American Monster

'American Monster' is a chilling, unflinching true-crime documentary series that pierces the façade of seemingly ordinary lives — revealing killers who hid behind the mask of normality and betrayed the trust of those closest to them. The show pieces together “home video” footage, personal images, police interview recordings, and interviews with survivors, family members and loved ones to reconstruct how these monsters operated “in plain sight.”

It is an American series that aired on the Investigation Discovery channel (ID) and in the UK, American Monster is available on platforms including Discovery+ (via the Discovery+ Amazon Channel) and can also be accessed through Sky’s streaming offers or on-demand services, making it widely available to British audiences.

One particularly tragic and important case I worked on was the episode featuring the murder of Barbara Pacheco, who was killed by her husband. The episode reveals a horrific domestic-violence crime that had never before been documented in a television show. As Assistant Producer, I discovered the case in a local Texan newspaper through online archived and contacted Barbara’s family. Over time I built a strong rapport that allowed them to trust me with deeply personal home-video archives showing Barbara and her husband — footage no previous production had ever seen. I interviewed family members with sensitivity, care, and respect, always mindful of their vulnerability. I remain in contact with Barbara’s children to this day.

Beyond sourcing the case and archive footage, I helped shape the documentary’s narrative — conducting interviews, sourcing US-compatible filming locations (where needed for re-enactments or follow-ups), and writing interview questions.

My role was central to ensuring this story was told with dignity and gravity, raising crucial awareness around domestic violence and the hidden dangers that sometimes lurk behind closed doors.