When Caroline Muirhead met Alexander McKellar in 2020, she could never have imagined the rollercoaster her life was about to take.
While McKellar seemed “perfect on paper”, a confession changed everything and rocked Muirhead to her core, with her story being told in a brand new Netflix documentary, Should I Marry a Murderer?
The three-part series “explores the moral dilemma at the heart of this story,” says director Josh Allott. “Do you choose to keep that secret and live with the awful consequences or reveal it and destroy the person you love and everything you’ve hoped for?”
But what exactly did Alexander McKellar confess to Muirhead and where is Muirehead now? Read on find out more.
What did Alexander ‘Sandy’ McKellar do?
In September 2017, Alexander McKellar was driving under the influence of alcohol and collided with 63-year-old cyclist Tony Parsons.
Parsons was on a 100-mile solo bike ride for charity when McKellar struck him, though he was not immediately killed on impact.
Alexander, along with his brother Robert who as in the passenger seat, fled the scene to hide the car before returning to hide Parsons’s body. The brothers hid the body in a pit used for the disposal of animal carcasses.
How was Alexander ‘Sandy’ McKellar caught?
McKellar was eventually brought to justice for his crimes three years later after confessing to his girlfriend.
When Caroline Muirhead asked McKellar if there was anything in his past that could affect their future, he disclosed details of the crash to her and drove her to where he and his brother disposed Parsons’ body and belongings.
Muirhead left a can of Red Bull in the area as a marker for the police to find.
The brothers were arrested in December 2020 and Parsons’ body was recovered for forensic investigation in January 2021.
Where is Caroline Muirhead now?
After the trial, Caroline moved to the seaside, became sober and focused on rebuilding bonds with loved ones. She is now in a new relationship.
“Making the documentary meant revisiting the darkest of times, and none of that was easy,” Caroline told Tudum. “But it has also been a cathartic experience. For the first time in several years, I now have hope for the future and the freedom to begin the next chapter of my life.”
Where is Alexander ‘Sandy’ McKellar now?
In August 2023, Alexander McKellar was convicted of culpable homicide and trying to defeat the ends of justice, and was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and he continues to service this sentence.
Robert McKellar was sentenced to five years and three months imprisonment after pleading guilty to trying to defeat the ends of justice.
Ruth McQuaid, Procurator Fiscal for High Court, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: “These brothers failed in their attempts to obstruct and evade justice.
“These were heinous and calculating crimes which brought untold distress to Mr Parsons’ wife, children, and grandchildren. They were left in the intolerable situation of not knowing where he was or what had happened to him.
“The fact that Anthony’s disappearance was subject to a major missing persons enquiry for several years meant his family were left in the dark over his whereabouts.
“But all the time, Alexander and Robert McKellar were going about their everyday lives knowing that, in fact, he was dead and that they had buried him amongst animal carcasses.
“They kept this secret with wilful disregard for Mr Parson’s family. Our thoughts are with those who have been affected by the unconscionable and brutal actions of these two men.”
Alexander’s lawyer, Brian McConnachie, said in court: “He is not an evil man. He acknowledges that he has done a terrible thing which has caused untold distress to the Parsons family. He would do anything he could to alter the decision he took in September 2017, but he cannot rewind the clock.”
Should I Marry a Murderer? is available to watch on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media.
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