Review: ‘Fatal Attraction: I’d Kill to Be You,’ a true crime documentary series about jealousy that turns deadly

January 28, 2026

by Carla Hay

“Fatal Attraction: I’d Kill to Be You”

Culture Representation: The true crime documentary series “Fatal Attraction: I’d Kill to Be You” (a spinoff of the “Fatal Attraction” true crime documentary series) features a predominantly African American group of people talking about murder cases.

Culture Clash: The series, which features a different case per episode, examines how jealousy is the main motive for each murder case.

Culture Audience: “Fatal Attraction: I’d Kill to Be You” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in fans of the “Fatal Attraction” series and true crime documentaries about murder and jealousy.

“Fatal Attraction: I’d Kill to Be You” has a title that says it all about the subject matter. This spinoff of the “Fatal Attraction” true crime docuseries follows the same format, but with the theme of jealousy being the main motive for murder. This series is very formulaic, but watchable for anyone who likes this genre. People who are fans of true crime shows such as “Fatal Attraction” and “Snapped” are the most likely to be interested in “Fatal Attraction: I’d Kill to Be You.”

“Fatal Attraction,” which launched on TV One in 2013, tells stories about murder cases where the victims and/or perpetrators are African American or identify as black. It’s a mixture of interviews, actor re-enactments, and voiceover narration from a narrator who is not seen on camera. Malikha Mallette is the narrator for “Fatal Attraction.” Da’nelle Grier is the narrator for “Fatal Attraction: I’d Kill to Be You.”

Maggie Sharbel and Eric Wetherington are the executive producers of “Fatal Attraction: I’d Kill to Be You.” Both of them have previously worked on “Snapped” and its spinoff “Snapped: Killer Couples.” Wetherington has also worked on “Fatal Attraction.” Only the first episode of “Fatal Attraction: I’d Kill to Be You” was available to review before the series premiered. 

The first episode, titled “Longing for a Baby,” is about the case of 17-year-old Daphne Boyden, who was murdered in her home in Vallejo, California, on May 17, 1996. Her 25-day-old baby son Le-Zhan was kidnapped. And the house where Boyden lived with her grandmother was set on fire. (Her grandmother was not home at the time of the fire.) Boyden’s body was found in the house with a gunshot wounds in her head and in her torso.

Boyden was in her last year of school at Hogan High School (also in Vallejo) when she died. The episode doesn’t say why Boyden was living with her grandmother and not her parents. Her parents are not mentioned at all, which is a strange omission. However, two people who knew Boyden are interviewed in this episode.

Lathan Williams, who was an aspiring rapper with the stage name Young Lay, was Daphne’s boyfriend at the time and the father of Le-Zhan. Williams was ruled out as a suspect because he had an alibi for the time period when Boyden was killed. Boyden (who was born on June 27, 1978) is described by Williams as a “super saint” who was very attractive and intelligent. He met her on the Hogan High School campus, but he was a few years older than her and didn’t go to the same school.

The other interviewed person who knew Boyden, but not as well as Williams, is Channa Booker, who went to Hogan High School at the same time as Boyden. Booker also describes Boyden as a friendly and outgoing person who was envied by some of the female students. However, Booker says that at the time, Boyden didn’t seem to have any enemies who would go as far as murdering her.

Williams says he didn’t find out until after Boyden died how twisted the jealousy was from certain students at the school. Williams went on “Unsolved Mysteries” to ask the public for help in finding whoever was responsible for the murder of Boyden and the kidnapping of Le-Zhan. Many people believed that Le-Zhan was still alive. But where was he?

The answer didn’t come until six years later, in 2002, when there was a major break in the case. Someone left a typed note on a Vallejo Police Department desk, with the note having credible information on who committed the murder and kidnapping. The investigation then shifted to Texas, where the prime suspect was living at the time.

This review won’t go into all the details, in case people want to see the episode to find out. But it’s enough to say that two people who went to high school with Boyden—Latasha Brown and her cousin Ocianetta Williams (no relation to Lathan Williams)—as well as Latasha’s mother Delores Brown were involved in this case. Think of the most common reason why mothers are killed for their newborn babies. And that’s the reason why Boyden was tragically killed.

Other people interviewed in this episode are Richard “Rich” Nichelman, a retired Vallejo Police Department commander, who investigated the case; forensic psychiatrist Dr. Danielle Richardson; and “Sistas Who Kill” podcast hosts MaRah Williams and Taz. (MaRah Williams is not related to Lathan Williams and Ocianetta Williams.) “Fatal Attraction: I’d Kill to Be You” sticks to a basic and familiar format that won’t win any awards. However, the show is satisfactory enough for anyone interested in hearing about crime cases that were long-forgotten or didn’t get a massive amount of media attention when these cases happened.

TV One premiered “Fatal Attraction: I’d Kill to Be You” on January 26, 2026.