Channel 5 - Killing Spree: Series 1 (2014)

When a killing spree occurs, the inevitable reaction is one of shock and disbelief at the unexpected and unimaginably violent chain of events. This compelling new series features such murders in forensic detail, drawing upon the testimony of those involved and those who knew the perpetrator to tell the story behind each chain of rapidly executed killings.

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Part 1: Suffolk Strangler
In the winter of 2006, an infamous killing spree took place at different locations near Ipswich. After five female sex workers were murdered in quick succession, the press soon labelled the unknown killer as the Suffolk Strangler. The man responsible was 48-year-old forklift driver Steve Wright, who had a reputation for being quiet, reserved and straight-laced. Only later did it emerge that he had a history of gambling, had made a number of suicide attempts and frequently visited prostitutes. Moving into the heart of Ipswich's red-light district had given Wright the perfect opportunity to lead a double life. While his partner Pamela was working night shifts, he slipped into old familiar habits, kerb-crawling and picking up prostitutes.


Part 2: Terror in Paradise
On 22nd July 2011, news of a double mass killing in Norway shocked the world. It was the brainchild of just one man – Anders Behring Breivik, who had spent years meticulously planning for his violent killing spree. Breivik had been diagnosed with psychological problems at a young age. His parents had divorced when he was just a year old and the strain of his troubled family life began to show as early as the age of four. Although he was a rebellious teen, he was well regarded at school and later settled into a steady job. However, as he reached adulthood, Breivik began to retreat from all social life and immerse himself in the world of online gaming and extreme politics. He became so obsessed with the notion that Islam was a threat to Norway that he planned to strike out at those whom he held responsible.


Part 3: Raoul Moat, Northumbria Rampage
Growing up in Newcastle's West End, Raoul Moat never knew his father and had a troubled relationship with his mother. As an adult he yearned to create his own perfect family to rid himself of his painful childhood memories. But with this desire came a string of failed relationships and a personality on the edge of breaking point. The first victims of his callous spree were his ex-partner and her new boyfriend. On the surface it was a fatal attack by a jilted lover but deep down lay a paranoid resentment that would lead the gunman to actively target the Northumbrian police force. As the hunted became hunter, Moat ruthlessly shot a traffic officer at point blank range, blinding him for life. The police search escalated to unprecedented levels and the net appeared to be closing in on the gunman when his abandoned vehicle was found in the town of Rothbury. Despite an exclusion zone being placed around the immediate area, Moat evaded capture in the Northumbrian wilderness for more than three days. He was eventually cornered on a riverbank, and his rampage culminated in a six-hour stand-off. Moat had murdered one and left two critically injured, and there seemed to be only one way the spree was going to end…


Part 4: The Miami Murders
Documentary about Andrew Cunanan, who killed at least five people across three American states in the summer of 1997, including fashion designer Gianni Versace. This film draws on the testimony of friends, bystanders and expert witnesses in an attempt to understand what drove him to kill.


Part 5: Horror at the Mall
Documentary about the 2011 assassination attempt that was made on US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Arizona. In just 17 seconds, this killing spree claimed six lives and left 13 other people seriously injured. This programme investigates the background and motivation of the killer, 22-year-old local resident, Jared Lee Loughner.


Part 6: Columbine Massacre
The last episode in the series explores how two teenagers, who were just weeks away from graduating, embarked on a killing spree of such shocking magnitude that it was to make the name of an American high school synonymous with tragedy. 20th April 1999 began like any other day for the pupils of Columbine High School. However, it was to end as a day that would be tragically etched in American history after two of the school's students embarked on a murderous rampage that shook the local community to its core, pushed the emergency services to the limit and became headline news all over the world.