers select their victims randomly: David Berkowitz, Gerald and Charlene Gallego, Peter Manuel.
Streets of Fear (2001) Axeman of New Orleans, Peter Sutcliffe, Joel Rifkin, Arthur Shawcross.
Terrorizing the Cities (2001) The Boston Strangler, Richard Ramirez and Patrick Kearney.
Trapped by Forensics (2001) Genetic fingerprinting: Frederick Seddon, John Duffy and David Mulcahy, Timothy Wilson Spencer, David Lashley.
The Trunk Murders (2001) Many murderers find that a large trunk is just the right size to hold a human corpse: Ira Einhorn, Tony Mancini, John Robinson.
Victims of Jealousy (2001) Jealousy and obsession can turn violent: Murder of William Terriss, Jean Harris, Murder of Dorothy Stratten, Ruth Ellis.
Women Who Kill (2001) Love triangle; female terrorist; female serial-killer.
A serial killer is a person who murders three or more people, with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separate events. Their psychological gratification is the motivation for the killings, and many serial murders involve sexual contact with the victims at different points during the murder process. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) states that the motives of serial killers can include anger, thrill-seeking, financial gain, and attention seeking, and killings may be executed as such. The victims tend to have things in common, such as demographic profile, appearance, gender, or race. As a group, serial killers suffer from a variety of personality disorders. Most are often not adjudicated as insane under the law. Although a serial killer is a distinct classification that differs from that of a mass murderer, spree killer, or contract killer, there are overlaps between them.
Harold Frederick Shipman, known to acquaintances as Fred Shipman, was an English doctor in general practice and serial killer. He is considered to be one of the most prolific serial killers in modern history, with an estimated 284 victims over a period of roughly 30 years. On 31 January 2000, Shipman was convicted of murdering fifteen patients under his care. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order. Shipman hanged himself in his cell at HM Prison Wakefield, West Yorkshire, on 13 January 2004, on the day before his 58th birthday.
Pedicide, child murder, child manslaughter, or child homicide is the homicide of an individual who is a minor. In many legal jurisdictions it is considered an aggravated form of homicide. The age of the victim may constitute an aggravated factor for homicide offenses, or child murder may be a stand-alone criminal offense.
Cary Anthony Stayner is an American serial killer and the older brother of kidnapping victim Steven Stayner. He worked as a mechanic in Mariposa County, California, and murdered four women between February and July 1999, dumping their bodies near Yosemite National Park, leading to him being dubbed the Yosemite Park Killer or simply the Yosemite Killer. Stayner was found guilty and received the death penalty in 2002. He is currently awaiting execution at San Quentin State Prison.
Forensic Investigators: Australia's True Crimes is an Australian television show hosted by Lisa McCune which aired on the Seven Network. It aired for three seasons from 2004 to 2006.
Adolfo de Jesús Constanzo was a Cuban-American serial killer, drug dealer and cult leader who led an infamous drug-trafficking and occult gang in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, that was dubbed the Narcosatanists by the media. His cult members nicknamed him The Godfather. Constanzo led the cult with Sara Aldrete, whom followers nicknamed "The Godmother". The cult was involved in multiple ritualistic killings in Matamoros, including the murder of Mark Kilroy, an American student abducted, tortured and killed in the area in 1989.
Robert Christian Boes Hansen, popularly known as the Butcher Baker, was an American serial killer active in Anchorage, Alaska, between 1972 and 1983. Hansen abducted, raped and murdered at least seventeen women. Many of the women abducted were released by Hansen into the wilderness and hunted with a Ruger Mini-14 and hunting knives. Hansen was captured in 1983 and sentenced to 461 years' imprisonment without the possibility of parole. He died in 2014 of natural causes at age 75.
Beverley Gail Allitt is an English serial killer who was convicted of murdering four infants, attempting to murder three others, and causing grievous bodily harm to a further six at Grantham and Kesteven Hospital, Lincolnshire, between February and April 1991. She committed the murders as a State Enrolled Nurse on the hospital's children's ward.
Autopsy is a television series of HBO's America Undercover documentary series. Dr. Michael Baden, a real-life forensic pathologist, is the primary analyst, and has been personally involved in many of the cases that are reviewed.
Donald Henry "Pee Wee" Gaskins Jr. was an American serial killer and rapist from South Carolina who stabbed, shot, drowned, and poisoned more than a dozen people. Before his convictions for murder, Gaskins had a long history of criminal activities resulting in prison sentences for assault, burglary, and statutory rape. His last arrest was for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, 13-year-old Kim Gehlken, who had gone missing in September 1975. During their search for the missing girl, police discovered eight bodies buried in shallow graves near Gaskins' home in Prospect, South Carolina.
Debra Charlotte Morgan is a fictional character created by Jeff Lindsay for his Dexter book series. She also appears in the television series, based on Lindsay's books, portrayed by Jennifer Carpenter. In Lindsay's novels, she first appeared in Darkly Dreaming Dexter and was featured in every novel in the series. Debra is the sister of the series' antihero protagonist Dexter Morgan.
Dexter Morgan, also known by the in-universe moniker The Bay Harbor Butcher, is a fictional character introduced as the antihero protagonist of the Dexter book series written by Jeff Lindsay, as well as the television series of the same name. In the television series, Dexter is portrayed by Michael C. Hall.
An angel of mercy or angel of death is a type of criminal offender who is usually employed as a medical practitioner or a caregiver and intentionally harms or kills people under their care. The angel of mercy is often in a position of power and may decide the victim would be better off if they no longer suffered from whatever severe illness is plaguing them. This person then uses their knowledge to kill the victim. In some cases, as time goes on, this behavior escalates to encompass the healthy and the easily treated.
Donald Harvey was an American serial killer who claimed to have murdered 87 people, though he has 37 confirmed victims. He was able to do this during his time as a hospital orderly. His spree took place between 1970 and 1987.
Internet homicide, also called internet assassination, refers to killing in which victim and perpetrator met online, in some cases having known each other previously only through the Internet. Also Internet killer is an appellation found in media reports for a person who broadcasts the crime of murder online or who murders a victim met through the Internet. Depending on the venue used, other terms used in the media are Internet chat room killer, Craigslist killer, Facebook serial killer. Internet homicide can also be part of an Internet suicide pact or consensual homicide. Some commentators believe that reports on these homicides have overemphasized their connection to the Internet.
Crime Investigation Australia is an Australian true-crime series that first premiered on pay TV Foxtel's Crime & Investigation Network in August 2005. The series was also rebroadcast on the free to air Nine Network, and made its debut there on 14 August 2007. The original host of the series was Steve Liebmann and is currently on Channel 7 with host Matt Doran.
Arthur Mitchell, often referred to as the "Trinity Killer," is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the fourth season of the Showtime TV series Dexter. Mitchell is a serial killer who presents himself as an unassuming church deacon and family man. FBI agent Frank Lundy dubs him the "Trinity Killer" because of a recurring pattern of three killings based on traumatic events during Arthur's childhood. In the series, Mitchell is portrayed by John Lithgow.