Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — In the last year, two pieces of true crime content have emerged from the Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt arrest. One a Lifetime movie that sensationalizes the lived experience of Franke's victims, and the other a memoir from Franke's oldest daughter. The two content options represent the choice consumers must make when engaging with true crime — whether they want to spend time and money on content that retraumatizes victims, or content that supports them.
I hadn't really considered the implications of consuming true crime stories until an editor asked me to write about "Murder Among The Mormons" and the way in which the series glorified the intellect of Mark Hoffman who murdered two people with a pipe bomb in downtown Salt Lake City.
After the story ran, I heard from members of the victims' families who expressed how traumatizing the series had been for them. They said they had no idea the series was even in production until seeing the trailer on Netflix. "We were not consulted or asked or even warned if we wanted footage of the dead bodies and crime scenes of our loved ones' murders put on one of the most popular streaming services for all to gawk at," one relative of a victim wrote in an Instagram message. "It is hard for my (relative) to relive the worst time of their lives every time someone decides to drag it back up."
Other families of other victims whose murders have been depicted in true crime entertainment have expressed similar sentiments. Rita Isbell's brother Errol Lindsey was one of the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's victims. Like the families of Hoffman's victims, Netflix failed to consult with or even notify Isbell that a Dahmer series, depicting not only her brother's murder but a reeneactment of her testimony, was in production. When Netflix released "Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story," Isbell wrote, "I feel like Netflix should've asked if we mind or how we felt about making it. They didn't ask me anything. They just did it,"
Isbell continued, expressing her belief that this retraumatization was done only for profit. "I could even understand it if they gave some of the money to the victims' children. … The victims have children and grandchildren. If the show benefited them in some way, it wouldn't feel so harsh and careless. It's sad that they're just making money off of this tragedy. That's just greed."
Lindsey's cousin Eric Perry tweeted, "It's re-traumatizing over and over again, and for what? How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need?"
Despite increasing backlash, the trend of true crime programming without the permission of victims' families has continued, and even made its way back to Utah with Lifetime's production "Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story" about YouTuber turned convicted child abuser Ruby Franke.
Last February, Franke and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were sentenced to four consecutive prison terms of 1-15 years for the abuse of Franke's youngest children.
In the wake of Franke's arrest, Franke's eldest daughter Shari Franke gracefully stepped forward as a spokesperson for her family. On the day her mother was taken into custody, Shari posted on her Instagram stories, "Me and my family are so glad justice is being served. We've been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up. Kids are safe, but there's a long road ahead. Please keep them in your prayers and also respect their privacy."
She has continued to advocate for her siblings' best interests and privacy at every turn, as well as the best interests and privacy of all victims of similar circumstances.
She spoke in front of Utah state legislators on behalf of children of vloggers, warning the lawmakers of the danger faced by children of influencers whose lives are documented online for parents' gain. She also authored her memoir "The House of My Mother," in which she details how her mother transformed from vlogger to abuser. She writes the harrowing story without ever sharing her younger siblings' names or the exact crimes they suffered at Franke's hand. Those are their stories to tell, she explains in the book's conclusion.
She has condemned Lifetime's movie about her mother, made without her family's knowledge.
When the trailer for "Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story" premiered in October, Franke posted on her Instagram stories, "A note about the Lifetime movie coming out about my family: I saw the trailer suddenly in class and had an anxiety attack. None of us were contracted about the movie. None of the proceeds are going to the kids. This movie is trash, and only hurts my siblings more." Then she implored, "Please do not support this movie."
While these true crime productions that are made without the knowledge of victims' families are in poor taste, they are not illegal. Court documents are public records and production companies are under no obligation to notify victims' families that their devastating tragedy is about to be broadcast to millions of viewers.
Without any real legal limitations on the companies that produce true crime films and series, the onus of deciphering the ethics of true crime falls on the consumer. Viewers/readers/listeners must determine which true crime content deserves their time and money.
