Who killed Jill Dando? The main theories as Netflix documentary revisits murder case

Streaming on Netflix now, new three-part documentary series Who Killed Jill Dando? revisits a harrowing case that shocked the nation and remains a mystery to this day.

In 1999, popular TV host, presenter and newsreader Jill Dando was murdered on her own doorstep outside of her Fulham home in broad daylight. In the 24 years since her killing took place, many rumours and theories have circulated about who may have killed her and why.

This tragic story is put under the microscope in a new documentary series that promises to look at Dando’s life and the events leading up to her murder, alongside the many possible reasons why someone may have targeted her in such a cold and calculated way.

Who was Jill Dando?

“In many ways, I think people saw Jill as a TV Diana… she was the nation’s sweetheart,” explain voices featured in the first trailer for Netflix’s documentary series Who Killed Jill Dando?, comparing the murdered host to the late princess.

These comments help provide some context as to the way Dando was viewed in the eyes of British pop culture in the late nineties shortly before her untimely murder at just 37 years old.

Read more: Timeline of events since Jill Dando was shot dead

Born in Weston-Super-Mare, Dando rose to prominence in the late 1980s as a presenter on BBC News broadcasts after a few years of cutting her teeth doing the same for regional programmes.

Soon, Dando began presenting other TV shows like the travel programme Holiday alongside her news reading duties and eventually, she became well known as a co-host on Crimewatch, starting the role in 1995.

Airing on the BBC, Crimewatch focused on a variety of unsolved crimes and featured reconstructions of each and interviews with both detectives and those directly involved with featured incidents.

As one of the show’s presenters, it would later be suggested that Dando’s murder was the result of someone who was negatively impacted by a case featured on the show.

However, like many theories surrounding her death, this remains unconfirmed.

What happened to Jill Dando?

Dando was murdered on the doorstep of her home in Fulham, London, on the morning of 26 April, 1999.

After returning home, Dando was approached from behind whilst on her doorstep, pushed to the ground and shot in the temple at point-blank range, killing her instantly.

Investigations later discovered that the bullet used to murder Dando appeared to have been modified, something that later led them to rule out theories of a contract killing under the assumption that professional assassins may not use outdated or amended weapons.

The only person to provide a concrete description of a possible suspect was Dando’s neighbour who heard a scream at around the same time as her death but no gunshot sound.

Shortly afterwards, he claimed to have spotted a six-foot tall man, roughly 40 years of age, leaving the scene of the crime and walking away from Dando’s home.

Did Jill Dando’s killer ever get caught?

Due to her fame and media prominence in the late 1990s, Dando was known to a wide array of people, any of whom could have been a potential suspect in her murder. Due to this fact, landing on an actual motive for her killing proved difficult for authorities.

Many potential reasons were suggested and ultimately investigated in the time following her murder. These included a bitter ex-partner — one that was either known or unknown to Dando’s friends and family — a revenge killing via a hired assassin in the wake of a Crimewatch investigation, involvement of Bosnian-Serb or Yugoslav groups in retaliation for Dando’s aid appearances during the Yugoslav Wars, professional work rivalries, the actions of an unstable fan or even a simple case of mistaken identity.

Due to the nature of Dando’s movements on the morning of her death, ideas involving a potential contract killing were ruled out, as it would have been difficult for anyone to know exactly where she might have been and at what time.

It was also suggested that Dando may have uncovered details of a paedophile ring within the BBC but like many of the theories suggested above, this was quickly ruled out, with no evidence found to support the idea.

Eventually, police investigations led detectives to Barry George, a person of interest who had a history of stalking and sexual offences and also lived close to Dando’s Fulham home.

Read more: Jill Dando was the victim of ‘professional hit’ says ex-career criminal

After a trial at the Old Bailey, George was convicted of Dando’s murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Over the years, his case was reinvestigated due to sparse evidence and fumbled forensics.

Eventually, George was acquitted of Dando’s murder and released in 2008. He is due to appear in Netflix’s new series to share his side of the story.

Due to the clinical and calculated nature of Dando’s murder, the latest lines of inquiry circle back to older theories and suggest that she could have been killed by a professional assassin.

That said, as of 2023, the true identity of Dando’s killer — and the reasons behind her murder — remain a mystery.

Who Killed Jill Dando is streaming on Netflix now