Ever since ‘Making A Murderer’ caught the attention of the masses on both sides of the Atlantic in December 2015, TV producers have been hungry for the next true crime story.
The BBC’s award-winning documentary strand, Storyville, has form when it comes to true crime stories, and now it presents for the first time in online serial form ‘Killing For Love’.
For the first time, six 30 minute episodes containing additional exclusive content will be available as a boxset on BBC iPlayer, with a single film version screened on BBC Four.
In the first UK release of the documentary, Killing For Love will examine the compelling murder case of Nancy and Derek Haysom, with gripping new evidence, cliff-hanger twists and different viewpoints explored across the online episodes.
The films feature interviews with Jens Soering, who confessed to the brutal murder of his girlfriend Elizabeth Haysom’s parents in 1985. Yet by the time it came to trial, Jens was claiming he confessed to the murders to protect Elizabeth – and that she had actually been the killer.
The 20 year old Elizabeth Haysom was widely admired at the University of Virginia for her wild past. Jens Soering, the son of a German diplomat was a first year Jefferson Scholar and had just turned 18 when he met her. He was instantly entranced and they embarked on an intense, obsessive relationship. Three months into their affair, on 30 March 1985, Elizabeth’s parents are brutally murdered in their Virginia home and the couple flee. Crisscrossing Asia and Europe they are eventually arrested in London, where Jens confesses to the murder in what he later claims was an act of love.
Through access to the dramatic trials, love letters and interviews with those involved in the case, the documentary team attempts to get to the truth of what happened on that fateful night.
Cassian Harrison, Channel Editor, BBC Four, said: “Killing for Love – Storyville is a truly gripping murder mystery and I’m excited that we are not only bringing it to a BBC Four audience but experimenting in a new way with form and sharing a special box set version on iPlayer as well.”
Killing for Love - Storyville. BBC Four, 7 March 2017
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