Award-winning investigative journalist, Chris Hansen, reveals some of America's most shocking murders in a new Discovery Channel programme called Killer Instinct.
He has worked as a journalist for Dateline NBC, covering events such as the Columbine massacre and September 11 attacks. And he's more recently known as the predator hunter, fronting the series To Catch a Predator.
Chris Hansen, reveals some of America's most shocking murders in a new programme called Killer Instinct. Photo: Supplied
Hansen also works on Crime Watch Daily, where he sets up sex-stings, to catch men caught soliciting sex from underage decoys online.
Hansen told Jesse Mulligan he grew up in Detroit and was inspired to become a journalist after the local murder mystery surrounding Jimmy Hoffa unfolded near his childhood home.
“At the time, I was about 14, I used to ride my bike up to the crime scene and watch the FBI agents and the law enforcement people, the cops and the journalists, and I just got caught by the bug then.”
Hansen says his work exposes details from murder cases at a level people wouldn’t usually see.
“We dig into the relationship with the detectives and the victim’s family and the victim’s life and I think when you hear the victim’s voice and you get into the mind of a criminal, it’s not only fascinating, it’s a way to prevent other people from becoming victims.”
The latest season of Killer Instinct focuses on ten cases, but Hansen says one is particularly compelling.
“Annie Le was a graduate student at Yale University, in New Haven Connecticut.
“Brilliant woman, in a relation with a very nice guy who was also a graduate student in New York City.
“And she goes missing and for an entire weekend they can’t find her. It turns out that one of her colleagues, a lab worker was obsesses with her. And he assaults her, kills her then hides her in a panel wall within the lab.
“But before he can hide the body there’s a fire alarm at the lab and you see this video of all these people coming out. You see him – the suspect – and you see him put his head in his hands and he’s got to figure out a problem because he’s got this body lying in a room that he’s got to hide or dispose of.
Hansen says three of the suspect’s plans go wrong and the episode details the twists and turns of the case.
“It’s just really fascinating in a great in-depth look at the personality of a killer.”
The latest season only covers cases that have been solved, but got minimal coverage or have new voices to add.
Hansen says he works with a talented team of producers and researchers, who aim to tell stories that have not been heard before.
The stories resonate with audiences around the world, he says.
The latest season of Killer Instinct With Chris Hansen airs at 8.30pm on the Discovery Channel, from 19 May.
