Murder Detective returns to Crime + Investigation on Monday, 7th August at 9pm. The second season of this British original will take a look at more of the biggest murder cases from UK history.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of the new season’s first episode.
What is Murder Detective about?
Fronted by Graham Hill, Murder Detective takes viewers inside murder investigations and reveals how the cases were solved using modern crime-solving techniques. With never-before-seen access, viewers can see, step-by-step, how detectives go about cracking the most difficult cases. If you’re a fan of true crime, specifically British true crime, then Murder Detective is a must-watch.
Each episode features exclusive interviews with forensic and psychological experts, key witnesses, and the families of the victims.
Who is Graham Hill?
Graham Hill is a former senior detective with Surrey Police and a criminologist. He brings a wealth of experience to the show, having solved some of the UK’s most high-profile and infamous crimes. These include the murder of Milly Dowler in 2002 and catching the London Night Stalker, Delroy Grant, in 2009.
As a specialist in child abduction and murder, he also assisted the Portuguese police in the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
In a previous interview with Crime + Investigation, Graham explained what made the show unique compared to the rest of the true crime genre. He said that most documentaries do not give the perspective of the senior investigating officer (SIO), the professional who is driving everything that is done during an investigation.
Which murder case is covered in the first episode?
The opening episode of season two focuses on a 2019 double murder in East London’s Canning Town. After breaking into a flat to conduct a welfare check, police officers discover a padlocked chest freezer that contains the frozen remains of two women.
The victims were later identified as 38-year-old Mihrican ‘Jan’ Mustafa and 34-year-old Henriett Szucs. The prime suspect is Zahid Younis, the registered occupant of the flat who had since disappeared and had a history of horrendous domestic abuse against vulnerable women.
Throughout the investigation, detectives worked quickly to answer several key questions about what happened to the women and, most importantly, the whereabouts of Younis so they could prevent him from potentially killing again.
What is a key moment from the first episode?
When police officers prised open the chest freezer, they initially thought there was only one body inside. However, after transporting it to a mortuary and X-raying it, they were shocked to realise that there were actually two bodies that had been frozen and fused together. This was one of the most important parts of the investigation, as the discovery of the second body elevated it to murder rather than just a suspicious death.
Following a joint decision made by a pathologist, forensic archaeologist and anthropologist, the two bodies were allowed to thaw before they were removed separately. From here, the investigating team started the process of trying to identify the victims.
Who are the contributors to the first episode?
Throughout the first episode, Graham Hill talks to Senior Investigating Officer Simon Harding who was in charge of the homicide team that investigated the murders. He provides extensive details about the process of the investigation and the decisions he made at the case’s key junctions. He remembers the case as being ‘unusual’ due to the two bodies found fused inside a freezer.
There is also significant input from David Collins, the Crime Scene Manager who initially secured the crime scene and began collecting evidence. His input really highlights how vital the first few hours and minutes that he spent at the scene were.
Jan’s cousin, Ayse Hussein, talks about when her family found out that Jan, who was missing for almost a year, had been murdered. She helped the police as much as possible to track down Younis.
The episode also features contributions from court reporter Paul Cheston and Sonia Lynch, the manager at a homeless day centre that Henriett Szucs regularly attended.
What cases are covered in future episodes?
There are five total episodes in the second season of Murder Detective which each cover a variety of different murder cases. These include Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez, two French research students who were tied up, tortured and killed, George Napier, a nightclub bouncer who was stabbed over a £5 entry fee, and Rachel Moran, a 21-year-old whose body was stored inside a tiny cupboard after her death.
Perhaps the most infamous murder covered in the series is the M4 Flyover Murder from 2018. After a major search effort by police, Pardeep Kaur’s badly decomposed body was found on waste ground near her home.
The first season of Murder Detective is now available to stream on Crime + Investigation Play.
If you like these Crime + Investigation shows then you’ll love Murder Detective
Viewers who enjoyed watching other shows like Murdertown and Killer Britain with Dermot Murnaghan would be interested in watching Murder Detective. As another British Original, the show shines a new light on some of the worst murders in the United Kingdom.
