The Lie That Became a Death Sentence: The Murder of Darren Kelly
Serial Napper | True Crime for the Chronically TiredShow Notes
On the evening of October 20th, 2015, 42-year-old father and lorry driver Darren Kelly travelled to Pitsea, Essex, believing he was meeting a woman he'd been talking to online. But when Darren arrived, he wasn't met by one person. A group was already waiting nearby, some of them hiding out of sight. They believed Darren was guilty of something terrible, and they had decided to confront him themselves.
Within minutes, Darren was running for his life. He was chased through the streets, beaten and stabbed six times before managing to reach a nearby block of flats and desperately buzz strangers for help. Darren died later that night.
But when police began investigating the accusation that had made Darren a target, they discovered something deeply disturbing: the evidence didn't support it.
What followed was a murder investigation involving an online vigilante campaign, a teenage girl determined to catch suspected predators, four defendants and a trial that left Darren's family questioning how only one person could ultimately be convicted.
Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-36321082
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/daughter-innocent-dad-killed-paedophile-8281536
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