How I Caught My Killer – Hulu Series Review

HOW I CAUGHT MY KILLER on Hulu is a new true-crime documentary series. It’s an anthology, so each episode covers a new murder case. Unfortunately, the episodes vary a lot in quality and style. Too much for my liking. Read our full How I Caught My Killer review here!

HOW I CAUGHT MY KILLER is a new Hulu true-crime documentary series. This is an anthology series where each episode focuses on a murder case that was solved by information from the murder victim. Hence the title “How I Caught my Killer”.

In itself, that title is a bit jarring to me. I get why it was chosen and it’s fair enough to that extent, but it also feels a bit too upbeat. Then again, this is a production where every segment ends on a high-note cliffhanger question. This means that whether you watch it on Hulu with or without commercial breaks, you’ll know exactly where the commercial would be.

Continue reading our How I Caught My Killer review below. All nine episodes are on Hulu from January 12, 2023.

A strong opening episode

Admittedly, How I Caught My Killer almost won me over with episode 1. It did everything right for me to appreciate the true crime documentary angle; The closest family members and close friends were interviewed and involved as were the actual investigators working on the case.

Episode 1 focuses on the murder of Nikki Kuhnhausen, a 17-year-old trans girl. She disappeared in June of 2019, but the title of this docu-series already reveals that it ended in murder. Also, since this case is from 2019, Nikki Kuhnhausen’s own social media accounts become a key part of how they find the killer.

The story of this true crime is told in a sober and direct way with all the key people involved and with the “How I Caught My Killer”-angle perfectly explained.

The premise remains, but not much else

From episode 2, it becomes obvious that the quality of episode 1 won’t hold up. I’m talking specifically about the people being interviewed. The detective interviewed did work on the case, but we only hear from one person who knew the victim. In episode 2 of How I Caught My Killer, the victim is 14-year-old Candice Parchment.

None of her family members are interviewed and only one “Friend of”-person is interviewed. However, though we see several pictures of Candice Parchment, we never see a picture of her with this young man. I’m not saying they weren’t good friends, but having him as the sole “character witness” (if you’ll allow this legal jargon) seems very light.

To be fair, he is very kind and seems to remember her fondly. I just don’t like that her story is shared with this one person as a witness of her life. The “How I Caught My Killer”-angle in this case comes from the diary of Candice Parchment. Yes, a good ol’ paper diary. In this diary, she ultimately names the person who later killed her, so the premise holds up yet again.

Still, from these two episodes alone, you’ll experience two very different styles. I liked the first, which seemed to be a passion project for those who loved Nikki (getting her story out, that is) while Candice’s story feels too close to exploiting instead.

Watch How I Caught My Killer on Hulu now!

If you enjoy true crime and prefer it when there’s a definite answer and a solved crime, then this Hulu docu-series is for you. And I did like how these cases prove that the killer would have escaped justice if it hadn’t been for the victim’s own actions. Whether that action is a diary entry, a phone call to someone, or a social media post or communication.

Also, I do appreciate that the episode focuses on the ugly reality that the justice system is blind to many underserved and invisible communities. Be that the LGBTQ+ community, a black or brown community, or simply the “wrong side of the tracks” where people are (by most standards) poor.

Unfortunately, people from these groups and areas make up a disproportionate percentage of homicide victims every year. That’s one thing that How I Caught My Killer does get right; Shining a spotlight on this problem.

Well, that and the fact that the police never seem to listen whenever someone is first reported missing. “Runaway” is always the go-to assumption. And yes, I know there are many runaways, but in some of these cases, the facts obviously point to something else. You can find all nine episodes of season 1 on Hulu now.

How I Caught My Killer premieres on Hulu on January 12, 2023.