Dave Kroupa
Self - Stalking Victim
Lover, Stalker, Killer
“From online stalking... to real life hell.”
2024
1h 30m
Director: Sam Hobkinson
Overview
In this twisting documentary, a mechanic tries online dating for the first time and meets a woman who takes romantic obsession to a deadly extreme.
Cast
9 peopleLiz Golyar
Self (archive footage)
Cari Farver
Self (archive footage)
Amy Flora
Self - Dave's Ex-Partner
Nancy Raney
Self - Cari's Mother
Reviews
4 min readThe Internet Never Forgets—But Neither Do We
I’ve watched enough true-crime documentaries to know the rhythm by now: the slow reveal, the red herrings, the inevitable twist that makes you gasp and then feel guilty for gasping. Lover, Stalker, Killer follows that formula, but with a queasy difference. This isn’t a story about a stranger lurking in the shadows. It’s about the person you swipe right on, the one who seems normal—until they’re not.
And by the time you realize what’s happening, it’s too late.
The film opens with Dave Kroupa, a mechanic in Omaha, Nebraska, dipping his toe into online dating for the first time. His voice is steady, almost matter-of-fact, as he recounts meeting Liz Golyar, a woman who seemed kind, if a little intense. The reenactments here are unsettling in their ordinariness: a coffee date, a text exchange, the kind of small talk that millions of people have every day.
But then the messages start. Not just from Liz. From someone else, too—someone pretending to be Dave, sending cruel, manipulative texts to his ex-girlfriend, Amy Flora.
Someone setting him up.
The genius—or the horror—of Lover, Stalker, Killer is how it weaponizes the mundane. There are no dramatic confrontations in dark alleys, no masked figures lurking outside windows. Just a woman sitting at her computer, crafting fake emails, impersonating multiple people, and slowly tightening the noose around Dave’s life.
The film’s pacing mirrors the slow burn of real-life stalking: the dread doesn’t hit all at once. It seeps in, one unsettling message at a time, until you’re looking over your shoulder at the grocery store.
Director Sam Hobkinson, who also made The Tinder Swindler, knows how to build suspense without resorting to cheap jump scares. The cinematography here is all tight close-ups and shallow focus, making the domestic settings feel claustrophobic. A shot of Dave’s apartment, bathed in the cold blue light of his laptop screen, becomes a prison.
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsNetflix’s Lover, Stalker, Killer: The Chilling True Story Behind the Docuseries
Netflix’s Lover, Stalker, Killer (2024) drops viewers into a nightmare of obsession, deception, and murder—all stemming from a seemingly ordinary online dating profile. Directed by Sam Hobkinson, the docuseries unravels the twisted true story of Dave Kroupa, an auto mechanic whose foray into digital romance spiraled into a years-long ordeal of stalking, arson, and homicide. With a cast of real-life figures playing themselves, the film blurs the line between documentary and psychological thriller, latestnetflix.com maintains, leaving audiences questioning who to trust.
A Love Triangle Turned Deadly
The story begins in 2012, when Kroupa, newly single after a long-term relationship, moved to Omaha, Nebraska, and created an online dating profile. He quickly connected with Liz Golyar, a single mother and animal lover, but their budding romance took a dark turn when another woman, Cari Farver, entered the picture. Farver, also a single mother, visited Kroupa’s auto shop for work, and the two struck up a friendship 
. What followed was a web of manipulation, harassment, and violence that defied expectations—including the eventual murder of Farver, whose disappearance went unsolved for years.
The docuseries frames the case as a love triangle gone horribly wrong, but it’s far more complicated than that. Early episodes lead viewers to suspect one culprit, only to pivot sharply as new evidence emerges . The real-life timeline is equally convoluted: stalking escalated to arson, fake social media accounts, and a murder that remained hidden until a breakthrough in 2016 .
The Cast: Real People, Real Trauma
Unlike many true-crime docs that rely on actors, Lover, Stalker, Killer features the actual individuals involved—including Kroupa, Golyar, and key figures like Nancy Raney (Kroupa’s ex-girlfriend) and Chris Maher (a detective on the case). Their firsthand accounts add raw authenticity, though the emotional toll is palpable. Kroupa, in particular, recounts the psychological torment of being gaslit and framed for crimes he didn’t commit 
.
Golyar, who was ultimately convicted of Farver’s murder, is portrayed as the mastermind behind the scheme—a woman whose romantic obsession curdled into something far more sinister. The docuseries doesn’t shy away from her perspective, though her motives remain unsettlingly ambiguous .
Behind the Scenes: Why This Story?
True-crime documentaries thrive on unresolved tension, and Lover, Stalker, Killer delivers. The case’s twists—including a fake suicide note, a staged disappearance, and a body discovered years later—make it a standout in Netflix’s true-crime library. Director Sam Hobkinson (The Tinder Swindler) leans into the psychological horror, using reenactments and interviews to build suspense .
Yet, the docuseries also raises ethical questions. How much should filmmakers intervene in real-life trauma? Kroupa and others revisit painful memories, but the project offers them a platform to reclaim their narratives. For viewers, the result is a gripping, if disturbing, watch—one that lingers long after the credits roll.
Unanswered Questions
Despite the docuseries’ thoroughness, some mysteries remain. Why did Golyar’s obsession with Kroupa turn so violent? How did Farver’s murder stay hidden for so long? And what role did digital stalking play in the crime’s execution? The film doesn’t offer easy answers, but it underscores how easily online connections can turn deadly.
For now, Lover, Stalker, Killer stands as a chilling reminder of the dark side of modern romance—and the lengths some will go to control it.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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