Unlike the excellent Netflix series Making a Murderer, The Alcasser Murders is more about the subsequent media circus and the willingness of people to embrace wildly speculative theories. Once people embrace a conspiracy theory, confirmation bias keeps them from acknowledging contradicting evidence.
The fact that it's possible that this case involved some esoteric cult of prominent people doesn't mean that it happened. But when somebody who seems knowledgeable puts forth such an idea with certainty backed by supposed "evidence," people start to believe--and the cycle of confirmation bias begins.
Sometimes there really are conspiracies and sometimes the most bizarre explanations are true, but the vast majority of the time it's the simplest, most logical story that fits the evidence. In this case, it seems pretty clear that the sadistic leader got away (probably to die shortly thereafter when jumping overboard from the ship on which he was stowed away) and his weak-minded minion served a fraction of the time that he deserved.
Most conspiracy theorists ignore the reality of Occam's razor in crime cases. Yes, it's possible that the moon landing was faked, but it wasn't. The 9/11 attacks weren't orchestrated by the government. Jets aren't spreading chemicals to make us more docile.
The Alcasser Murders is an interesting study in human behavior from many perspectives: capacity for violence, lust for attention, willingness to believe outrageous claims, desire for revenge, exploitation of kindness, and outright deceit. Go into it with a curiosity for these human capacities and you will be fascinated. But if you're looking for a Making a Murderer mystery, it will be less fulfilling.
The fact that it's possible that this case involved some esoteric cult of prominent people doesn't mean that it happened. But when somebody who seems knowledgeable puts forth such an idea with certainty backed by supposed "evidence," people start to believe--and the cycle of confirmation bias begins.
Sometimes there really are conspiracies and sometimes the most bizarre explanations are true, but the vast majority of the time it's the simplest, most logical story that fits the evidence. In this case, it seems pretty clear that the sadistic leader got away (probably to die shortly thereafter when jumping overboard from the ship on which he was stowed away) and his weak-minded minion served a fraction of the time that he deserved.
Most conspiracy theorists ignore the reality of Occam's razor in crime cases. Yes, it's possible that the moon landing was faked, but it wasn't. The 9/11 attacks weren't orchestrated by the government. Jets aren't spreading chemicals to make us more docile.
The Alcasser Murders is an interesting study in human behavior from many perspectives: capacity for violence, lust for attention, willingness to believe outrageous claims, desire for revenge, exploitation of kindness, and outright deceit. Go into it with a curiosity for these human capacities and you will be fascinated. But if you're looking for a Making a Murderer mystery, it will be less fulfilling.