Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Criminology

Faculty/School

Faculty of Arts

First Advisor

Dr. Andrew Welsh

Advisor Role

Supervisor

Second Advisor

Dr. Jennifer Lavoie

Advisor Role

Second Reader

Abstract

Stories of crime have consistently captured the attention of the public, with stories of heists, kidnappings and murder. The true crime genre receives enormous attention and serves for many as the primary source of crime knowledge, including who commits crime, how they commit crime and how law enforcement responds. Books and podcasts have been interrogated by researchers to understand the nature of the content but missing are the true crime documentaries and docuseries that have dominated streaming platforms in North America. The present study examined three true crime series about serial killers using social constructionism and social problems theory, and examining narratives, dialogue, pictures, and claimsmakers in the docuseries. Four guiding questions were posed (1) how are serial killers constructed as social problem? (2) how are serial killers constructed? (3) how are victims constructed? (4) Who are the main claimsmakers featured? Three recent docuseries were selected, Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, Night Stalker and I’ll be Gone in the Dark. Employing qualitative media analysis, the docuseries were examined in their entirety using the program NVivo. Analysis revealed several key findings. The first finding relates to the construction of serial homicide in an episodic fashion, with mythology building around the killer taking place. The perpetrators are given variable amounts of time in each docuseries, with some positioning the killer at the center while others prioritized victim’s stories. Construction of the victims also varied widely, from another statistic and evidence to an empathetic person, through the use of dialogue and images. The last component examined was claimsmakers, who overwhelmingly belongs to branches of law enforcement. The implications of these findings are discussed, in addition to the future directions for literature.

Convocation Year

2025

Convocation Season

Spring

Download

Share

COinS