Murder, Mystery and My Family

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Top criminal barristers Sasha Wass and Jeremy Dein reinvestigate historical cases.

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Sasha Wass

Jeremy Dein

Clare Wales

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Murder, Mystery and My Family: Series 3: Episode 2

Episode 2

BBC One - Murder, Mystery and My Family, Series 3, Episode 2

Barristers Sasha Wass and Jeremy Dein investigate a 1933 farm murder in Yorkshire.

Barristers Sasha Wass and Jeremy Dein investigate the mysterious murder of a Yorkshire farm owner in the 1930s. Did a clandestine love affair lead to a brutal killing?

Leading criminal barristers Sasha Wass and Jeremy Dein investigate a toxic love triangle which culminated in the murder of a Yorkshire farm owner, who died in mysterious circumstances. His employee, a farm hand, was hanged for the murder, but was he really to blame?

Yorkshire, 1933 – at 3am on a September morning a mother, her daughter and the child's nanny left their farmhouse to find that their barn was ablaze. The farm's owner, 30-year-old Frederick Morton, was nowhere to be seen. The fire was extinguished, but later that morning, in the ruins of the barn, the charred remains of Frederick Morton were discovered. A post mortem revealed he had been shot.

Suspicion soon fell upon 35-year-old farm employee Ernest Brown, who had recently been demoted from groom to odd job man. He was accused of shooting Frederick Morton when he'd arrived home the evening before, then setting the barn on fire to cover up the crime.

At trial the explosive revelation that Ernest Brown and Frederick Morton's wife Dorothy had been having an affair for years behind the farm owner's back caused a sensation – especially considering Mrs Morton was a key witness for the prosecution. The motive was said to be love and an unfair demotion, yet by the time of the murder Ernest Brown and Mrs Morton's affair was over, and he was said to be happy with his new role at the farm.

Today, nearly 90 years later, Clare, whose grandmother was Ernest Brown's cousin, and her son Archie are hoping to discover the truth behind Frederick Morton's death and whether their ancestor might have been innocent. They've called on the barristers to see if they can shed new light on the evidence.

Exploring potentially incorrect witness statements, a dubious motive, the sensational love triangle and a possible alternative suspect, can Sasha and Jeremy uncover enough new evidence to persuade a judge that Ernest Brown's conviction for murder was unsafe?

Murder, Mystery and My Family: Series 3

BBC One

Jeremy Dein and Sasha Wass re-examine historic murder cases

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