On April 3, 1985, Derek and Nancy Haysom were discovered slashed and stabbed to death in their Boonsboro home, just outside Lynchburg, Virginia. The violence was extreme—both victims were nearly decapitated. What unfolded in the days following their discovery was a tale of premeditation, deception, and a desperate flight across international borders.

Elizabeth Roxanne Haysom, then 20 years old, had orchestrated the double murder alongside her boyfriend Jens Söring, who was just 18. The Canadian-American daughter didn't wield the knife herself but played the crucial role of planning the crimes. Rather than remain at the scene or show signs of grief, Haysom and Söring immediately set about establishing an alibi. They rented a car and drove to Washington, D.C., attempting to create distance between themselves and the crime scene.

Virginia police quickly focused their investigation on the couple. Realizing they were closing in, Haysom and Söring fled the country, traveling to multiple nations in a bid to evade capture. Their freedom, however, would be short-lived. On April 30, 1986—nearly a year after the murders—both were arrested in England.

The legal proceedings that followed exposed the depth of their involvement. In 1987, at age 23, Haysom pleaded guilty to two counts of accessory to murder before the fact. The court sentenced her to 90 years in prison, comprising two consecutive 45-year sentences. She was incarcerated at Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women in Troy, Virginia, where she would spend the next 32 years of her life.

Söring's fate differed slightly in process but was similarly severe. His 1990 trial resulted in a conviction for two counts of first-degree murder, and he received two consecutive life sentences.

The case might have remained confined to court records and local Virginia history had it not been revived by Netflix. The streaming giant's documentary series Till Murder Do Us Part: Soering & Haysom brings renewed attention to the crime, the investigation, and the lives that were forever altered by that April morning in 1985.

Haysom's incarceration lasted more than three decades. On November 25, 2019, after serving 32 years, she was granted parole—a development that reignited public interest in the case. Her release raised questions about justice, rehabilitation, and the nature of her involvement in the murders.

The Netflix documentary explores the complexities of the case, examining what led a young woman from a privileged background to orchestrate such a brutal crime. It delves into the relationship between Haysom and Söring, the investigation that followed, and the international manhunt that ultimately led to their capture.

For true crime audiences worldwide, the Haysom-Söring case represents a disturbing intersection of youth, violence, and the lengths people will go to conceal their crimes. The Netflix series offers viewers an in-depth look at how two young people's lives spiraled into tragedy and how one family's wealth and status could not shield them from the darkest impulses of those closest to them.

The case remains a stark reminder that violent crime respects no boundaries—not of geography, class, or age.

**Sources** - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Haysom - https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/documentaries/true-crime/till-murder-do-us-part-elizabeth-hayson-jens-soering-now/