In the world of true crime documentaries, many are age-old tales of serial killers that avid fans already know about. They’re not boring to watch, but the stories are already known to true crime fans everywhere. What is more appealing – and altogether more shocking – for documentary watchers is coming across a case that has flown under the radar.

Skye Borgman has built up a reputation for sussing out these kinds of chilling stories and has not only brought us perplexing docufilm Abducted In Plain Sight but she also directed the continually trending Girl In The Picture. 

Now, the creator has lent her talents to an entirely new docuseries – this time, a shocking whydunnit. I Just Killed My Dad is the chilling exploration of not if Anthony Templet committed the crime and shot his father – but rather, why he did so. 

On 3 June 2019, 17-year-old Anthony shot his father, Burt, twice during an argument in their Louisiana home. He quickly called 911 to report the incident and identify himself as the shooter. Anthony has never denied what he’s done, but looking into the events that led up to it makes for a documentary that’s set to leave you with chills. 

Like Borgman’s previous work, this three-part docuseries does its best to re-centre the narrative around this crime and put Anthony’s thoughts, emotions and mental health at the forefront. As the synopsis states, the documentary is an “unprecedented” one and will tell the “unbelievable, never-been-told-before true story of the Templet family”.

It goes on: “Anthony Templet shot his father and never denied it. But why he did it is a complex question with profound implications that go far beyond one family. This three-episode documentary series explores the psyche of Anthony leading up to the events of June 3, 2019 and the journey of his mental and emotional aftermath.”

And the chilling trailer just adds to the intrigue of this series. It starts with a woman professing: “The scariest thing about Anthony is he’s just kind of like a blank slate. I don’t know if he has empathy.”

“He died at the hands of his own son,” one woman cries on camera. “He said his father physically attacked him – I did not see any bruising or injuries to Anthony,” an investigating officer recalls. 

The picture that’s quickly painted of Anthony is one of a sadistic murderer, but quickly, the tone of the trailer changes that all. Anthony himself appears, stating: “I shouldn’t be charged with anything because I didn’t do anything wrong.”

We soon learn that Burt, Anthony’s father, lived a “secret life” and one woman admits that she “forgot what an evil man he was”.

We see that Burt installed various CCTV cameras in and around his home, tracked Anthony’s movements via mobile phone and, in a twist much like Girl In The Picture, it’s revealed that Anthony never knew his date of birth or his address and he wasn’t allowed to go to school – he was technically a missing child. “They came right in the house and took him,” one woman recounts in the trailer.

Was it really a case of self-defence? One thing’s for certain, this case isn’t as cut-and-dried as it may initially appear; instead, it might just be the start of a tale of years-long abuse, kidnap and deceit.

If you google Anthony Templet’s name, you’ll soon find out what transpired and how the court case concluded. But I Just Killed My Dad is set to give you a version of the case that articles and webpages couldn’t possibly – and it comes straight from Anthony himself.

I Just Killed My Dad is now available to stream on Netflix. 

Images: Netflix