Killing for Love (2017) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Jens Soering confessed to protect Elizabeth Haysom from the death penalty. When they were arrested in London for check fraud, he believed that as the son of a German diplomat, he would receive special treatment and only serve a brief sentence in juvenile detention. He thought sacrificing himself would save Elizabeth from execution, not realizing his father's diplomatic immunity did not extend to him.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the documentary, their desperate attempt to escape by using false identities shows the mounting pressure that led to this fateful decision.

• jens soering confession
• elizabeth haysom
• london arrest
• false identities

Elizabeth Haysom returned to the US on August 24, 1987, to testify after reaching a plea deal. She pleaded guilty to being an accessory before the fact and received a 90-year sentence. Her testimony undermined Jens's story and supported the prosecution's case, though psychiatrists later diagnosed her as a borderline schizophrenic and pathological liar, raising questions about the reliability of her account.

Foreshadowing: The documentary establishes early on that Elizabeth's relationship with Jens was marked by obsession and manipulation, setting the stage for her complex testimony.

• elizabeth haysom testimony
• plea deal
• accessory before fact
• 90 year sentence

Post-investigation DNA analysis on the collected evidence revealed that 11 out of 42 samples did not belong to Jens Soering. This bombshell evidence suggested that someone else was present at the crime scene and raised the disturbing possibility that the real murderer could still be free.

Foreshadowing: Earlier inconsistencies in the forensic evidence and the mysterious fingerprint at the crime scene hinted that the investigation may have focused on the wrong person.

• dna evidence
• 11 samples
• forensic evidence
• exoneration

Jens was convicted in 1990 of first-degree murder for the deaths of Derek and Nancy Haysom, receiving two life sentences. The prosecution's case relied on his confession, forensic evidence, and Elizabeth's testimony. However, advocates later pointed out significant inconsistencies in the evidence, and the DNA results showing multiple unknown DNA profiles challenged the prosecution's narrative.

Foreshadowing: The documentary shows how Jens's initial confession, made to protect Elizabeth, became the cornerstone of the case against him despite his later recantation.

• jens conviction
• first degree murder
• life sentence
• evidence inconsistencies

Renowned psychiatrists who evaluated Elizabeth Haysom diagnosed her with borderline schizophrenia and labeled her a pathological liar. These diagnoses raised serious questions about her credibility and whether she manipulated Jens into confessing, complicating the public's understanding of her true role in the murders.

Foreshadowing: The documentary hints at Elizabeth's unstable behavior and obsessive tendencies throughout her relationship with Jens.

• borderline schizophrenia
• pathological liar
• psychiatric evaluation
• mental health

Jens recanted his confession when he realized he faced execution and that his father's diplomatic immunity did not protect him. He had initially confessed believing he would receive lenient treatment, but when confronted with the possibility of the death penalty, he withdrew his confession and maintained his innocence.

Foreshadowing: His earlier belief that diplomatic status would shield him from serious consequences was established when they were first arrested in London.

• recant confession
• execution
• diplomatic immunity
• withdrawal

Years into his sentence, prospects appeared for Jens Soering to be transferred to Germany, which would have allowed him to serve his sentence closer to his home country. However, political decisions ultimately blocked his release, leaving him to continue serving his life sentence in the American prison system.

Foreshadowing: The documentary establishes Jens as a German citizen whose family connections to diplomacy played a role throughout the case.

• germany transfer
• political decision
• release blocked
• prison transfer

The true murderer of Derek and Nancy Haysom remains unknown. While Jens Soering was convicted, the DNA evidence showing 11 samples from an unidentified person suggests the actual killer may have never been caught. The documentary leaves this question unresolved, emphasizing the ambiguity surrounding the case.

Foreshadowing: The mysterious fingerprint at the crime scene and the competing alibis throughout the trial planted seeds of doubt about who truly committed the murders.

• real murderer
• unknown killer
• dna profiles
• unsolved case

Elizabeth Haysom accepted a plea deal as an accessory before the fact and received a 90-year sentence. The documentary does not provide specific information about her release, focusing primarily on Jens Soering's ongoing fight for exoneration and his attempts at transfer to Germany.

Foreshadowing: Her guilty plea and massive sentence were established early as the outcome of her deal with prosecutors.

• elizabeth release
• 90 year sentence
• plea deal outcome

The Haysom case captivated the nation due to its multiple layers of complexity: a diplomat's son as the prime suspect, a wealthy family, sex, lies, and a possible wrongful conviction. The combination of Jens's diplomatic connections, Elizabeth's controversial testimony, the brutal nature of the murders, and the eventual questions about his innocence made it a media sensation that spanned years.

Foreshadowing: The documentary establishes from the start that this was a case that perplexed investigators and left the community searching for answers.

• media attention
• public interest
• sensational case
• high profile trial