Summary
The docuseries tells a sordid tale through interviews, crime scene photos, and footage from the actual court hearings. And, of course, we get to hear from Jens himself, who is still claiming his innocence.
Ever since Making a Murderer and its astronomical success, Netflix has been steadily releasing a stream of true crime series and docu-series. Till Murder Do Us Part: Soering vs. Haysom is a four-part series taking a look at a shocking case from the 1980s when two university students and lovers were charged and convicted for their part in murdering Derek and Nancy Haysom, the young woman’s parents.
After more than three decades behind bars, Elizabeth Haysom and Jens Soering have been released from prison. Both took a different approach to their newfound freedom. While Elizabeth chose to try to disappear into obscurity, Jens is still giving media interviews and claiming to be innocent. Netflix gave him a platform.
Till Murder Do Us Part: Soering vs. Haysom review and plot summary
In 1985, the small community of Boonsboro in Bedford County, Virginia, was shaken when married couple Derek and Nancy Haysom were found killed inside their own home. The first episode gives a brief overview of the murders, the obsessive relationship between Elizabeth Haysom and Jens Soering, the couple’s escape to London, and their ultimate arrest there for fraud.
This is a graphic retelling of the events, and Netflix chose to show the crime photos uncensored. I’m not sure that was necessary. There’s something disingenuous about interviewing the victim’s elderly brother about arguably the worst time of his life and then showing graphic images of his sister’s remains in the same episode.
Elizabeth pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 90 years in prison, and Jens spent a few years fighting his extradition in the European Court of Human Rights. He wouldn’t arrive back in Bedford County until the early 90s.
While the show’s second episode centers on Elizabeth’s version of events, in Episode 3, we hear directly from Jens himself. The story then turns into the ultimate he-said-she-said. To this day, Jens claims his innocence, and many believe him.
But as far as Elizabeth is concerned, they both deserved their prison sentence.
Jens Soering in Till Murder Do Us Part: Soering Vs. Haysom | Image via Netflix
The final episode of the Netflix series presents the (rather unconvincing) case of Jens’s innocence, but it seems it was ultimately politics that got him released and extradited home to Germany. After all, he was the son of a German diplomat and a very charismatic man.
One thing the documentary makes clear in its four episodes is that both Elizabeth and Jens are two highly intelligent people. Judging by their confessions, retractions, and actions following their capture in London, the two tried to outsmart not just the authorities but also each other.
A disturbing docuseries
This is not a story for the faint of heart. True Crime rarely is, but this series might just take the cake on the bizarre factor. Not only does it interview and give a platform to a convicted murderer who is somehow now walking free around Europe, but the details of the murder coupled with the crime scene photos make it beyond disturbing.
We may never know what truly happened on the night Mr and Mrs Haysom lost their lives. However, the fact that both Elizabeth and Jens are now free and have the privilege of spending their golden years outside of a jail cell is an injustice.
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