A Killer Among Us (2012)

In the tranquil confines of a small Oregon town, the Carleton family is steeped in tragedy when the matriarch, Helen Carleton, is brutally executed outside her beloved pet store. Bereft of eyewitnesses, the case soon turns cold, leaving Helen's husband, Nick, and their three children grappling with their loss. As months wear on, Detective Joe Moran, the lead investigator, reluctantly labels the case unsolved. Yet, he can't shake off his unvoiced suspicions about Nick's potential involvement in Helen's murder, sparking clandestine investigations beyond the precinct's knowledge. In an unconventional twist, Moran enlists the assistance of the Carleton's eldest child, high school senior Alex. Despite her minor status, Alex willingly steps into the tangled web of the investigation, yearning to unmask her mother's killer. Withholding his suspicions about Nick, Moran gradually immerses Alex into his unorthodox inquiry. When Moran eventually reveals his suspicions, Alex finds herself torn between her familial loyalty and her quest for truth. Nick's increasingly odd behavior, marked by eradicating all traces of Helen, showering his children with extravagant gifts, and shirking household responsibilities, stokes Alex's growing doubts. Buoyed by her desire to solve her mother's murder, she continues her clandestine partnership with Moran, bearing the weight of this secret alone. However, as Alex's life becomes consumed by the investigation, her personal, academic, and emotional health begins to fray. In the shadow of her father's potential guilt, every aspect of her life teeters on the edge of collapse. The double-edged sword of the investigation threatens her; if the authorities discover her illicit involvement with Moran, it could spell disaster for the case, and if the killer discovers her probing, it could cost her life. More devastatingly, if Nick is innocent, the revelation could shatter her already fractured family. Meanwhile, Nick, seeking to restore some semblance of normalcy, indulges his children, attempting to fill the void left by their domineering mother. However, the specter of Helen's unsolved murder looms large, as Alex and Moran, dissatisfied with the official close of the case, unearth the Carleton family's long-buried secrets, igniting a series of revelations that could irrevocably alter their lives. Rife with suspense, 'A Killer Among Us' weaves a tale of familial bonds tested by the pursuit of truth, unearthing the dangerous consequence of love, loss, and suspicion.

A Killer Among Us is a crime movie featuring Tess Atkins and directed by Bradley Walsh.

A Killer Among Us is currently streaming on DIRECTV.