BBC documentary ‘Murder Case - Who Killed Kiesha?’ reveals fresh details in murder of Elgin mum Kiesha Donaghy
A new BBC documentary which followed detectives as they investigated the murder of Elgin mum Kiesha Donaghy has revealed fresh details on the case and how the 32-year-old’s killer was snared.
The makers of ‘Murder Case - Who Killed Kiesha?’ were allowed to film detectives as they worked through the tragic case after Kiesha was found dead in her own home at Anderson Drive on November 16, 2023.
The documentary was announced just over a month after 43-year-old Owen Grant was jailed for life at the High Court in Edinburgh on May 29 this year for bludgeoning Kiesha to death with a still-unknown weapon.
Operation Birketts
The documentary opens with Detective Inspector William Murdoch, the deputy senior investigating officer on the case, announcing the start of Operation Birketts - the investigation into the unexplained death of Kiesha.
The inspector reveals that the mum of two had last been seen alive on a video call with a friend at around 4.30pm on November 15.
Later that day, a neighbour living above Kiesha’s flat heard a loud bang followed by a dog barking.
The next day, at around 7pm, Kiesha’s friends found her deceased on her bed.
Owen Grant’s name appeared early in the investigation after officers discovered his passport in Kiesha’s home.
Kiesha’s involvement with drugs
On November 17, detectives revealed that their “working hypothesis” was that Kiesha had been murdered and that inquiries had revealed that she was involved in the supply of controlled drugs in the Moray and Highlands areas.
Witness accounts had put Grant in the company of Kiesha in the early hours of November 15 but he had spoken voluntarily with police just two days later, providing an official statement on his relationship with her and a timeline of his movements.
He claimed that he had slept for most of the day on November 15 and had arrived late to play pool at the Cottar Hoose Pub at around 9pm that evening before leaving after drinking a couple of pints.
DI Murdoch states in the documentary: “We will review that statement but at this stage he does remain a witness.”
Drug debts and rumoured scouse perpetrators
Officers conducting further interviews heard rumours that Kiesha was more than £20,000 in debt and that scousers were responsible for her death.
They were also informed that she had allegedly received two or three calls making threats to kill her and that she was due £1000 to a drug dealer.
It was also established that she must have been killed between the hours of 7pm and 8pm on November 15.
‘Drug deal gone wrong’
While officers scoured hours of CCTV footage, Kiesha’s aunt Rachel came forward with new information.
She had seen Facebook messages sent to her niece from a person named ‘Joe Bloggs’ who wanted to meet with Kiesha in person at her own home to discuss a drug deal.
Kiesha had apparently been concerned as she did not have all of the money she owed him with the man threatening to get “two amigos” involved.
Her aunt said: “When her gran died, it hit Kiesha badly.
“That’s when things took a turn for the worst for her.
“She started getting involved with drugs and she went down a rabbit hole she didn’t get out of.”
The information had detectives pursuing a theory of a “drug deal gone wrong” with a post-mortem also revealing that Kiesha’s index finger and her ring finger had been fractured.
The pathologist advised that the “sinister” injuries could have been caused by somebody who was trying to get information out of Kiesha.
‘No major inconsistencies’ in Grant’s account as bloody handprint is analysed
On November 20, DCI Martin MacDougall, senior investigating officer, said there were “no major inconsistencies” in Grant’s account of events.
It was also revealed that a bloody handprint left on the wall of Kiesha’s home could not be analysed and would need to be enhanced.
£1000 stash hidden in Kiesha’s home
On November 22, the Joe Bloggs line of enquiry revealed that Kiesha had stashed around £1000 in her house which would become an important part of the investigation in the following days.
CCTV proves pivotal
On November 23, while teams were looking for signs of the “two amigos” Kiesha’s aunt had mentioned, a major breakthrough was made.
CCTV footage showed Grant walking along Murray Street in Elgin at around 8.25pm on November 15 just a few yards away from Kiesha’s home.
A further trawl of CCTV established a second sighting, this time from 8.01pm on Bezack Street where Grant was observed travelling towards Kiesha’s home.
And at 9.44pm on the same night, CCTV footage showed him purchasing items from within the Scotmid Coop on Southfield drive with a “wad of cash”.
This was despite Grant having attempted to make a deal with his landlord to suspend the payment of his rent due to lack of funds.
Most significantly, an earlier CCTV hit had captured Grant stuffing a bag into the bottom of a bin outside the Scotmid Co-op at 9.01pm. It also showed him in a change of clothes.
Detectives theorised that Grant had dumped the murder weapon in the bin.
Grant formally labelled a suspect
On November 29, Owen Grant was formally labelled as a suspect in the case but without hard evidence officers could not charge him with the offence.
Efforts to trace whatever he had dumped in the bin were unsuccessful with DI Murdoch noting: “We’re unlikely to get that item back at this stage.”
DCI MacDougall added: “Physical evidence could be the difference between Grant being charged with Kiesha’s murder or not.”
Handprint analysis breakthrough
Despite being unable to trace a murder weapon, the breakthrough in the case came when analysis of the bloody handprint produced a match for Grant.
That was despite Grant telling detectives that he was not in Kiesha’s home at the time of her death.
Grant arrested at his work
Officers moved quickly to arrest and charge Grant with Kiesha’s murder and apprehended him at his place of work at Pinefield Industrial Estate in Elgin.
While being handcuffed, he told officers: “You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do but I’ve done nothing.”
Grant responded with “no comment” to every question he was asked by a detective after being taken to Inverness shortly after his arrest.
The full documentary can be watched on BBC iPlayer now and will air on BBC Scotland on August 26 and BBC Two on August 31.