Where is Caroline Muirhead now? Netflix’s ‘Should I Marry a Murderer’ reveals a chilling aftermath
‘Should I Marry a Murderer?’ has become the talk of the town since its release on Netflix on April 29. The documentary follows the real-life tale of Caroline Muirhead, a forensic pathologist, whose fiancé, Scottish farmer Alexander ‘Sandy’ McKellar, admitted to her that he killed someone in 2017 and buried his body, as per TUDUM by Netflix. This put Muirhead at a crossroads between her heart and her sense of justice. Things escalated further when McKellar asked her to help shift the victim’s body. After the shift, she decided to turn in her beloved. The authorities arrested McKellar, but Muirhead’s struggles did not end. McKellar was soon released due to a lack of evidence, and to protect herself from retaliation, she pretended to be in a relationship with him.
The three-part documentary, directed by Josh Allott, started with Glasgow-based Muirhead reminiscing about how she fell in love with McKellar six years ago. Just after five weeks of a whirlwind romance, McKellar went down on one knee and proposed. Muirhead happily accepted. Her close ones were happy for her, but doubted how quickly things happened. The forensic pathologist did not listen to their warnings and looked forward to her happily ever after. Before the nuptials, she made a specific request to her partner. “If we’re going to get married, you need to be able to tell me everything you’re proud of, and you need to be able to tell me everything you’re not proud of.” Unbeknownst to her, this request would destroy everything.
McKellar opened up to her about his darkest secret. He told her that three years ago, he and his brother Robert hit a cyclist. As per McKellar’s testimony, the cyclist died upon impact. To prevent further enquiries, the brothers buried the body on the 28,000-acre farm, where they lived and worked. The information was too much for Muirhead. From dreaming about her glorious future, she suddenly found herself in a moral dilemma. “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?” Allott shared about Muirhead’s conflict.
Muirhead’s conflict did not end here. After the confession, McKellar asked Muirhead to help him move the body. The owner of the farm, where the body was buried, wanted to build condos and would soon initiate excavation. While contemplating her decision, Muirhead began investigating the victim. She realized that the victim was Tony Parsons, a veteran and cancer survivor, whose family was still on the lookout for him. “[To have your fiancé] say to you, ‘I’ve done a horrible, horrible thing,’ [it’s] something so vile it flips your entire world upside down. To remain in love, you have to keep this secret that you know is going to destroy you. But if you reveal it, then you destroy everything,” she shared.
A fiancée turned key witness reveals how she stayed engaged to a man accused of murder while gathering evidence against him. SHOULD I MARRY A MURDERER? is now playing on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/DBsnO2x3oR
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) April 29, 2026
She decided to turn in the love of her life. She accompanied McKellar in shifting the body. She marked the spot where the body was previously buried, where it was moved, and informed the authorities. The McKellar brothers were soon arrested, but were let go a few days later, due to a lack of evidence. Muirhead was flabbergasted, as this would put her in severe danger. She now needed to maintain a relationship with McKellar to avoid any suspicion. “When I came forward in December 2020, I trusted that the system would keep me safe when I was at my most vulnerable, but that wasn’t my experience,” Muirhead shared. “I hope, by speaking out and sharing what happened to me, we can start an honest conversation about greater protection for victims and witnesses — and why a far deeper understanding of mental health within the police and court system is so desperately needed.” She kept her calm and tried to record McKellar’s confession.
Though Muirhead collaborated with the Police, her experience with them was disappointing. “From the word ‘go’ the police, they were saying if I didn’t cooperate with them, I could end up in trouble myself,” she said in an interview with the Daily Record. “I put so much trust in them, and they promised anonymity, support, yet the minute you give them what they want, you’re hung out to dry. They suggested from the start that I could also end up in trouble with assisting a criminal, wasting police time, aiding and abetting.” Her efforts became crucial in putting the McKellar brothers behind bars. McKellar was sentenced to 12 years on the charge of culpable homicide.
Justice was served, but it left a brutal impact on Muirhead’s life, as per TIME. “When I met Caroline for the first time, the toll that this decision had had on her life was clear,” Allott shared. “I couldn’t believe that this incredibly intelligent woman in her early thirties, who had been one of the most promising young pathologists in Scotland, had lost so much in such a short space of time.” Muirhead had given in to substance abuse to cope with the situation. She has now moved to the seaside and is slowly rebuilding her life with a new relationship. “Making the documentary meant revisiting the darkest of times, and none of that was easy,” Muirhead shared. “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.” ‘Should I Marry a Murderer?’ is currently streaming on Netflix.
