American Monster

When Christie meets Marcus in high school, they think they’ve found love’s young dream. As the relationship becomes rocky, Christie begins to fear Marcus’s violent tendencies. Little does she know, all her fears will soon become a reality.

Laurie Bursey spent her life searching for happiness. After two marriages and three children, she thinks she finally found it in southern trucker Kurt Bird. But a violent abuser lurks behind Kurt’s bad-boy swagger, and happiness soon becomes fear.

When Jeff Silvernail returns home to find his partner, Lori, dead in a pool of blood, it appears to be a burglary gone horribly wrong. Investigators must uncover whether Jeff is a heartbroken partner or a monster who couldn’t cope with rejection.

Ann Metz lives for her family, particularly her two beautiful granddaughters. Her husband Marshall despises Ann's giving her time to anyone but him, and he will go to desperate measures to keep hold of her.

Mark-Eric and Sherri Ponsati have a picture perfect life, and the arrival of two children completes their family. When Mark-Eric reports that Sherri has had a tragic accident, their world falls apart.

The lives of a beautiful young family in Long Beach, NY, rip apart when 5-year-old Audrey witnesses her mother, Diane, brutally stabbed to death. To Audrey's horror, her mother's murderer is somebody very close to home.

Tina Swor and partner John Dalton start a new life in Spirit Lake, ID. John's erratic behavior and love of guns plague the couple's fresh start. When Tina's best friend doesn't see her for days, she decides to call the cops.

Brittany Steier devotes her life to being a mom and having a happy family. When the father of her children, Edward June Harris Jr., becomes increasingly violent and unpredictable, Brittany has to make a decision that will end up costing her life.

Cousins Joey Vincent and Terry Wedding grow up together in rural Kentucky. As Joey thrives, Terry struggles to find his own path. A 911 call reports a shocking event unfolding outside Joey's home that tears the two families apart.

There's nothing Brian and Cheri Hartman won't do for their only child, Scott, including helping to raise his kids after a divorce. Cheri and Brian dote on their grandbabies, and the close-knit family thrives until a betrayal changes everything.

Michelle Rogers and Matt Terry are together and share a son, Matt, but he has a dark side that comes out when he drinks. His rage explodes, leaving Michelle fighting for her life; Matt serves prison time, but tragedy strikes again when he gets out.

David Sumney Sr. and his wife, Margaret, devote their lives to spoiling their only son, David. However, everything comes at a price, and when his parents divorce, David Jr.'s anger escalates, resulting in the deadliest of sins.

Tawnee Baird and Victoria Mendoza fall in love when they’re teens. Though they come from very different backgrounds, they share a love of music and a dream to be famous one day. But when passion turns to rage, only one young woman will make it out alive.

Mystery shrouds the Iraqi community in Michigan when Ammar Al-Yasari, a devoted husband and father of two, is found hacked to death in his home. As the search for his killer intensifies, investigators unravel a web of digital clues that reveal an evil conspiracy.

Jeffrey and Jeannine Glanda appear to have it all -- the house, the children, the lifestyle. When half of the partnership craves control more than love, it sets in motion a deadly plot ending with a suspicious car accident and a watery grave.

Carla Lewis gives her husband John the money to open a medical marijuana store that sells pain relief products. But spiraling costs, rumors of illegal activities, and a string of infidelities eclipse the good intentions and sow the seeds for murder.

Divorced dad-of-three, Daniel Halseth, lives for visitations with his kids. When his teenage daughter Sierra claims that she wants to live with her dad, Daniel finds himself drawn into a web of lies and a plot that ends with a deadly fire.

Young parents Gary and Tasha Bentley are living the good life. They’ve got high-paying jobs, a nice house, and regular vacations to the tropics -- but just five years into their marriage, someone’s plotting an exit strategy that ends with a bullet.

Air Force veteran Roger Harris and his wife Donna, a nurse, have built their dream home in Florida, but just after the birth of their second son, a vile secret threatens their sweet, simple life. Someone’s hatching a plot that no one ever saw coming.

When 20-year-old Chloe Randolph gives birth to a baby boy, her family is over the moon, but what should be a blissful time for this loving mom is about to turn into a waking nightmare. Someone has betrayed her trust, and there’s going to be hell to pay.

Cindy Monkman turns heads wherever she goes, but by age 30, the dietitian is looking for something serious. Michael Apelt, a handsome German businessman, seems to be the answer to her prayers -- until their first Christmas together turns into a horror story.

The future looks bright for 22-year-old Rowena Irani, a Pakistani immigrant who’s transformed into an all-American college student. Popular and outgoing, Rowena aspires to be a teen psychologist until a pathological love connection shatters everything.

Behind the smiles, ugliness festers inside the Hudnall family. For years, Bill, Stephanie, and their three kids hide their torment while struggling to keep up appearances. But in 2011, the façade shatters for good when someone starts swinging a pickaxe.

In Genoa, OH, John Eichner, his wife and kids look like a happy bunch, but behind closed doors a disturbing pattern of torment and gaslighting plays out for years. Someone keeps calling 911, but well-crafted lies drown out a victim’s pleas for help.

21-year-old mom Lauren Kidd takes an unconventional route through life, but she always follows her heart. It leads her to love, a good job, and great friends. The future should be bright, but there’s a darkness lurking that no one can stop.

When divorced mom of four Krystal Humphus marries single dad Nathan Maddox, she is over the moon that she’s found a man who loves kids as much as she does. Little does she know that her dream of a big, blended family will soon become a nightmare.

Property developer Robert Pann and trainee nurse Bernice Gray, seem like the ideal match. They’re both good-looking, ambitious, and devoted to their baby daughter. But a rotten foundation is about to bring this picture-perfect façade crashing down.

Father of three, Ramon Sosa, builds a successful boxing gym in Texas, coaching a slew of hotshot young fighters. When sultry Maria “Lulu” Dorantes dances into Ramon’s life, he feels like the luckiest man alive -- until someone marks him for murder.

Gil Dossett and his family live an idyllic existence until an accident changes everything. It takes years to chart a new course through life, but just when it seems Gil has finally righted the ship, he finds himself in the darkest place of all.

Ashley Pittman thinks she hit the lottery marrying Jeffrey Scott, and he gives her a cushier life than the one she left behind in small-town Louisiana; however, behind closed doors, a secret soon turns deadly.

In the suburbs of Houston, TX, Stephanie Kirkpatrick is a gifted stage performer and much-loved special needs teacher with the world at her feet. However, behind closed doors, resentment and envy fester in her marriage, leading to a shocking 911 call.

Raised in a big Mormon family, Ashlee Harmon grows up wanting that same kind of lifestyle; she marries her college boyfriend, Emmett Corrigan, and raises five kids while he opens his own law firm, but dirty secrets soon trigger a deadly showdown.

Growing up outside Chicago, the Simonian sisters are thick as thieves, even after they leave the nest to start new lives of their own. Then, when the youngest sets off to pursue her master's degree, a horrific crime tears the whole family apart.

Book smart Avis Banks always puts her career ahead of her love life, until she meets handsome teacher Keyon Pittman. But just when she's on the brink of having it all, a dirty secret tears them apart in the most brutal way possible.

In Hudson, WI, Charlene and Darrell Wold seem to be living a blissful existence with their blended family. They do all they can to keep their household safe and secure, but they never imagined the real danger would come from within.

Tabatha Spake grows up in an adoring home, but by the time she’s a teenager, she longs for a different kind of love -- one that will elude her for decades to come. Just when she finally finds happiness, a monster turns her dreams into a nightmare.

High-achieving Keonte Chavis has always relied on her big, loving family to support her dreams. But when a sudden disappearance leads to a disturbing murder, they all face a dark and terrifying reality... the predator is one of their own.

The Futos are a close-knit family of five who film their lives over many decades. But when four of them are found brutally murdered the investigation into the slayings will uncover a terrible truth and a family secret that has laid buried for decades.

When Melissa and Rob find love at a birthday BBQ, everything seems to have fallen into place. But as Rob works longer hours, Melissa is left with an uneasy feeling. When tensions flare, not even the happiest of proposals can save them from devastation.

Doting parents Brett and Mona Wehde live a quiet life in sleepy rural Iowa, raising their three children. When a new family arrives, relationships flourish, but behind closed doors, a wicked plot hatches that will destroy life as they know it forever.

Joy and Fred are typical high school sweethearts until a tragic work accident changes the course of their lives forever. As Joy tries to find a second shot at love, her past will refuse to let her go and sets in motion a heartbreaking tragedy.

When wealthy bachelor Steve Clayton meets homely VA nurse Lana Walsh, it's love at first sight. But the devoted couple aren't immune to life's tragedies, and when an untimely death raises questions, an unsettling and devastating secret is revealed.

Sandy Miles and her daughter Tracie are as close as can be. But when Tracie vanishes and Sandy is found brutally murdered, the truth behind the killing is more horrific than investigators can possibly imagine.

When popular teacher Simeonette Mapes-Crupi is found dead in her Staten Island condo, all evidence points to a brutal robbery gone wrong. But as detectives dig deeper, they uncover a wealth of secrets, lies and sins, that leads to the ultimate betrayal.

Jason and Lindsey Lee are destined for each other. However, marriage can have its highs and lows. When the young couple decide to change their lifestyle to reignite the spark in the relationship, it comes with deadly consequences.

Hyrah Frasch is no ordinary baby. The photogenic one-year-old already has her own website and looks set to become an internet sensation. But when a tragic accident occurs in the family swimming pool, police discover a killer hiding in her midst.

Young parents Adrienne and James Magee work hard to provide a stable life for their three small children in rural Louisiana. But beneath the idyllic scenes lurks a dark secret, culminating in a heinous double-murder at the hands of a loved-one.

Mark Corona and Paul Stoeppler are two cousins who are as close as brothers. This blood bond is destroyed when one of them is murdered in cold blood. Never-before-seen home video and shocking CCTV footage reveal what really happened.

Cassie Golonin, a fun-loving woman who is enjoying her recent second marriage, disappears just before New Year's Eve from Fort Smith, AR. When family and friends conduct a search, the discovery of a shallow grave soon leads to the truth.

Dr. Jim Kohnle and his wife Teresa appear to have it all -- a successful business, happy children, and a large home. When a devastating fire leaves a family member dead, it appears to be an accident. But as the evidence mounts up, it's the testimony of two young kids who lead the police to decipher if it was an accident, suicide, or murder.

When outgoing Beth Spaulding and shy Jason Risenburg meet, it looks like a match made in heaven; however, a series of disasters strike the once-devoted couple, causing tensions to simmer in their marriage.

After locking eyes at the gym, Rebecca Thudin has found her prince charming in dashing architect Larry Fenton; they fall in love and get married. But a shocking, unexplained and cold-blooded killing tears their paradise apart -- and leaves police fearing the culprit might get away with murder.

Doug and Rose fall in love and get married; however, lies and deceit surface behind their seemingly perfect facade as seen on home videos. Then, a no-show at Thanksgiving and a box on the side of the road lead to a shocking discovery.

Carol-Ann and James Sharp seem like a match made in heaven, but behind the veneer hides a monster in plain sight. Loved ones close to the couple sit down for the first time on camera to make sense of a murder that none of them saw coming.

The Holton family lives a perfect life, until a shocking murder exposes a dark secret. In a two-hour special, American Monster confronts a terrible choice. If both suspects are your own blood, how do you decide who's a killer?

Alene and George Jenkins are the perfect couple living a perfect life. Their desire for children leads them to adopt a son and a daughter to complete their family. But it triggers a dark spiral ending in an unspeakable crime.

At a family-run construction company, brothers and cousins work hard together — and play even harder. But when one of them vanishes, no one has answers. The mystery of the disappearance, and the salacious betrayal behind it, isn't solved for 20 years.

Dr. John Hamilton and his wife, Susan, are successful, respected and very much in love, until a vicious Valentine's Day murder destroys their lives. Never-before-seen home videos shed light on a brutal murder no one saw coming.

Home videos show U.S. Air Force Sgt. Nathan Paet and his family living a blissfully normal life, then blind greed and betrayal brings about the destruction of this loving family.

The Laffertys are pillars of the Mormon community, and they are known as an example of wholesome family values, as seen in home videos; however, an evil is lurking that will one day explode into an unholy double homicide.

Home movies reveal the fabulous lifestyle of Lanny and Donna Horwitz who are raising their son, Radley, in their Florida mansion. When their lives are upended by a ghastly shooting, everyone in this eccentric family becomes a suspect.

In Ogden, UT, Stephen and Becky Vargas appear to have it all; however, jealousy and control issues abound behind the picture-perfect life seen in their home videos, but no one suspects their marriage will end in murder.

When Sherri Dally mysteriously vanishes from a Ventura store parking lot, her husband Michael and best friend Debbie head up a massive search. But someone knows more than they're saying. Never-before-aired home videos trace a tale of sordid secrets and double lives.

In suburban California, an intruder attacks and kills 55-year-old Joan Dawley. As the Dawley family grieves, it falls to LAPD Detective Paul Tippin to crack the case. Home movies reveal a shocking tale of deceit.

In Colorado, second-time spouses Harold and Toni Henthorn seem to dote on their young daughter and each other, until their idyllic life is shattered by a deadly hiking accident. Their happy home videos conceal a deadly predator who nearly escaped justice.

After a taping of their local-access TV show in rural Vermont, Chrissy and Charlie Billis have a terrible accident, smashing their car into a tree. Only one survives. But tapes from the couple's TV show suggest a sinister tale behind what really happened.

The Snyders are thrilled when their 34-year-old son Mike finally starts a family with his sweetheart — as seen in their home videos. But after being diagnosed with a terrible illness, Mike vanishes. Only years later does his horrific fate comes to light.

When Frank Hilley is struck down by a mysterious sickness, the entire town of Anniston, AL grieves. But when his daughter also falls seriously ill, the family becomes suspicious. Vintage home movies trace a shocking tale of murder—revealing a monster.

The Yates family moves to Spokane, WA only to find it besieged by a serial killer who's targeting young women and confounding the police. Now, the family's never-before-aired home videos provide a chilling look of one of America's most notorious killers.

In rural Ohio, an intruder brutally guns down Jack and Linda Myers in their sleep. The only witness is their sleepy 4-year-old grandson. But their extensive home movies — aired here for the first time — may have captured a monster lurking in their midst.

Brian and Randi Trimble are in the throes of newly married life. But when Brian meets the fun-loving Blaine Norris at work, their friendship over Blaine's low-budget horror film takes a dark turn. It isn't long before three becomes a crowd...

A typical American family isn't exactly what it seems. In public, Max and Janeene Jones appear to have the perfect marriage, but behind this happy image lies hidden truths. 20 years later, an undercover police investigation reveals an unexpected killer.