Murder of charity cyclist Tony Parsons in Scottish Highlands to be investigated in BBC Scotland documentary
The new BBC Scotland series will be broadcast in the autumn.
The case of a grandfather who disappeared on a charity cycle ride and a woman killed at her home in Elgin are to be investigated in a new BBC Scotland documentary.
The cases of Tony Parsons, who went missing in 2017, and Kiesha Donaghy, who was bludgeoned with a weapon in her own home, will be examined in a new series of Murder Case.
The new three-part series on BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer, to be shown in the autumn, features interviews with the families of the victims, the media who covered the cases as well as the police who brought the perpetrators to justice.
Episode The Vanishing Cyclist tells the story of Tony Parsons, 63, who, in September 2017, was killed by a drunk driver whilst on a 104-mile charity cycle - and secretly buried in a shallow grave.
Alexander “Sandy” McKellar and his twin brother Robert hid Mr Parsons’ body on a remote estate in the southern Highlands. The remains went undiscovered for three years until McKellar confided in his new girlfriend about the killing and took her to the burial site. She was able to pinpoint the remote location to the police by dropping a soft drink can into the ground.
Ms Donaghy, 32, was found dead at her home in Elgin in November 2023. Her friend Owen Grant, 43, was later arrested after going on a spending spree, spending hundreds of pounds on cocaine.
At the murder trial at Edinburgh’s High Court this year, Judge Lord Scott described the attack as “exceptionally savage, frenzied and brutal”.
David Harron, commissioning executive, factual at BBC Scotland, said: “Murder Case is one of our most important brands at BBC Scotland and is hugely popular with the audience. Through its exceptional access to the major investigations team of Police Scotland, it has provided the audience with a real insight into the work of detectives on these cases.”
Vari Innes, executive producer at Firecrest Films, said: “Filmed over the course of two years from investigation to trial, with the support of Tony and Keisha’s families, these new cases offer unparalleled access to Police Scotland’s major investigations team, following their quest for answers and justice for the victims and their families.
“We are proud and privileged to be entrusted with sensitively bringing these harrowing cases to light.”
Further Murder Case series are planned for next year.