'The Serpent': Questions We Have After Watching the Netflix True Crime Series Pat Saperstein, provided by FacebookTwitterEmail The story of criminal mastermind Charles Sobhraj has captivated true crime followers for more than 40 years. The serial killer left a trail of bodies — mostly young European and North American backpackers — across Asia in the 1970s, then stunned everyone when he escaped from prison not once but at least four times. (Caution: Spoilers ahead! Do not read until you have watched “The Serpent.”) More from Variety Now on Netflix, the devious con man’s story is an eight-part docudrama from Mammoth Screen first shown on BBC, created by Tom Shankland and Richard Warlow. The creators decided to frame the story around Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg, who spent years on the trail of Sobhraj and was key to his eventual arrest. They interviewed Knippenberg along with several other real-life figures who are still alive. However, they did not speak with the imprisoned Sobhraj, who has already sensationally manipulated his own story over the years.