BBC iPlayer is quietly adding a gripping investigation into a harrowing true crime story. Fronted by Layla Wright and commissioned by BBC Current Affairs, the documentary examines one of the most thought-provoking criminal cases of recent years.
Killer Couple: Love on Trial
The documentary, titled Killer Couple: Love on Trial, investigates a couple who plotted and committed a murder, and who are now serving time in prison. In 2023, Michael Hillier and Rachel Fulstow were sentenced to a total of 63 years in prison for the death of Liam Smith in November 2022. Hillier was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 33 years, while Fulstow was found guilty of murder and perverting the course of justice, receiving 30 years.
Key Details of the Case
However, the BBC documentary examines how Fulstow was sentenced even though she was 100 miles away from the scene of the crime. The BBC teased: In 2019, Rachel Fulstow went on a Tinder date with Liam Smith. They spent the night together and apart from a few messages after, they never saw each other again. Four years later, Rachel was standing in the dock accused of his murder. Beside her was her new boyfriend, Michael Hillier, the man who admitted pulling the trigger as part of a plan he says he and Rachel came up with.
Layla Wright investigates how someone can be sentenced to life for a murder they didn’t physically commit. Behind the headlines of the Killer Couple case, Layla uncovers the chain of events that ended in a brutal killing in Wigan, travelling across the country and speaking to people on different sides of the story who all had something different to say.
Availability and Impact
As well as airing on BBC iPlayer, the documentary will be available on BBC deepwatch’s YouTube site, which also features documentaries with the likes of Chloe Ayling and Zara McDermott. During the court case, in a victim impact statement read out, Mr Smith’s mother, Julia, said the murder had turned her family’s world upside down. We are completely broken by this senseless and fatal act on such a kind natured man, his mother said. He was a devoted father who worked hard to give his sons the best possible future. I cannot return to work because I'm haunted by the initial phone call saying he was missing. Nobody could get in contact with him. Me and his younger son went to find him and found a white tent, where he had been lying for 24 hours. I constantly think of things he will miss out on. We will never be able to fill this massive void in our lives.
Killer Couple: Love on Trial will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
