Dan Schneider's son was murdered. Unhappy with the investigation, he solved the crime himself.

Warning: This article includes some spoilers for The Pharmacist. 

From true crime to true justice, Netflix’s The Pharmacist follows a brave father on a mission to solve the mystery of who murdered his son, before taking on the opioid epidemic.

Dan Schneider’s son, Danny Jr, was fatally shot at the age of 22 in April 1999. At the time of his death, Danny Jr. was trying to purchase cocaine in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward.

“The day after [the murder], me and my wife stayed in bed all day. We thought about [dying by] suicide as a family. We actually thought about it. ‘Cause we just couldn’t see a future,” Dan Schneider recalls in the new Netflix documentary.

Devastated and dissatisfied with the police’s investigation, Dan Schneider, a pharmacist by trade, believed the detectives did not put enough effort into their inquiries due to the backdrop of the murder: a drug deal.

So, Schneider decided to try solve the mystery himself, becoming the unofficial detective of his own son’s murder.

Watch the trailer for The Pharmacist on Netflix below. Post continues after video. 

Dan Schneider visited the crime scene of his son’s death and armed with a tape recorder and a dogged determination, set out to find the person responsible.

He knocked on the doors of the local neighbourhood to find any possible witnesses who could help unearth what happened that fatal night, recording every conversation he encountered.

There was one potential witness found by the police: Jeffery Hall. However, after inquiries with the police, it was decided his account was not to be trusted as the person Hall identified as the killer was in jail at the time of the shooting.

Alas, Schneider continued his search for justice, one door knock at a time.

One local resident he came across did have information. In fact, Shane Redding said she witnessed the crime.

Shane said the murderer was Jeffery Hall – the man the police thought was a witness at first.

Jeffery Hall, who was also the son of Shane’s best friend, was just 15 years old.

After a year of trying to convince Shane to testify, she publicly came forward as a witness and testified at court.

Jeffery Hall pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

"In this not-so-perfect world, it's people like our witness – one by one – telling the truth about what they have seen that will truly make a difference," Dan Schneider said in a news conference following the conviction, according to The Times-Picayune.

In the Netflix documentary, Hall reflected on the killing, saying: "I don't feel good about [the shooting]. I was just trying to get the heat off me. I just made up a story... I thought I had everything figured out. I was dealing drugs and I thought I was a big boy."

But this story doesn't end with Dan Schneider finding justice for his son. Schneider goes on, as the documentary follows, to try solve who is at the centre of an unfolding opioid crisis.

The local pharmacist, fuelled with his sense of justice, continued his determination to ultimately help families who are dealing with issues of drug addictions. He was on a mission to uncover where it was all coming from.

And the conviction of the killer of Dan Schneider's son is only the beginning of the four-part Netflix docuseries, which is being widely recommended on social media.

The Pharmacist on Netflix was one of the best documentaries and craziest stories I’ve ever seen or heard. Dan Schneider is a hero. pic.twitter.com/6gDr7vldSO

— Angelina Martin (@angieeesunshine) February 7, 2020

Highly recommend “The Pharmacist” documentary on Netflix, it covers the start of the opioid epidemic

— James Adelman (@jade11man) February 8, 2020

Highly recommend “The Pharmacist” documentary on Netflix, it covers the start of the opioid epidemic

— James Adelman (@jade11man) February 8, 2020

A story of persistence and a passion for justice, the new docuseries is sure to become your new true crime obsession.

You can watch The Pharmacist on Netflix now.

Feature Image: Netflix. 

If you think you may be experiencing depression or another mental health problem, please contact your general practitioner. If you're based in Australia, please contact Lifeline 13 11 14 for support or beyondblue 1300 22 4636.

Sign up for the "Mamamia Daily" newsletter. Your morning hit of the top news stories, to be consumed with a coffee in hand.