Should I Marry a Murderer? turns an intensely personal decision into the center of a three-part Netflix documentary. The series follows Caroline Muirhead, a Glasgow forensic pathologist whose engagement changes when her partner, Sandy McKellar, tells her that he killed a man and concealed the body.
Netflix presents the story through interviews with Muirhead, her family, lawyers, investigators and people connected to the case. The documentary is now streaming, and its three episodes trace her move from a fast engagement to a dangerous position as a key witness.
Should I Marry a Murderer? key facts
- Streaming service: Netflix
- Format: Three-part limited documentary series
- Episodes: Three
- Subject: Caroline Muirhead and Sandy McKellar
- Director: Josh Allott
- Rating: TV-MA in the United States
What happens in the Netflix documentary?
Spoilers follow for the full series and the real case it documents.
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Netflix says Muirhead met McKellar in 2020 and quickly became engaged. After she asked him to share the things in his life that he was not proud of, McKellar confessed to his role in the 2017 death of cyclist Tony Parsons. He said that he and his twin brother, Robert, had buried Parsons after the incident.
The series follows Muirhead as she reports what she has learned and then faces a difficult choice about how to remain safe while supporting the investigation. According to Netflix’s official guide to the series, she covertly marked the burial area when McKellar asked her to help move the body, then told police where to search.
That sequence explains the documentary’s title. The story is not framed as a conventional relationship drama. It is about the pressure Muirhead faced after learning information that put her between her partner and a family still looking for a missing man. Netflix’s episode descriptions show how the series narrows that pressure across three chapters, from the first confession to Muirhead’s increasingly risky double life and the prospect of testifying.
Where are Sandy and Robert McKellar now?
Netflix says Sandy McKellar pleaded guilty to culpable homicide in 2023 and received a 12-year prison sentence. Robert McKellar received a five-year-and-three-month sentence for obstruction of justice. Both were serving their sentences when Netflix published its guide.
The documentary does not need to manufacture a cliffhanger because the real case already carries serious consequences. Its focus is Muirhead’s experience, including the impact of staying in contact with McKellar while trying to help secure evidence. The series also includes material from her personal archive, adding context beyond the courtroom timeline.
Where is Caroline Muirhead now?
Netflix reports that Muirhead moved to the seaside after the case, became sober and is rebuilding relationships with loved ones. She is now in a committed relationship. Her participation in the documentary gives the series its perspective and keeps the focus on the person who had to make an impossible decision rather than treating the case as a puzzle.
Viewers looking for another recent Netflix true-crime story can also read our coverage of Death of the Pastor’s Wife, which takes a different approach to a real case. Have you watched Should I Marry a Murderer?, and did its focus on Muirhead’s decision change how you saw the case? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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