Netflix True-Crime Drama Recounts Woman’s Chilling Encounter With the ‘Shopping Cart Killer’
What begins as a promising online relationship takes a disturbing turn in The Dating App Killer: The Monica White Story, a true-crime drama based on Monica White’s real-life relationship with convicted serial killer Anthony Robinson.
The film stars Lela Rochon as White, a divorced mother who begins looking toward a new chapter after her son leaves home for military school. She turns to online dating and meets Robinson, played by Jarod Joseph, setting off what initially feels like an exciting whirlwind romance.
But as the relationship develops, Robinson begins displaying increasingly troubling behavior. White eventually starts questioning how much she really knows about the man she met online — and whether he may be hiding something far darker.
Directed by Elisabeth Röhm, whose credits include Husband, Father, Killer: The Alyssa Pladl Story, the drama is inspired by the case that would later earn Robinson the disturbing nickname “the Shopping Cart Killer.”
Monica White met Anthony Robinson online
The real Monica White connected with Robinson through a dating app in 2020 after he responded to her online.
Their relationship continued for several months, but White ended it in early 2021 after Robinson behaved inappropriately toward her and members of her family.
Later that same year, Robinson was arrested as authorities investigated a series of killings in Virginia and the Washington, DC, area.
The film dramatizes White’s experience during the period before that arrest, focusing on how a relationship that started online gradually became a source of alarm.
The true case behind the Netflix drama
Robinson became known as the “Shopping Cart Killer” because he used shopping carts to transport his victims’ bodies.
In November 2021, police in Harrisonburg, Virginia, discovered the bodies of Allene Elizabeth Redmon and Tonita Smith. Investigators said both women had met Robinson through dating apps.
Authorities connected Robinson to the women through evidence that reportedly included surveillance footage and cellphone records, leading to his arrest in connection with their deaths.
His case eventually went to trial.
In 2025, Robinson was convicted on all six counts stemming from the killings of Redmon and Smith. Those charges included two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of concealing a dead body.
Robinson was sentenced in 2026 to two life terms plus an additional 10 years in prison. Following sentencing, his defense said the ruling would be appealed.
Other deaths have also been investigated
Authorities have also examined whether Robinson could be connected to additional deaths, although those cases must be distinguished from the murders for which he was convicted.
Police named Robinson as the primary suspect in the killings of Cheyenne Brown and Stephanie Harrison, whose bodies were discovered together in 2021. He was not charged with their murders.
Investigators have additionally looked into his possible involvement in the 2021 death of Sonya Champ.
The 2018 death of Robinson’s former fiancée, Skye Allen, has also been examined for a potential connection.
Who stars in The Dating App Killer?
Lela Rochon leads the film as Monica White, with The 100 actor Jarod Joseph portraying Anthony Robinson.
Shyinne Anastacio appears as Beverley, while Princess Davis plays Tonita. The supporting ensemble includes Shanna Giannozio as Beth, Trezzo Mahoro as Isaiah White, Katrina Reynolds as Laila, Spencer Graham as Casey and Spencer Driver as Rayleigh.
By approaching the case through White’s experience, the film focuses on the unsettling period when she was romantically involved with Robinson — before his arrest revealed the much darker investigation surrounding him.
The Dating App Killer: The Monica White Story is streaming on Netflix now.