Featured Image Credit: Netflix/Utah Attorney District General
Topics: Netflix, True Crime, Documentaries
Mia Williams
Topics: Netflix, True Crime, Documentaries
WARNING: This article may contain spoilers
A new Netflix true-crime series reveals the moment a woman realised she was ‘planning her own murder’ after her best friend made five attempts.
The second season of smash hit docu-series Worst Roommate Ever has finally dropped on Netflix, and people are branding it as even more insane than the first.
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We've probably all had a moment - maybe at university - when we believed our roommates were an absolute nightmare.
But this documentary details nightmarish cases that go way beyond some petty food stealing or excessively late house parties.
In the first episode of the new true crime series, a woman realised that her best friend had been plotting to kill her, but later realised she had actually been ‘planning her own murder’ all along.
Throughout the episode, we learn that the victim - named Rachel - moves in with a woman named Janie Ridd.
Rachel worked as a paramedic for six years until she herniated a disc in 2010, leaving her unable to work.
While they were living together, Rachel then fell pregnant, and this is when alarm bells started ringing.
In the documentary, she said: “For the first time in our friendship, Janie had 100 percent control over me because I didn’t have a job, I was pregnant, I had a back injury, and I was in so much pain, I needed her.”
The two women become best friends, and become co-parent’s to Rachel's young son.
After living together for several years, Rachel fell fatally ill a multitude of times, with seemingly no explanation.
It turned out that Janie had been poisoning her best friend whilst she was ‘looking after’ her post-surgery for her herniated disc.
This included tending to her post-surgery incisions, but rubbing the area of Rachel's body, ultimately resulting in more pain.
As a result, Rachel had a massive infection caused by MRSA, a type of staph bacteria that can be resistant to several antibiotics.
It was later discovered that Janie had used the dark web to purchase sedatives such as ketamine, Xanax, and insulin injector pens.
Reflecting on the trauma, Rachel said: “Not only did she try to murder me, but I felt like she was taking joy in having me plan my own murder. Or at least give her instructions on how to murder me.”
Janie was convicted of two felonies in 2020 - attempted intentional abuse of a disabled or elderly adult and attempted possession or use of a weapon of mass destruction - and was sentenced to one - 20 years behind bars.
She was released after serving 25 months.
In the Netflix doc, a doctor said: “From reading the medical records, I think Janie tried to kill Rachel at least five times over the course of a year.”
After watching the episode, people were baffled by how long Janie’s prison sentence was for attempted murder.
One person took to Reddit, and said: “Two years of prison time and not getting charged with attempted murder was so frustrating.
“I feel sorry for Rachel because justice was not served. She will always have to live in fear that this Janie will come back and cause further harm.”
Worst Roommate Ever season two is available to stream on Netflix now... if you dare.