Netflix's "The Confession Killer" Examines One of the Most Complicated Cases in History
In the early 1980s, Henry Lee Lucas rose to fame for all the wrong reasons-he confessed to killing not one, not 100, but 600 women.
According to an article by The Daily Beast, the new Netflix docu-series "The Confession Killer" which premieres today, December 6, takes a closer look at the case of the most prolific serial killer in history, or so everyone thought.
According to The Confession Killer directors Robert Kenner and Taki Oldham, the five part miniseries revolves around the Lucas' and highlights the media and law enforcement's intent to sensationalize him. Described as a poor Virginia native with a droopy eye, and few teeth, Lucas was constantly abused as a child by his own mother which later led him to murdering her. He was convicted and upon his release, he was again questioned for slaying both his girlfriend Becky Powell and his 82-year-old landlord Kate Rich.
This was the beginning of a string of events which put Lucas in the pedestal of criminality. He confessed to the crime but what was thought to be an open-and-shut case was dragged further when he mentioned the other 100 women he allegedly killed.
This confession grabbed the attention of the national media which prompted Williamson County Sheriff Jim Boutwell alongside his colleague Bob Prince, to set up a task force to perform interstate investigations based on The Confession Killer's statements. Boutwell became every detective's conduit to Lucas, whom he kept in a Georgetown, Texas jail.
The suspect was allowed to roam freely and often without handcuffs, even drinking strawberry milkshakes procured for him by his wardens and living his life as if he was a free man-questionable for a man suspected of murdering more than 100 women. As the investigation progressed, he continued confessing on other murders he committed until the death toll reached around 600.
The docu-series heavily anchored in Lucas police-confession videos, and TV news reports shows how Lucas' declarations were purely make-believe. With an IQ of 87, Lucas willingly agreed to play the bogeyman he was not, due to the attention given to him by the public.
Later in the series, it is revealed that it was Boutwell, Prince and the rest of the Texas Rangers fed him information about unsolved cases so he could claim them as his doing. Everyone benefitted, except for the victims' families who continue to seek out justice for their murders. Lucas gained a celebrity status in the criminal world, Boutwell and Prince were treated like heroes, and incompetent cops got to close unsolved homicides-all relying to Lucas' confessions.
Although the docu-series revolve around the morbid confessions of Lucas, it also gives a clearer picture on how the law enforcement could take advantage of circumstances to further their ambitions at the expense of grieving families and citizens at large. It emphasizes the reality that some circumstances bring out the worst in people, how the justice system could be manipulated, and how the cops people look up to could actually prioritize their own interests ahead of the public good-all to feed their ego.
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