Social Media Murders: ITV's Documentary On The Murder Of Grace Millane Airs Tonight
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*Warning: This article contains information that some people may find distressing.*
A new documentary looking into the disturbing disappearance and murder of British backpacker Grace Millane is coming to ITV 2 tonight.
The Murder of Grace Millane: Social Media Murders is part of a new series of documentary films. All the murders featured are linked because of the role social media played in bringing the victim and the culprit together.
The 22-year-old from Wickford, Essex, was on a round-the-world trip when she died from strangulation in an apartment in Auckland, New Zealand in December 2018. She was in the company of a 26-year-old man, who she had met for a Tinder date.
He later buried Grace's body in a suitcase, in a forested area outside of the city.
In February 2020, the jury in the trial ruled Jesse Kempson, whose name was withheld from the public during the trial, was guilty of her murder and he was sentenced to a minimum of 17 years. The decision was made in the high court of Auckland, New Zealand, after the court rejected claims that Grace had died accidentally, during “rough sex”.
The trial had been one of the most controversial of its kind, and has sparked an important conversation surrounding the credibility of using 'consensual rough sex' as an excuse for death by strangulation.
During the trial, the court heard how, on the night of her murder, the killer "wasn't distressed or concerned" by her passing, but instead set about planning how to dispose of her body.
They were also told how he "sexualised" her killing, taking photographs and searching for pornography.
Grace’s mother Gillian Millane addressed the court via video link as her daughter’s murderer was sentenced, telling the man he had taken away her “very best friend”.
The film will follow the subsequent search, the arrest of her killer and the court case that followed.
The Murder of Grace Millane: Social Media Murders airs tonight, Monday 15th November, 9pm on ITV2 and ITV Hub.
Topics: ITV, TV And Film, True Crime