Documentary filmmaker Erin Lee Carr says a single case reshaped her career: her 2015 film about Gilberto Valle, the former New York City police officer known as the "Cannibal Cop."
Carr told Variety that her encounter with Valle left her forever changed and drove her decision to center women's stories in her work. She has since become one of the most prolific directors in the genre.
Valle was convicted in 2013 of plotting to kidnap, torture and eat women, a case built largely on his internet chats and searches. A federal judge threw out the conviction in 2014, ruling the evidence showed twisted fantasies but not a real kidnapping plot. Carr's film "Thought Crimes: The Case of the Cannibal Cop" examined that legal battle and the questions it raised about criminalizing thoughts.
Since then, Carr has directed "Britney vs Spears" for Netflix, about the pop star's conservatorship fight, along with "The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring," "Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara," the docuseries "I Am Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders" and the scripted series "Murdaugh: Death in the Family."
Her producing credits include "Stormy," a documentary about Stormy Daniels, "Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari" and "Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini."
The throughline across all of it is deliberate. Carr builds her films around women, a focus she traces back to her experience making the Valle film. The genre has rewarded that approach. Carr has become a go-to name for streamers and networks chasing true-crime audiences, with several of her projects landing on Netflix.
Her output stands out for its pace. Few documentary filmmakers have matched Carr's volume over the past five years, spanning feature docs, limited series and scripted television.
Valle's case remains a legal landmark. It tested how far federal prosecutors can go when a defendant's plans exist only in online chats. Carr's film captured that tension and, by her account, set the direction of everything she has made since.
