By most accounts, Lucy Letby lived an unremarkable life. She took salsa dance classes in her free time and frequently volunteered for overtime at her job as a neonatal nurse. But as more infant deaths began occurring at the Countess of Chester Hospital in England, Letby’s behavior and possible role drew intense scrutiny.
Following her years-long legal saga, Letby is now grouped among the most unsettling killers in Great Britain’s history.
Netflix’s new documentary The Investigation of Lucy Letby, which starts streaming on Wednesday, February 4, examines the horrifying case, which resulted in Letby’s conviction for the murder of seven infants in her care and the attempted killings of eight others. The documentary also includes new analysis of the events leading to Letby’s arrest and trial.
Details of the case drew comparisons to that of Beverley Allitt, a British nurse crudely dubbed the “Angel of Death” and convicted of murdering three infants and an 11-year-old boy. With her guilty verdicts, Letby, now 36, became one of only four British women to receive whole-life order prison sentence, sealing her infamy.
However, some experts have scrutinized the case against Letby, suggesting the medical evidence may hint at her innocence. As Netflix’s The Investigation of Lucy Letby streams, here’s everything you need to know about Letby, the controversy surrounding her trial, and her life in incarceration.
Who Is Lucy Letby, and What Was She Convicted Of?
Born in Hereford, England, on January 4, 1990, Letby was raised in a middle-class neighborhood by her parents John Letby, a furniture retail manager, and Susan Letby, an accounts clerk. According to The Guardian, Letby attended the Aylestone School and the Hereford Sixth Form College, which counts pop star Ellie Goulding among its alumni.
Letby showed a desire to work with children. She studied nursing at the University of Chester and earned five-band nurse qualification in 2011, meaning she was able to care for babies in intensive care. This was her role at the Countess of Chester Hospital, where she began working the following year. However, in 2016, the hospital removed Letby from its neonatal unit after the death of two triplet boys.
However, an investigation into an increased number of infant deaths at the facility suggested this wasn’t an isolated tragedy. In July 2018, police arrested Letby on suspicion of murdering eight infants and the attempted murder of another six victims. She was ultimately released on bail.
After an additional arrest and release in 2019, Letby was arrested for the final time in November 2020 and formally charged with the murder of eight babies at the hospital between 2015 and 2016, along with 10 counts of attempted murder.
Authorities alleged Letby killed the infants by injecting them with air, overfeeding them with milk, or poisoning them with insulin. Prosecutors claimed Post-It notes were discovered at Letby’s home, with one reading “I killed them on purpose because I’m not good enough to care for them,” and other including “I AM EVIL I DID THIS.”
Following a months-long trial beginning in 2022, Letby was found guilty of seven counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder in August 2023. She was convicted of an additional count of attempted murder at a retrial in 2024, receiving 15 total life prison sentences.
What Evidence Did Prosecutors Use to Convict Lucy Letby?
While the crimes in the case are undeniably unsettling, reaction to Letby’s conviction has been highly polarizing. Letby’s separate attempts to appeal the convictions from her initial trial and the additional attempted murder conviction have been denied.
BBC reporter Stephanie Hegarty, who led an investigative podcast about the case titled Lucy Letby: The Killer Questions, explained to NPR there was no forensic evidence and no eyewitness testimony used in the case. “No one ever saw Letby commit a crime,” Hegarty said. “And instead of forensic evidence, what the prosecution really relied on was medical evidence. So the notes of the baby’s conditions, nursing notes, medical notes. There were various different methods that she was convicted of hurting these babies by.”
The prosecution largely based its case against Letby on a 1989 research paper by neonatologist Dr. Shoo Lee regarding pulmonary vascular air embolism in newborns. According to The BMJ, the prosecution’s leading expert witness, a retired consultant pediatrician named Dewi Evans, cited Lee’s work to support his theory that Letby had injected air into the babies’ bloodstreams. Lee was not asked to give evidence at the time of the trial, and only became aware of the use of his research after the fact.
Why Do Some Experts Say Lucy Letby May Be Innocent?
In February 2025, an international panel of 14 clinicians—led by Lee—held a news conference after examining the medical evidence from the case. The group determined there was no medical evidence to indicate Letby had injected air into the bloodstream of babies, or had committed murder. “In all cases death or injury were due to natural causes or just bad medical care,” Lee said.
Following the news conference, panel member Neena Modi, a professor of neonatal medicine at Imperial College London, wrote an editorial for The Guardian concluding “there was no evidence of malfeasance, and there were highly plausible causes of death or deterioration,” and that the new information would be passed to Letby’s legal team. She continued:
The jury were told that the babies were mostly healthy and well and that the deaths and deteriorations were unexpected. This is not the case; the babies were either overtly unwell, or at high risk of developing complications. Further, the significance of crucial information from the medical records and postmortem examinations was not recognised. The jury therefore reached their verdict on the basis of information that was incomplete and misleading. This cannot be any basis for a fair trial.
According to the Independent, Letby’s attorney Mark McDonald submitted “new evidence” to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice. Furthermore, the results of an official public examination of the infant deaths at Countess of Chester Hospital, known as the Thirlwall Inquiry, are expected sometime in early 2026.
McDonald claims these new developments have given Letby “new hope.”
“I’m not naive; I’m a criminal defence barrister—I’ve represented many people over the years who are guilty,” McDonald said. “But I’m also able to see very clearly where this has gone wrong. There’s no forensic evidence. There’s no CCTV. There’s no eyewitness evidence.”
Where Is Lucy Letby Now, and What Is Her Life in Prison Like?
In the meantime, Letby continues to serve her life sentence. According to the most recent reports, she is currently incarcerated at HMP Bronzefield prison in Surrey, England.
Vanessa Frake, a retired prison governor, told The Daily Record in December 2025 that Letby is considered a Category A inmate, or a high-risk prisoner with a “target of her head.” Any state social visits involving Letby, such as with family members, must be made in sight and sound of prison officers.
“Women who have had children, who are carers and nurturers, will see the likes of Letby as lower than low,” Frake explained. “You can bet they know she is in their jail—they may not know where, but they will have read papers and seen her on TV, and they will know exactly what she looks like. It will be the staff’s job to protect her from that.”
Despite these threats, Letby has seemingly adjusted to her surroundings. According to a previous report, a source inside the prison told the Mirror that Letby has become “best friends” with another infamous prisoner, Beinash Batool, who was convicted in December 2024 of murdering her stepdaughter Sara Sharif.
In January 2026, The Sun reported that Letby had acquired a job as the librarian of her prison unit, considered one of the most coveted roles of the facility. A source added that Letby is a “model prisoner” who keeps her cell neat and engages with officers there.
It remains to be seen if the new documentary will include any new details about Letby’s day-to-day life now. However, these reports make it clear her notoriety hasn’t faded in the months since her conviction.
How to Watch The Investigation of Lucy Letby on Netflix
According to Variety, Netflix has previously confirmed The Investigation of Lucy Letby will feature an interview with the mother of one of Letby’s infant victims, the first time a family member has spoken publicly outside of her trial. It also features commentary from experts and lawyers for the defense and prosecution.
The Investigation of Lucy Letby begins streaming on Netflix Wednesday, February 4.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
