A Netflix docuseries, Should I Marry a Murderer?, tells the story of Caroline Muirhead, a pathologist who fell in love with a Scottish farmer she met on Tinder, only to discover he was a killer. Muirhead, then 29, began a whirlwind romance with Sandy McKellar, who proposed after a short time. However, McKellar soon confessed to a hit-and-run accident that killed a cyclist, Tony Parsons, three years earlier. He and his twin brother, Robert, had buried the body in a peat bog.
Muirhead went to the police, who asked her to locate the body. She did, marking it with a Red Bull can, and continued her relationship to gather evidence while police investigated. The body was identified, and the twins were arrested. Muirhead was told to cut contact, but feared the brothers would realise she had informed on them, so she stayed with McKellar, providing further information, including that Parsons had not died instantly but was left by the roadside while the twins fetched tools, and died before they returned.
Muirhead recorded conversations and put herself in danger, but claimed police failed to protect her adequately. She said they did not provide extra security or help when she became dependent on alcohol and drugs. During a second arrest, a detective shouted, 'What the fuck, Caroline? You're our witness!' in front of McKellar, exposing her role.
The series highlights what Muirhead describes as police neglect and a lack of comprehension from officials, including David Green, head of homicide and major crime in Scotland from 2019 to 2023. Green said he 'would have run a mile' and defended the decision not to provide protection, noting Muirhead was 'a highly intelligent, fully qualified doctor'. Defence counsel Brian McConnachie KC also appeared dismissive in the programme.
