'The Serial Killer Among Us: Phillip Jablonski': Release date, plot, cast, trailer and all you need to know about the ID documentary
Whether it's the desire for the thrill of the fear they induce or to understand how their twisted minds work, we find ourselves weirdly entranced and fascinated by the stories of serial killers that once wreaked havoc in the country. Many films have fictionalized depictions of actual murderers, but it's the documentaries describing everything in gruesome detail that hold a grip over us and the darkest corners of the human psyche. Real-life accounts from victims, investigators, and on occasion, the real serial killers themselves, and the shivers they send down our spines are a stark reminder of these evil crimes. In a week-long segment, Investigation Discovery is profiling some of America's most prolific and elusive serial killers. One among the listed documentaries is a two-hour film entitled 'The Serial Killer Among Us: Phillip Jablonski', and here's everything you need to know about it.
Release date
'The Serial Killer Among Us: Phillip Jablonski' premieres Thursday, September 3 at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.
Plot
In 1991, Fathyma Vann, Carol Spadoni, and Eva Peterson were found murdered within days of each other. As investigations were underway, the police realized they were dealing with a depraved serial killer, and eventually following the leads led to their prime suspect, Phillip Jablonski. A recently released convicted criminal, Jablonski was practically absconding as a nation-wide search was initiated after a background check revealed shocking truths about his bloodlust and the fear that he wouldn't rest without killing more women. When he was finally apprehended, Jablonski had killed five women, and investigators discovered something unprecedentedly disturbing. The serial killer had a kill list, along with an audio diary where he provided graphic details of everything that went down with each of his victims.
Cast
Phillip Carl Jablonski
Jablonski was a serial killer, who killed five women including two of his wives. As a child had a difficult upbringing, with an alcoholic father that sexually abused him, his siblings, and their mother. He grew up to be extremely sexually violent and would often rape and suffocate his first wife and multiple women that he had been involved with, dating back to the 1960s. He had been a US Army sergeant, at the time serving two tours of duty in the Vietnam War before being discharged in 1969 for a "schizophrenic illness." In 1978, he pleaded guilty to murdering, assaulting, and attempted rape of his second wife, Melinda Kimball. While in prison, he married Carol Spadoni and was eventually paroled in 1990 despite having tried to strangle his mother with a shoelace in 1985 during a prison visit.
In 1991, Spandoni, 46, and her 72-year-old mother Eva Peterson were found dead in their home, while two other California residents Fathyma Vann and Margie Rogers were also murdered. The latter women attended the same community college as Jablonski at the time, who had been doing his mandatory community service. He emerged as a suspect in all four deaths and was later implicated for the murders. Amid investigations, authorities recovered audio tapes from his home where he describes the gruesome murders of Spadoni and her mother. He fatally shot, stabbed and mutilated them, and raped Peterson after she was dead. He pleaded not guilty by citing the reason of insanity, but the jury found him sane at the time. He was sentenced to death in 1994. In December 2019, Jablonski was found unresponsive in his jail cell and declared dead only minutes later.
Creators
Investigation Discovery will host a chilling week-long series highlighting the most prolific and elusive serial killers in American history in a segment called 'Serial Killer Week', beginning August 30.
Trailer
MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) will update this space with the official trailer for 'The Serial Killer Among Us: Phillip Jablonski' soon.
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