TheNetflix documentary filmLover, Stalker, Killerpremiered on June 16, 2025, and instantly shot to the top of the most-watched movies list. The incredible true-crime story follows the twisted obsession of a woman named Liz Golyar, who met a mechanic named Dave Kroupa on an online dating site. After Dave met another woman named Cari Farver, Liz lashed out in a fit of jealous rage and concocted a devious criminal plot that defies belief.
A true case ofFatal Attraction, the disturbing doc often raises more questions than it provides answers. While the big twist featured in the film is fairly easy to spot early on, the ending of the film has left some viewers confused as to what transpired with Liz, Dave, and Cari. Fortunately, the detectives on the case proved to be far more competent than those featured in the recentNetflix documentaryAmerican Nightmare. To clarify further, here’s what happens at the end ofLover, Stalker, Killer.
What is Lover, Stalker, Killer About?
Directed by Sam Hobkinson with dramatic reenactments,Lover, Stalker Killeris atrue-crime Netflix documentarythat tells the story of Dave Kroupa in 2012. Dave met and married a woman named Amy and the couple had two children together in Omaha, Nebraska. Upon separating from Amy and moving into his own apartment, Dave began dating online for the first time and met a woman named Liz Golyar. Dave and Liz hit it off and have a good first date, although Dave states up front that he is not interested in a serious long-term romance. Soon after, Dave meets a woman named Cari Farver at work and begins to strike up a romance with her. Dave later finds Cari on the same Plenty of Fish dating app that he met Liz on and continues to pursue a relationship with Cari while distancing himself from Liz.
One day, Liz shows up at Dave’s apartment and spots Cari in passing. Shortly after, Cari suddenly disappears without a trace. Odder yet, Cari begins sending harassing text messages and emails to both Dave and Liz. Dave is shaken by the abusive death threats and worries about his two children, vowing to stay in town rather than run away from his problems. Although Cari has not been seen or heard from in months, her mother, Nancy, believes she is alive and well due to the Facebook messages she’s been receiving from her daughter. As Dave begins to wonder where Cari is and what could have happened to her, a blurry murder case begins to come into sharper focus.
What Happened to Cari Farver?
In November 2012, the death threats sent by Cari to Dave and Liz escalated. Although the first threats came from Cari’s original cell phone, hundreds of threats poured in from various phone numbers and different email addresses. Later, Dave’s house is vandalized and Liz’s house is burned down. All signs point to Cari as the culprit, despite her prolonged disappearance. According to Nancy, Cari moved to Kansas to pursue a more lucrative job. However, when the authorities begin to investigate, they soon learn that all of Cari’s belongings are still in her apartment, with all the signs suggesting that she has not moved to Kansas, or anywhere else for that matter.
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For police investigators Ryan Avis and Jim Doty, the big “Ah-Ha” moment in the case came when Liz called the police claiming she had been shot in the leg in her car one night. When the police arrived and found no signs of a shooter, they began to question Liz’s story. Liz also claimed she had been receiving threatening messages from Cari. However, when the police examined her phone, they realized that she had written all the death threats and harassing messages herself.
Liz wrote and sent the emails to Dave and herself, pretending to be Cari all along. More shocking yet, the investigation revealed that Liz also set her own house ablaze, destroying all her belongings and killing her pets in the process. Additionally, she shot herself in the leg to make it appear as if she was a victim, going so far as to blame Amy as the shooter. Meanwhile, Cari’s whereabouts were unknown for four years until another stunning breakthrough in the case took place.
What Happens at the End of Lover, Stalker, Killer?
As revealed inthe disturbing documentary, the police determined that Liz Golyar was responsible for pretending to be Cari Farver and committing crimes in her name. However, it was difficult for them to prove murder without a body. Left without a corpse or murder weapon, convicting Liz in court presented challenges, especially with Liz maintaining her innocence all along. Fortunately, forensic expert Tony Kava (who heroically postponed brain tumor surgery to stay on the case) made a discovery that changed everything. Tony asked Dave if he had any old electronic devices lying around from the time of Cari’s disappearance. Dave gave Tony an old dusty tablet buried in his garage. Tony took out the micro SD Card on the tablet, searched for deleted files, and realized the SD card came from Liz’s old cell phone.
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As it turns out, Liz had deleted several photos incriminating her in the death of Cari Farver, including a picture of Cari’s severed foot (postmortem). Cari had a tattoo on her foot of the Chinese symbol for “Mother,” which appeared in the photo found on Liz’s phone and proved to be the damning evidence the police needed for a conviction. The investigators also find blood and Liz’s fingerprints inside Cari’s car, further proving Liz’s guilt. Once Kava, Avis, and Doty determined that Liz was responsible for the death of Cari, Liz was subsequently arrested for murder and arson. Without the committed detective work by Kava, Avis, and Doty, it’s possible that Liz would have gotten away with her incredibly devious murder plot.
Four years after Cari’s disappearance, the truth finally came out in court.Liz Golyar kidnapped Cari Farver, stole her phone, accessed her email account, and sent messages in Cari’s name. Liz also fatally stabbed Cari in the stomach and chest. Later, she burned Cari’s corpse and dismembered her body parts, stuffed them in various trash bags, and disbursed them in different locations.To this day, Cari Farver’s body has never been found. Yet, even without Liz’s body or a murder weapon, enough evidence was presented in court to render a guilty verdict. In 2017, Liz Golyar was convicted of first-degree murder and second-degree arson.She is currently serving a life sentence with no chance of parole for the murder of Cari Farver and another 18 to 20 years for the arson conviction. In the end,Lover, Stalker, Killerturned out to be a real-life case ofFatal Attractionthat is far stranger than fiction.
