What is Painkiller: The Tylenol Murders on Paramount+ all about? Exploring the true story behind the documentary

Out of the crimes that sent shockwaves through the nation are the Chicago Tylenol murders, which will be presented as a retelling through Paramount+'s Painkiller: The Tylenol Murders scheduled to release on October 10, 2023, on Paramount+.

The upcoming documentary peeks into the horrific deaths of seven innocent Chicago residents in 1982. The case was investigated to find that the cause of the deaths was cyanide-laced Tylenol, which the victims unknowingly took to alleviate symptoms. As the synopsis on IMDb reads,

"Detectives concentrate on James Lewis, a crucial suspect. The murky, complex enigma of the crime in real-time. Could DNA evidence help identify the killer? This question is raised by historical cues and modern technology."

The question that arises when a documentary of this sort is presented on television with no one to blame yet is whether the story is true or a work of fiction. In this article, we shall explore the true story behind the Tylenol murders in Chicago in 1982.

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Painkiller: The Tylenol Murders brings back the story of the unprecedented nature of crimes in 1980s Chicago

The groundbreaking documentary on one of the most horrific acts of crime in the 1980s Chicago is about to find its place on television as WBBM Films/CBS Chicago and See It Now Studios are prepared to release Painkiller: The Tylenol Murders on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.

Painkiller: The Tylenol Murders is a five-part docuseries that combines archival footage with first-hand interviews with the witnesses and case investigations to create a gripping story surrounding seven unfortunate deaths starting on September 29, 1982.

The 1982 murders alerted the city against the use of Tylenol, as the drug was taken off shelves and bottles from a particular batch were broadcast to be discarded. Moreover, a team of scientists came up with a method to test cyanide in drugs to aid public health departments and state governing bodies.

What started off as a remedy for a runny nose and sore throat turned out to take lives out of the blue, with the first case of 12-year-old Mary Kellerman being reported. Her hospitalization was followed by the poisonings of Adam Janus (27), Stanley Janus (25), and Theresa Janus (20), who all took the pill from the same bottle, and Mary McFarland (31), Paula Prince (35), and Mary Reiner (27) additionally.

The investigation took time to fully realize that the reason behind the deaths was cyanide poisoning via Tylenol pills, as pointed out by 85-year-old Helen Jensen, who will also be appearing on Painkiller: The Tylenol Murders. However, her input was dismissed initially until the investigation team took a couple of wrong turns to land on James Lewis, someone who had had his fair share of troubles with the law.

Before James Lewis, the 15-agency task force behind the case got hold of 48-year-old Roger Arnold, who was a dock worker at the Jewel warehouse in Melrose Park and suspected of cyanide purchase six months prior to the deaths. The next suspect was 35-year-old Kevin Masterson of Lombard, who held a grudge against the Jewel chain for confronting his wife with shoplifting. They let Arnold go due to a lack of evidence, while Masterson was held due to possession of marijuana.

Painkiller: The Tylenol Murders explores the real suspect who was later brought in, James Lewis. Lewis went by the name of James Richardson and was charged with sending a letter demanding $1 million and threatening cyanide poisoning to the manufacturers of Tylenol, Johnson & Johnson, upon failure.

Even though the fingerprints on the letter matched Lewis', he stuck to the narrative that he had nothing to do with the deaths. He had a troubled history considering he had attacked his adoptive mother with an axe, was later a prime suspect in the dismemberment and murder of Raymond West, and was charged with assaulting a woman in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

So far, no one has been charged or convicted of the murders besides the passing of Lewis on July 9, 2023. Painkiller: The Tylenol Murders attempts to bring hard facts to the foreground in an effort to clear the air.