Infamous Murders
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.
Overview
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The series relied on historical documents for visuals rather than reenactments.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.
Series Credits
Narrator : Don PeoplesMusic: 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.
Episode list
Angels of DeathNurses sometimes kill: Donald Harvey, Orville Lynn Majors, Beverly Allitt
Bizarre Murders
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
Several killers, both real and fictional, consume their victims: Jeffrey Dahmer, Andrei Chikatilo, Ed Gein
Celebrity Murder
Sometimes famous people also get killed: Sharon Tate; Gianni Versace; Joe Orton.
Crimes of Prejudice
Deaths of civil-rights workers; political and ethnic killings; murders of gay men.
Cult Killings
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
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
Although kidnapping is relatively rare, it can easily turn to murder: Charley Ross, Lindbergh kidnapping, murder of Muriel McKay, murder of Lesley Whittle
Deadly Ladies
Women sometimes kill: Madame Fahmy, Ma Barker, Velma Barfield, Karla Faye Tucker.
Death in the Country
Even America's heartland is not immune to violent crime: Billy Cook, Gaston Dominici, Ángel Maturino Reséndiz.
Evading Justice
Several serial killers evade punishment: Green River Killer, Zodiac Killer, New York Zodiac Killer and Jack the Stripper.
Evidence of Murder
Crucial evidence sometimes brings killers to justice years later: Browne and Kennedy, James Hanratty, John List, Brian Donald Hume.
Final Justice
Criminals who received the capital punishment: Robert Alton Harris, Gary Gilmore, Steven Judy.
From Coast to Coast
Traveling murderers roam the country or the world in search of victims: John Eric Armstrong, Ted Bundy, Christopher Wilder.
Gangland Murders
Prohibition-era gangsters Al Capone and Lucky Luciano fight for supremacy; bank robber John Dillinger becomes public enemy number one.
Hollywood Murders
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
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
Money can be the motive for murder: Steven Benson, Jeremy Bamber, Lyle and Erik Menendez.
Intent on Murder
Some killers choose their victims by type: Belle Gunness, John Wayne Gacy, Gary Heidnik, Kenneth Erskine.
Killing for Pleasure
Neville Heath, the Hillside Strangler, and the Coed Killer.
Killing for Thrills
Some killers transform their homes into chambers of horror: Leonard Lake and Charles Ng, Fred and Rose West, Thomas Neill Cream
Lady Killers
Serial killers John Christie, Richard Speck, and William Heirens.
Mass Murderers
Rampage killings: Fritz Haarmann, Hungerford massacre, Charles Whitman, Dean Corll
Model Murders
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
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma; Ernst Röhm; Bishop Juan Conendra Geradi.
Murder by Decree
Murder is sometimes used to silence people who threaten the system: Martin Luther King, Georgi Markov, Joseph Yablonski.
Murder for Hire
Hit-men are paid to kill: Judge Peel, Mother Duncan, Carlos the Jackal.
Murder for Profit
Some kill to satisfy their greed: Dorothea Puente, Michael X, John George Haigh.
Murder in Cold Blood
Some murderers kill for no apparent reason: Juan Corona, Dennis Nilsen, Wayne Williams.
Murder in High Office
Anwar Sadat; Yitzhak Rabin, Hendrik Vewoerd.
Murdered on Duty
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
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
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
Poisoners leave clear trails for police to follow.: Mary Ann Cotton, Herbert Armstrong, Graham Young, Judy Buenuano.
The Poisoners
Doctors abuse their positions of trust to administer poison to their victims: Harvey Crippen, Carl Coppolino, Arthur Waite.
Political Assassinations
Politics can be a deadly business: Mahatma Gandhi, Robert F. Kennedy, Aldo Moro
Political Killings
Malcolm X; Sacco and Vanzetti; Harvey Milk and George Moscone.
Premeditated Murder
Some killers plan their actions to the very last detail: Ruth Snyder, Mark David Chapman, Leopold and Loeb.
A Question of Doubt
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
The life of a prostitute can be brutal and short: Murder of Robin Benedict, Robert Lee Yates, Richard Cottingham.
Royal Murders
Saudi Arabia's King Faisal; Czar Nicholas II; the 2001 death of the king and queen of Nepal.
Savage Surgeons
Surgeons use their expertise to hide their crimes: H. H. Holmes, Buck Ruxton, Jeffrey R. MacDonald, Marcel Petiot.
Society Murders
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!
U.S. presidential assassinations: James Garfield, William McKinley, John F. Kennedy.
Spree Killings
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
Some killers select their victims randomly: David Berkowitz, Gerald and Charlene Gallego, Peter Manuel.
Streets of Fear
Axeman of New Orleans, Peter Sutcliffe, Joel Rifkin, Arthur Shawcross.
Terrorizing the Cities
The Boston Strangler, Richard Ramirez and Patrick Kearney.
Trapped by Forensics
Genetic fingerprinting: Frederick Seddon, John Duffy and David Mulcahy, Timothy Wilson Spencer, David Lashley.
The Trunk Murders
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
Jealousy and obsession can turn violent: Murder of William Terriss, Jean Harris, Murder of Dorothy Stratten, Ruth Ellis.
Women Who Kill
Love triangle; female terrorist; female serial-killer.