The South is known for a lot of things — good hospitality, great food, Southern charm, and sometimes, murder most foul. Some of the most scandalous true crimes in history came right out of the Southern states, and we plan to explore them all.
From murder to general mayhem, these 10 most scandalous true crime stories show the dark underbelly of Southern living, and that small towns aren’t always what they seem to be. From the infamous Murdaugh murder clan to the Jeff Davis 8, this list covers it all. So prepare your fainting couch, because this Southern true crime treasure cove is a wild ride.
Alex Murdaugh
By now most people are familiar with at least some aspects of one of South Carolina’s most notorious families, the Murdaugh clan. It seemed to many in the small town of Hampton, South Carolina that the once prominent legal family were allowed to get away with everything — even murder.
When all was said and done there would be five deaths, all associated with the family. Yet the story didn’t stop there, it would turn out that the family patriarch, Alex Murdaugh had even more secrets hidden behind his good name.
The family’s saga has been covered in several documentaries, including Netflix’s Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. Trust us, this is one southern-fried crime spree you will have to see to believe.
Darlie Routier
It is the ultimate betrayal of trust when the bond between a mother and her children is irrevocably broken. Darlie Routier was a Texas mother who went to prison for the murder of her two young sons. There was just one hitch — she claimed she didn’t do it. Routier has been in prison for decades, yet she maintains her innocence. In recent years, Routier’s name has been in headlines again as her case was re-examined.
A lot of the current controversy hinges around whether her injuries at the time of her arrest were self-inflicted, or were truly the work of a madman who entered her home and killed her children, as she claimed. ABC’s hit news series 20/20 recently took another look at the case and Darlie’s injuries. Is she truly a cold-blooded killer? Or could she have been telling the truth all along?
Michael Peterson
Michael Peterson is a famous author, who lived in North Carolina in his beautiful home, with his beautiful wife, until the night that changed it all. When his wife allegedly tumbled to her death on the stairs in their home, it seemed a tragic accident, until a few details didn’t line up. Could Michael Peterson’s twisted crime tales be more fact than fiction? Investigators seemed to think so.
Netflix picked up the story as the twists and turns of the case certainly more resembled a poorly written novel than reality. Check out Netflix’s The Staircase to see what we mean.
Casey Anthony
At one point Casey Anthony, a Florida native, was one of the most hated women in America. Although she was found not guilty in a court of law, even now her innocence still falls under a pallor of suspicion. Many still believe she had something to do with the disappearance and murder of her three-year-old daughter Caylee Anthony. The case took the Florida courtroom and media by storm and when all was said and done, many were left wondering if justice was truly served.
Peacock recently released a documentary featuring Casey titled Where The Truth Lies. It garnered a lot of attention and controversy as Casey gave her version of events surrounding the death of her daughter and the subsequent trial.
Murder in the Bayou
Eight missing women, and eight dead bodies, all found in drainage canals in Jennings, Louisiana. Known collectively as the “Jeff Davis 8” after the parish where they were found, investigators wondered, what was the connection? The answer would take investigative reporter Ethan Brown into the world of sex, drugs, and murder. Yet the truth behind these crimes is much bigger than one person; it connects corrupt institutions and the entire town.
Based on the book of the same name, Showtime created a five-part series investigating the crime and all the major players in it. Corruption does not even begin to cover this one. See for yourself.
Candy Montgomery
Is it true everything is really bigger in Texas, even the crimes? The case of Candy Montgomery certainly seems to give validity to the saying. Candy Montgomery was a demure Texas housewife who ended up accused of murdering her best friend with an axe. As the case unfolded, it seemed there was far more to Candy Montgomery than met the eye. Affairs, scandals, betrayal, love, and lust, the components of this Southern true crime case will leave you wondering how well we truly know about our neighbors, even in small towns.
The story was so riveting in fact, that both Hulu and HBO created their own series around the story. HBO’s Love & Death starred Elizabeth Olsen and Hulu’s Candy starred Jessica Biel. See who we thought did it better, and then judge for yourself.
Todd Kohlhepp
Todd Kohlhepp was a monster hiding in plain sight. A South Carolina real estate broker, he seemed to coworkers and clients to be well brought up, Southern gentleman. Little did they know Todd Kohlhepp was a criminal. Incarcerated at the age of 14 for kidnapping and sexual assault, he already showed a penchant for violent behavior. When he was released he left his criminal record in the past, yet it didn’t stay behind him for very long.
In 2016 a young woman Kala Brown who had been hired with her boyfriend for cleaning services, was found locked in a storage shed on Kohlhepp property. He had murdered her boyfriend and held her hostage for weeks. Yet this wasn’t the first time. It was revealed he was responsible for two other murders on his property, those of Johnny and Megan Coxie, and for a Superbike Motorsports Store shooting several years earlier.
Investigation Discovery took an in-depth look at this Southern gentleman who was anything but genteel in the documentary titled Devil Unchained.
Blood Mountain
The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina down to Georgia are considered some of the most beautiful and serene in the world. Yet in 2007, the mountains ran red. Between 2007-2008, Gary Hilton, dubbed the “National Forest Serial Killer,” killed four people, all in the pristine wilderness and under the watchful eye of the Blue Ridge Mountains. He targeted young women in the woods, killing them yet leaving their dogs unharmed.
Hulu’s Wild Crime series has featured the crimes in a segment titled Blood Mountain. To see all the dark details of this deranged man and his crimes, be sure to check it out.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Gypsy Rose Blanchard is one of the most horrifying true crime cases of our time. While the actual murder took place in Missouri, this story is Louisiana-born and bred. Gypsy Rose and her mother Dee Dee were Louisiana natives who seemed like the perfect mother-daughter team as they battled Gypsy Rose’s ongoing medical conditions and cancer. The only catch — Gypsy never had cancer.
Her mother, was in fact the one with a diagnosable illness; Munchausen By Proxy. Not only was she making her daughter sick, she was scamming charities, non-profits, and individuals for thousands of dollars. In 2015 it seemed Gypsy had had enough, she and her boyfriend of the time Nicholas Godejohn had killed her mother and run off together.
It was a case with many layers and angles, each one more shocking than the next. There are several series and documentaries on Gypsy Rose Blanchard, including HBO’s popular Mommy Dead and Dearest. To see all the twists and turns of this case, check it out.
Crystal Rogers
Crystal Rogers was a Kentucky mother of five who went missing on July 4th while staying at her boyfriend Books Houk’s farm. He claimed they went to bed together on the night of the 3rd, and when he woke up the next day, she was simply gone. While many felt the explanation made little sense, the case stalled for many years. The case has recently been re-examined, as it seems Brooks Houk knew more about Rogers’ disappearance than he let on. In a story filled with small-town alliances, betrayals, and crime, nearly a decade later Crystal Rogers’s family might finally see some justice.
The story was explored by Oxygen True Crime in a series titled The Disappearance of Crystal Rogers, check it out to see the latest updates in the case.
In small towns where corruption and gossip can abound, it can be hard to sort fact from fiction and find justice amidst the smoke and mirrors. Big names, corrupt connections, and seemingly innocent small-town Southern demeanors kept many of these criminals from seeing justice for years, even decades. Yet these documentaries and series shed light on some of the most notorious Southern true crimes of our time.