Should I Marry a Murderer?

What is the series about?

Should I Marry a Murderer? is a three-part Netflix documentary series examining the 2017 killing of charity cyclist Tony Parsons in Scotland, and how the perpetrator's own fiancée became the key witness who brought him to justice. The series follows Dr Caroline Muirhead, who learned years into her engagement to Alexander "Sandy" McKellar that he had confessed to killing a man on a remote Highland road and burying the body with help from his twin brother.

The Case

Tony Parsons, a 63-year-old cancer survivor and charity cyclist, was struck and killed in September 2017 on the A82 near Bridge of Orchy in Argyll and Bute. Prosecutors alleged that Sandy McKellar, who had been drink-driving, hit Parsons with his truck, and that he and his twin brother Robert then buried the body on the nearby Auch Estate, where it remained undiscovered for roughly three years.

The case only came to light in 2020, after Sandy met and became engaged to Caroline Muirhead. According to the BBC, Sandy eventually confessed the killing to Muirhead, who reported the matter to police and went on to secretly record his admissions and help investigators pinpoint the burial site, reportedly even leaving a marker can on the estate to guide searchers.

Sandy and Robert McKellar were initially arrested but released due to insufficient evidence. Muirhead continued cooperating covertly with police, but her deteriorating mental health and substance misuse ultimately left her unable to testify at trial, according to reporting from USA Today. Facing that evidentiary gap, prosecutors accepted plea deals: Sandy McKellar pleaded guilty to culpable homicide and attempting to pervert the course of justice, receiving a 12-year sentence, while Robert McKellar pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice and was sentenced to five years and three months.

Production

Netflix has not publicly confirmed a director for the series in available listings. The documentary is structured around Muirhead's own account of the relationship, her gradual discovery of what Sandy had done, and her decision to work with police while remaining engaged to him — a framing confirmed by Netflix's official synopsis. The three episodes reportedly draw on police material and Muirhead's covert recordings to reconstruct both the original crime and the years-long concealment that followed.

Reception

The series has drawn attention for its unusual angle on a familiar true-crime structure: rather than centering solely on the victim or the criminal proceedings, it foregrounds the emotional and psychological ordeal of the fiancée-turned-witness. The BBC described it as a story in which romantic attachment complicated what might otherwise seem like an obvious decision to report a suspected killer. However, an opinion piece in USA Today criticized the title and framing, arguing the series risks turning a man's death into relationship-centered spectacle rather than keeping focus on Tony Parsons and the legal process. Entertainment coverage, including from Yahoo, noted the series reportedly topped Netflix's charts shortly after release, though independent audience metrics were not verified. No confirmed IMDb rating or director credit is currently available for the title.

The Case Today

Both Sandy and Robert McKellar are serving their respective custodial sentences following their guilty pleas. No verified information is available regarding release dates or further legal developments since sentencing. Caroline Muirhead's current status, including any ongoing health or legal matters referenced in reporting, has not been independently confirmed beyond the accounts cited in the BBC and USA Today coverage of the case.