I Hope Netflixs American Murder Documentary Covers This 23-Year-Old True Crime Case After Laci PetersonI Hope Netflixs American Murder Documentary Covers This 23-Year-Old True Crime Case After Laci Peterson

After covering the Laci Peterson case, I hope Netflix's American Murder documentaries cover a heartbreaking true crime case from 2001 that has stuck in my brain for years. Over the past decade, Netflix has produced some of the most fascinating true crime documentaries, exploring tragic and bizarre stories. The streaming platform's new series of American Murder documentaries has been incredibly well-received, and I found myself watching them alongside millions of others, hoping for a third installation.

The first American Murder documentary covers the death of Shanann Watts and her daughters Celeste and Bella by Chris Watts, their husband/father. The newer addition covers the death of Laci Peterson and her 8-month-gestational-age son Conner Peterson. Both of these documentaries have so much heart, telling not only about the awful deaths but about the victims' lives before they were ripped away. American Murder: Laci Peterson even involves interviews with her family and friends, allowing the audience to know Laci better. If the documentaries continue, which seems probable, I want them to explore a 23-year-old case that has no happy ending but is still extremely important.

The American Murder Documentaries Should Cover The Case Of Alissa Turney

Alissa Turney Was A 17-Year-Old Girl Who Went Missing in 2001 And Is Believed Dead

If I could pick the next subject for the American Murder documentaries on Netflix, I’d want them to explore the disappearance and murder of Alissa Turney, who her stepfather, Michael Turney, allegedly sexually abused and killed. On May 17, 2001, Alissa Turney went to her last day of junior year. She was picked up early from school by her father, Michael. They went to lunch and got into a fight. Alyssa then disappeared, never to be seen again.

Her father says she left for California, but this possibility seems less likely with a deeper look into the case. Her runaway note directly contradicts what Alissa said to her friends that day. Sarah Turney’s statement, referenced in the letter, happened months earlier, as did Alissa's taking $300 from her dad. These elements point to the letter being written long before she went missing. She also left her cell phone and money behind, which I can’t believe any teen runaway would do.

On top of this, Mike Turney forced Alissa Turney to sign contracts, at least one of which states at the top that he never sexually or physically abused her. That's far from ordinary. He also put cameras in the vents of the house that recorded his step-daughter Alissa. He showed up at her work and recorded her from the parking lot. Yet, somehow, he didn’t have videotapes of the time when Alissa went missing. He also didn’t have tape recordings of an alleged phone call from Alissa, even though he taped every phone call. Of course, Michael Turney has provided excuses for all these things.

Additionally, information came out that Alissa allegedly told her friends and some family that her dad tried to rape her, though they couldn’t testify about this in court because it was deemed hearsay. She also told her third-grade teacher that she was “having sex with her dad” as a kid, but they never reported it. A videotape showed her speaking out by telling her sister Sarah that her dad was a pervert.

The sexual abuse is the most damning evidence to me and would provide a clear motive for Michael Turney to hypothetically kill Alissa. If he was sexually abusing her, and she threatened to tell someone, he might have killed her to keep her quiet. While there’s no direct evidence of the murder, it’s a horrifying case with a decent amount of circumstantial evidence that the American Murder documentaries could explore in detail.

Now Is The Perfect Time For An Alissa Turney Documentary

The Family And Friends Of Alissa Could Speak Without Impacting The Case

Since I came across this case in 2018, I’ve been following Sarah Turney’s efforts to gain attention and justice for her sister's disappearance and murder. I’ve always thought that everyone needed to hear Alissa Turney’s story. Unfortunately, despite coverage by YouTubers, there haven’t been many TV programs covering the case. The two most significant pieces of TV coverage are episodes of Dateline and 20/20.

The only announced documentary on the case is an Oxygen program titled The Alissa Turney Project, which is coming out in fall 2024. Because of this, Alissa’s case wouldn’t feel overdone and rehashed a million times for audiences. The most comprehensive coverage of the case has come from Sarah Turney’s podcast Voices for Justice – which I've listened to many times over – but not everyone listens to or enjoys podcasts. Putting the case in a visual medium on a major streamer would make it more accessible in different forms for a wider audience.

There’s also another reason that now is the perfect time for an Alissa Turney documentary. The court case against Michael Turney ended on July 17, 2023. Like any court case with significant media coverage, there is only so much that family, friends, and people involved in the case can say without influencing the outcome. Now that the case is over, Alissa’s loved ones will likely be able to speak freely about their thoughts, emotions, and experiences related to Alissa’s death and the case.

It should go without saying that even if a documentary is made on Alissa’s case, the Turney children don’t need to talk publicly about this matter unless they want to, since they deserve privacy to mourn and process. However, at the very least, Sarah Turney and James Turney have been particularly outspoken and might be willing to participate in a documentary about Alissa. I'd hope that if Netflix made an American Murders documentary on Alissa Turney, they would let Sarah, James, and any other family members who wanted to speak shape how it's presented because it's their firsthand experiences as much as it is Alissa's story.

Alissa Turney’s Case Would Expand Netflix's American Murder Brand

Netflix's American Murder Documentaries Has Focused On Husbands Killing Their Families

The current brand of Netflix’s American Murder is men family annihilators, focusing on the spousal relationship. Both Laci Peterson and Shanann Watts were killed by their husband – Scott Peterson and Chris Watts. The men were having affairs which could have influenced their decision to kill their families. I want to note that this is an explanation, not an excuse. Plenty of people have affairs and never kill their family. Sadly, the children – Conner Peterson, Celeste Watts, and Bella Watts – were killed in both instances too.

Alissa Turney’s case would be tangentially related but mostly different. Like the revelations from the American Murder documentaries, the Alissa Turney case involves family secrets and tense domesticity. However, the alleged crime – if it’s true – consists of a father killing his stepdaughter. The documentaries could maintain a few similar aspects while shifting focus to other family murders besides spousal ones like patricide, the killing of one’s father; matricide, the killing of one’s mother; sororicide, the killing of one’s sister; fratricide, the killing of one’s brother; or in this case possible filicide, a parent killing their child.

This choice would not only get Alissa Turney’s disappearance and murder more attention, but it would bode well for the longevity of the documentary series. Family annihilators will unfortunately always exist, but other horrifying cases that don’t involve this type of crime deserve media attention, too.

The Michael Turney Trial Doesn’t Have A Satisfying Ending Like The Documentary's Other Cases

Michael Turney Was Acquitted With A Rule 20 Judgment

The only downside to the American Murder documentary series covering Alissa Turney’s case is that it won’t provide the same feeling of justice and closure as the others. Chris Watts and Scott Peterson were sentenced to life in prison. Michael Turney was arrested in 2020 and charged with the second-degree murder of Alissa Turney. In a shocking turn of events, the judge acquitted Michael Turney six days into the trial without his case ever going in front of a jury on what’s called a Rule 20 judgment (via Newsweek).

In Arizona, a judge may unilaterally acquit a defendant under Rule 20 if they believe there isn’t substantial evidence that any juror could find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Rule 20 acquittals are rare, according to Newsweek, and it bothers me immensely that a jury didn't get to decide. I think there's at least a chance they would have seen it differently, though there are obviously no guarantees.

Now, in the eyes of the court, Mike Turney is innocent of Alissa Turney’s murder, hence the repeated use of "allegedly." Unfortunately, even if the police found Alissa’s body or incontrovertible proof tomorrow that Michael Turney killed Alissa, he could not be tried again due to double jeopardy laws. However, the court of public opinion is an entirely different beast that doesn't care what one judge decides.

Plenty of testimony exists that was excluded from court because it was deemed "hearsay" that would be worth exploring in an American Murder documentary. A docuseries could examine his union murder plot outlined in his 97-page manifesto titled “Diary of a Madman Martyr,” plus his illegal weapons – all of which couldn’t be used in trial because they were considered prejudicial. Ultimately, I think there’s more to the story than what was discussed in court, and an American Murder documentary could help keep her memory alive now that the case is finished.

Sources:Voices for Justice, 20/20, Dateline, and Newsweek