7 Notorious American Crime Cases To Binge Fourth Of July Weekend On Oxygen

Among the many American milestones celebrated during the Fourth of July, having the most serial killers out of any country is not one of them. Still, that doesn't mean you have to press pause on your true crime fix during the holiday weekend.

In observance of this Independence Day, Oxygen will be airing all-American true crime installments on cases that have captivated the nation. Episodes from “Snapped" and “Criminal Confessions" will track murderers from sea to shining sea, while specials including “Aaron Hernandez Uncovered” and "The Case of: Caylee Anthony" take viewers through some of the most infamous criminal court proceedings in the U.S.

It's now easier than ever to dive into Oxygen programming, with full episodes available streaming on your TV, smartphone or computer, wherever you are. Watch episodes with the Oxygen App, available on iOS and Android by simply entering your cable, digital or satellite TV subscription information — or take advantage of three free credits Oxygen offers for watching without signing in. Most shows are also available on AppleTV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku and through Chromecast. Individual episodes can be purchased on iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, and Google Play as well. 

Shows that are in-season can be streamed live with your Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, or YouTube TV subscription. And you can always watch whole episodes right here at Oxygen.com by entering your cable subscription information. Pick the platform that works for you and start your streaming with Oxygen!

Left to right: Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten. Photo: Getty

Few counterculture groups achieve the infamous status that now enshrouds California’s Manson Family. With cult leader Charles Manson serving as both romancer and spiritual guide, the women who lived at Manson’s Spahn Ranch did anything he asked — including kill for him.

In this two-hour special, viewers are introduced to the many women who were lured in by Manson’s charms. With gripping narratives from former cult members, “Manson: The Women” examines both the cruelty and the humanity that drove impressionable young women to commit murder.

Manson: The Women - The First Act

Photo: Getty Images

Investigators didn’t know what to make of “Big Ed” Kemper when he first called in to confess to the "Co-Ed Killer" slayings that terrorized Santa Cruz throughout the early 1970s. It took him three calls to the police department before he was taken seriously, as officers had been friendly with Kemper in the past and didn't believe he could so coolly admit to the murders, including those of his own mother and her friend.

Nonetheless, Kemper was soon identified as the serial killer who had savagely murdered and dismembered six female students at various schools across California. Featuring recorded testimonials from the Co-Ed Killer himself, “Kemper on Kemper: Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer” delves into the psyche of one of America’s most articulate murderers. 

Kemper on Kemper: Ed Kemper Describes How He Killed His Mother

Gary Ridgway prepares to leave the courtroom where he was sentenced in King County Washington Superior Court December 18, 2003 in Seattle, Washington. Photo: Josh Trujillo-Pool/Getty

In the summer of 1982, Washington residents began to panic as the bodies of young women began washing up along the local Green River. The “Green River Killer,” as the public came to know him, would continue killing over the next 15 years, picking up his victims from around Seattle or Tacoma.

Before Sam Little held the title, Gary Ridgway gained national attention as America’s most prolific serial killer, having strangled 49 women, although Ridgway himself confessed to as many as 30 more unconfirmed victims. “Criminal Confessions” follows the hunt for the Green River Killer and the bloody trail left by Ridgway.

Criminal Confessions 208: A New Lead in the Green River Killer Case

When inmates David Sweat and Richard Matt failed to appear from their cells one June morning in 2015, prison guards at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York began to panic. In their place, officers found dummies made of clothing lying in their beds and an elaborate escape tunnel carved into the back of their cell walls.

A manhunt commenced, but investigators were still puzzled at the prisoners’ resourcefulness. To cut through the cell walls and a thick metal heating duct, they would have needed some additional help.

It wasn’t long before Joyce Mitchell, a married 51-year-old seamstress working at the prison, was arrested in connection with the escape attempt. "Dannemora Prison Break" probes the facility from inside and out, recounting the daring getaway every step of the way.

Dannemora Prison Break Premieres on Saturday, December 15th

Samuel Little, who was indicted on charges that he murdered three women in Los Angeles in the 1980s, listens to opening statements as his trial begins on AUGUST 18, 2014. Photo: Getty Images

Samuel Little holds the record for the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history with as many as 50 confirmed killings, although he claims the real victim count is closer to 93. For nearly 40 years, Sam Little eluded law enforcement and left missing women in his wake, many of whom were later found strangled in remote locations.

Many of Little’s victims still remain undiscovered and unidentified, as the serial killer targeted vulnerable women living on the fringes of society, including sex workers and drug users. “Catching a Serial Killer: Sam Little” explores how Little evaded capture and features exclusive interviews with the investigators who tracked him down.

What Was Serial Killer Sam Little's MO?

Beth Karas from "The Piketon Family Murders" Oxygen special.

Rural Piketon, Ohio was stunned by the execution-style murders of eight family members in one night in 2016. When the local Rhoden family was found slain across four different properties, Pike County investigators immediately suspected that a hit had been carried out on the family.

Theories behind the executions ranged from a drug-related turf war, to an underground cockfighting dispute, to a bitter custody battle concerning one of the three surviving Rhoden children. This two-hour special investigates the lives of the Rhoden family and the odd circumstances surrounding their grisly massacre.

The Piketon Family Murders Bonus: Piketon Murders Were A Conversation Starter

Scott Peterson listens to prosecutor Joseph Distaso respond to defense attorney Mark Geragos' petition for dismissing double murder charges against Peterson January 14, 2004 in Modesto, California. Photo: Getty Images

When Laci Peterson was reported missing on Christmas Eve of 2002, investigators wondered why an eight-months-pregnant housewife would suddenly disappear. Her husband, Scott Peterson, claimed to have been out fishing the morning that Laci went missing, but his strange demeanor raised investigators' suspicions.

When the bodies of both mother and fetus were discovered washed ashore in San Francisco’s Bay Area four months later, Scott became the primary suspect in their deaths. Amid his extramarital affair and strange behavior around the time of his wife’s disappearance, “Snapped: Notorious Scott Peterson” revisits the couple's ill-fated marriage and the highly-publicized trial that followed.

The Scott Peterson Case, Explained