{"id":46747,"date":"2024-02-28T09:00:13","date_gmt":"2024-02-28T08:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1995614"},"modified":"2024-02-28T10:36:30","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T09:36:30","slug":"what-happened-to-danny-casolaro-true-story-behind-netflixs-octopus-murders","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/what-happened-to-danny-casolaro-true-story-behind-netflixs-octopus-murders\/","title":{"rendered":"What happened to Danny Casolaro? True story behind Netflix\u2019s Octopus Murders"},"content":{"rendered":"

Netflix plans to uncover a “mystery decades in the making”. <\/p>

By Katelyn Mensah\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 28 February 2024 at 08:00 AM<\/p>

\n\n

Warning: This article contains content some readers may find distressing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Directed by Zachary Treitz, American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders is a new documentary series attempting to untangle \u201cthe secrets behind [Danny] Casolaro\u2019s death and the story that killed him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The four-parter sees Christian Hansen pick up where Casolaro\u2019s research left off, in an attempt to find the answers at the centre of the so-called \u201cOctopus Murders\u201d, and is now available to watch on Netflix<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Told through interviews, the docuseries aims to uncover \u201ca mystery decades in the making\u201d.<\/p>\n

To find out what happened to Danny Casolaro and what he was researching, read on.<\/p>\n

Who was Danny Casolaro?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Danny Casolaro was an American journalist who began an inquiry into an arcane intellectual-property dispute<\/strong>, which soon led him down a rabbit hole he was not expecting.<\/p>\n

At 44, Casolaro was found dead<\/a> at the Sheraton Hotel in West Virginia.<\/p>\n

While his death was ruled a suicide, his family believe something more sinister took place.<\/p>

What happened to Danny Casolaro?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Casolaro\u2019s story begins with an inquiry into an \u201carcane intellectual-property dispute\u201d between the Department of Justice and a technology company, INSLAW.<\/p>\n

While at a glance the dispute appeared to be about intellectual property, Casolaro uncovered something more sinister.<\/p>\n

According to Netflix, his research led him to \u201cthe hidden underbelly of some of the shadiest stories of the 1980s\u201d. This included spyware, money laundering and the Iran-Contra affair.<\/p>\n

It is believed Casolaro discovered a private organisation, which he named \u2018The Octopus<\/a>\u2018. Those part of said organisation were supposedly \u201chigh-ranking\u201d government officials.<\/p>\n

\"Pixels\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
The Octopus Murders. Netflix<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

As heard in the trailer for the documentary, a voice-over says: \u201cThese eight men, they\u2019re no longer government officials. But their tentacles can reach into any part government, in almost any country. I\u2019ve come to call this group: The Octopus.\u201d<\/p>\n

It has been reported that Casolaro went to the Sheraton Hotel to speak to a source \u2013 however, housekeeping staff later discovered his body.<\/p>\n

Casolaro\u2019s death was ruled a suicide<\/a>, but as can be seen in the trailer for the documentary, many people believe this to be untrue.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of us were convinced he had been hurt for him covering this story,\u201d one participant said.<\/p>\n