A Friend, A Murderer – Review | Netflix Docuseries

A FRIEND, A MURDERER on Netflix is a true crime documentary series in three parts. And it’s one that never should have been made. At least not as it ended up. Had it been made as the title indicates, then it would have made sense. It could even have been a good production. Read our full A Friend, A Murderer docu-series review here!

A FRIEND, A MURDERER is a 2026 Netflix true crime documentary series from Denmark. As such, I am very familiar with the cases covered in this three-part production. However, these cases should not have been covered in this docu-series, as it’s supposedly about the killer and those who were friends with him, and never saw his dark side, not the actual cases.

Loved ones of at least one victim have been vocal about not wanting this Netflix production to come out. We decided to cover it here on Heaven of Horror, both to see if it would do what it promised or do what the family feared. I’m sorry to say it is mostly the latter. Had it been the former, then this should’ve been a documentary feature with a runtime of around 90 minutes. It could even have been good.

Continue reading our A Friend, A Murderer docuseries review below. It’s on Netflix now.

Doesn’t deliver on its promise

A Friend, A Murderer was supposed to be a true crime docuseries about three people who discovered that their friend was a brutal assailant and murderer. A series of horrific crimes had affected a rural community in Denmark, and because the crimes were unsolved, people were understandably afraid. The once close-knit community became full of distrust and fear.

Eight years after the first (known!) crime, the perpetrator is finally caught. This whole ordeal is almost worthy of its own documentary, as it involves issues with police work, before they finally got everything right and caught the perpetrator in the act.

The reason this documentary is problematic is due to two things: First, this wasn’t too long ago, and the family of the first victim has asked for peace and respect around their loss. Second, the last victim is one that we don’t mention by name in Denmark, to help her continue her life in her own right and not “just” as a victim.

Now, with A Friend, A Murderer, this shouldn’t be an issue if it lived up to its title and description. But it does not. Instead, it spends most of the first two episodes meticulously going through the cases. Sure, the victims have been anonymized, but it’s so easy to look them up. Plus, when they are described in detail, you’ve only done the bare minimum by leaving out their faces and names.

Do better!

Friends with a murderer

As much relief as the arrest (and later, conviction) of Philip Westh brought to the Danish public at large, it was a life-altering shock for others. Particularly Amanda, Kiri, and Nichlas. Amanda was the exact same age as the first victim when she disappeared, and she was friends with Philip Westh. She had no idea, felt nothing strange from him, which has now ruined her trust in people. Understandably!

Kiri started dating Nichlas, who was best friends with Philip, and even lived with him for quite some time. Philip and Nichlas were roommates, so when Kiri moved in with her boyfriend, she became roommates with Philip as well. Again, while Philip never dated anyone and had no interest in it, Kiri never felt he was off or was afraid of him.

Finally, we meet Nichlas, who was best friends with Philip Westh for 15 years. It ended when Philip was arrested, and it became clear that he was guilty. As already mentioned, he was pretty much caught in the act. In a letter Philip Westh sent to Nichlas, he described his crime as “a stupid action,” and clearly doesn’t understand the gravity or take responsibility for it.

How can you ever trust your judgment of character after such an experience? That I can understand and think is worthy of a documentary.

Find A Friend, A Murderer on Netflix

I don’t think A Friend, A Murderer should ever have been made as it stands now. Even naming the three episodes after the three friends makes little sense. I mean, episodes 1 and 2 are mostly about the cases, and Amanda and Kiri are in all three episodes, while Nichlas shows up in the very end of episode 2. There, he has the “honor” of being labeled as a suspect.

If it wasn’t because I already knew these cases so well, I would have expected this Netflix true crime production to go full Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, and reveal a second perpetrator. Instead, the third episode shows us Nichlas, a young man completely broken from discovering that his best friend of 15 years was a sadistic murderer.

WHAT ABOUT THE CREATORS?

You may notice that I don’t speak about the creators of this production. I honestly don’t want to highlight them. Anyway, at least one of them manages to insert himself into the docu-series. Of course, only by not focusing on the three friends could he get in front of the camera.

Was this why it was included? I mean, there was apparently no need for detectives or lawyers to be included.

Overall, the one thing that works for this Netflix production (almost solely in episode 3) is the core concept as revealed by the title. I mean, once Philip Westh was arrested, the three friends were forced to think back on all their experiences with Philip. Simply to see if they missed any signs. They did not.

However, they have noticed some strange incidents around the dates of the crimes committed. As such, they never doubted that he was guilty. It’s a horror, I can’t even imagine; Finding out a close friend was arrested for a brutal crime. Then quickly recognizing that he is, in fact, the perpetrator. No mistakes were made; you simply did not see this dark side of him.

A Friend, A Murderer is on Netflix from March 5, 2026.