USF professor, students face convicted murderers in Hulu’s newest true crime series

A new Hulu documentary series is aimed at doing something the hit show, “Criminal Minds,” doesn’t — showing the reality of how criminologists solve cases.

USF criminology associate professor Bryanna Fox, who is a former FBI agent, and five graduate students detail how researchers analyze convicted murderers’ personality traits and motives to develop psychological profiles, a news release said.

The show, “The Lesson is Murder,” was released this week on Hulu. Fox and her students review “the cases of three convicted murderers from around the nation,” the release said.

One of the cases includes serial killer Will Davis, a former nurse convicted of killing four patients in Texas.

The episode investigating Davis premiered Thursday.

“I wanted to do a show where I can show the actual process of how cases are solved: using research and science,” Fox said in the release. “I also want the viewers to learn scientific and research-based information from this show, so they can identify red flags on their own and report suspicious activity to law enforcement.”

She said the inspiration for the show came during a forensic psychology class she taught at USF in 2018.

“My students ended up breaking open that cold case and spoiler alert, something similar happens with a case in the first episode of this docuseries,” Fox said in the release.

Graduate student Xavier Burch is featured on the show as part of Fox’s team.

“It was an experience that I am truly grateful to have and I hope to fight for truth and justice in the future for other cases,” Burch said in the release.

All three episodes of the series are streaming now. Visit www.hulu.com for more information on the show.