The shocking true saga of the first killer in U.S. history caught using DNA, Southern Nightmare is based on interviews with the homicide detectives and FBI profilers who hunted for the South Side Strangler, along with friends and family members of his victims. In fall 1987, this prolific serial killer stalked the streets of two Virginia cities 100 miles apart, plunging the state into terror as he brutally raped and strangled a succession of women in their homes. Learn how this groundbreaking case laid the foundation for modern law enforcement and also launched the career of world-famous, best-selling mystery novelist Patricia Cornwell – long before the O.J. Simpson trial and TV shows like CSI made DNA a household word.