When a true crime case is making headlines, there are usually multiple programs covering the same subject within months of each other.
Not every duel release is intentional, but topics such as Sherri Papini‘s kidnapping case and Erik Menéndez and Lyle Menéndez‘s infamous murder trial are great examples of multiple coverage on the same high-profile situation.
Papini made headlines in 2016 after she was allegedly abducted while going for a jog in her California neighborhood. She resurfaced 22 days later, which is when Papini claimed she had been beaten and branded by her captors. As new details emerged after her return, Papini was ultimately arrested in 2022 for orchestrating her abduction. She pleaded guilty to a federal judge later that year and was sentenced to 18 months in jail for committing mail fraud and lying to a federal officer about being kidnapped.
Papini’s case was explored in Hulu’s Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini, which debuted in June 2024. Sherri’s now-ex-husband Keith Papini and several of her family members and loved ones participated in the docuseries. One month after Perfect Wife started streaming, Investigation Discovery announced an upcoming docuseries where Sherri will speak out for the first time about the controversy. The show will debut in 2025.
Meanwhile, the Menéndez brothers were arrested in 1990 on two counts of first-degree murder after their parents — José and Kitty — were found shot to death in their home. Two trials resulted in Erik and Lyle being sentenced to life without parole while they maintained that their mother and father were physically, emotionally and sexually abusive.
Their case received renewed support in September 2024 after becoming the focus of Murphy’s Monsters series. Monsters came under fire for several scenes alluding to an incestuous relationship between Lyle and Erik. Less than one week after Monsters was released, Netflix announced that Lyle and Erik were interviewed for The Menéndez Brothers documentary. The October 2024 release includes footage from conversations with juror Betty Oldfield, Kitty’s sister Joan Vander Molen and prosecutor Pamela Bozanich.
Keep scrolling for more examples of dueling true crime projects:
‘The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist’ vs. ‘The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring’
The Bling Ring — consisting of Rachel Lee, Nick Prugo, Alexis Neiers, Courtney Ames and Diana Tamayo — became infamous for stealing roughly $3 million in cash and belongings from Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Audrina Patridge, Rachel Bilson and many more celebrities’ homes from 2008 to 2009.
Following their 2010 arrests, the group was the inspiration behind Sofia Coppola‘s film of the same name and a book by New York Times bestselling author Nancy Jo Sales. There was a renewed interest in the case when Prugo and Neiers participated in Netflix’s 2022 docuseries The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist.
Lee broke her silence in a separate documentary on HBO titled The Ringleader. Lee was the main subject of the 2023 project as she offered her side of the story 15 years after the crimes originally made headlines.
‘Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini’ vs. Investigation Discovery’s Version
Sherri’s family and loved ones offered glimpses into her life since the kidnapping controversy in Hulu’s Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini and subsequent press interviews.
After serving time behind bars, Sherri remained tight-lipped about the situation. Investigation Discovery confirmed in 2024 that they were working on a documentary where Sherri would publicly address her legal issues for the first time.
“Sherri Papini drew worldwide attention when she went missing and then again, when she returned. While many perspectives have been told, there is one point of view that the world hasn’t heard and that is from Sherri herself,” President of ID Jason Sarlanis said in a statement at the time. “Investigation Discovery will present a new side of Sherri Papini’s case — told by her in her own words.”
