REVIEW: Episode 3 of Click For Murder looks at the real-life Breaking Bad murderer who dissolved victim in acid



Online dating has become a norm of contemporary society, with one in four British people having some kind of dating app on their phone, but did you ever stop… read more
REVIEW: Episode 3 of Click For Murder looks at the real-life Breaking Bad murderer who dissolved victim in acid
Online dating has become a norm of contemporary society, with one in four British people having some kind of dating app on their phone, but did you ever stop to consider just how dangerous these apps can actually be? CBS Reality’s Click For Murder unveils the dark side of these apps as it delves into the latest murder case.
Click For Murder is a crime documentary series dedicated to looking at some of the most disturbing crimes orchestrated on social media in recent history, and tonight’s case is definitely the most gruesome yet.
“The internet has changed the way we live, the way we work, the way we shop, and even the way we date. It has also changed the way we kill,” host Donal MacIntyre warns during the show’s introduction. And sure enough, a dating app presents a predator with the perfect opportunity to pounce on his next victim on April 1, 2016. Episode three of the original series introduces the case of Gordon Semple; a member of the police force, who decided to seek out casual sex with a stranger via the well-known gay dating app, Grindr. However, after meeting with former city worker Stefano Brizzi at his apartment, Gordon was never to be seen again. In a horrific attack, Stefano strangled Gordon during a sexual encounter and later disposed of his body by dissolving it in a tub of acid.
With presenter and renowned crime journalist Donal breaking down the incident alongside criminology expert Dr. Elizabeth Yardley, the episode answers some really interesting questions about whether murder cases like this one could have happened in a world without social media. In fact, the show in some ways serves as a warning against these platforms, with the host demonstrating just how easy it can be to create a fake persona by creating his own anonymous profile on a dating app.
Click For Murder certainly doesn’t censor any of the grisly details, with every element of the murder laid on the table to examine. If the actual “scene of carnage” that took place in Stefano’s bedroom doesn’t send chills up your spine, then the descriptions of the body disposal will definitely have your stomach turning. Breaking Bad fans will be interested, and no doubt disturbed, to note the connections between this real-life murder and the one committed by Walt White and Jesse Pinkman during season one of the show.
One of the excellent things about the series is that it is not tunnel visioned to see social media as the one and only cause of heinous crimes. It is not just the online world that is presented as a danger on the show, as other factors are taken into consideration too. It is refreshing to see a crime documentary tackle the fatal consequences of stigmatisation and repression of homosexuality, for example. The experts note how Gordon might not have needed to desperately resort to meeting a total stranger without taking any precautions if he had been able to express his sexual orientation freely in society.
Make sure to tune in tonight to uncover the full details of the case and discover killer Stefano’s fate.
Click for Murder airs weeknights at 10pm on CBS Reality.