Plot Synopsis

Using interviews with potential suspects, in-depth examinations of the crime scene and re-enactments, AN UNEXPECTED KILLER is a one-hour docuseries that follows experienced homicide investigators who believe they are inches away from solving the case -- until they come across something unanticipated. Whether it's a new witness, an overlooked piece of evidence or even an innovation in forensic science, in each case detectives find a startling discovery that sends the investigation in a completely new direction in their search for justice. Each one-hour episode chronicles a different murder investigation in which detectives discover the killer is someone completely shocking and unexpected. In the series opener, "Modern Family Murder," a selfless couple, Robert and Kathryn Swartz, were found brutally murdered on the first snowy morning of January 1984. As investigators arrived at the scene of the crime, they struggled to find the true motive on why this religious couple who were deeply devoted to their family and charitable causes were killed. But as they dug deeper into the case, investigators uncovered dark family secrets ultimately leading them to a suspect no one saw coming.

AN UNEXPECTED KILLER returned for its second season on Friday, January 15, 2021 at 8pm ET/PT on Oxygen. In the season premiere, "Twisted Betrayal," a successful TV producer and mother of one is found shot dead in her upscale home. Suspicion falls on her soon-to-be-ex-husband, but his airtight alibi leads detectives to question other potential suspects. Just when the tenacious detectives believe they have a break in the case, they're faced with a shocking and unforeseen surprise in a truly twisted investigation.

Season 3 of AN UNEXPECTED KILLER premiered on Friday, March 4, 2022 at 8pm ET/PT on Oxygen. In the season opener, "A Predator Within," when an athletic and popular college student is violently murdered in her apartment, police track down several surprising suspects, including one with a disturbing obsession, before crucial evidence unmasks a dangerous predator no one saw coming.
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After a four-month break, AN UNEXPECTED KILLER returned with new episodes on Friday, September 16, 2022 on Oxygen. In the mid-season premiere, "A Date with Death," a cat-loving and recently divorced young woman dipping her toes back in the dating game is beaten and strangled in a brutal and unusual way; investigators dive into the murky world of online dating to hunt a killer who could be ready to strike again.