24/09/2025
The Essex Murders runs for three episodes, tracking the investigation into the Essex Boys murders as well as suspicion that the real killer was never caught.
The episodes start in 1988, as ecstasy gains prominence in the clubbing scene of London.
Friends and family of the trio are interviewed into the life of those involved in illegal raves, as well as those involved in the drug dealing operation.
The episodes play out as follows:
Episode One: Ecstasy and Agony
Run Time: 48mins
In 1988, the rave scene emerged in London – particularly the illegal rave scene, where use of drugs, particularly ecstasy, became a flourishing business.
By 1989, ecstasy was the fastest growing popular drug in the UK, with politicians and police determined to crack down on raves as hospital admissions increased due to overdoses.
When the government passed new legislation to shut illegal raves down, the drugs moved into legal nightclubs, where bouncer Tony Tucker, looking for a way to make money, started allowing dealers to function in the club in exchange for a cut of the profits.
Soon this became an empire, working out of several nightclubs with people working for him.
In November 1995, at the height of his business, 18-year-old Leah Betts fell into a coma and later died after taking ecstasy at her birthday party at Raquel’s nightclub in Basildon, one of the businesses Tucker ran.
This prompts a new fight against drugs across the country by politicians, and a search for who was responsible for supplying the drug.
By this point, Tucker had already made “powerful enemies” according to pals.
On the morning of December 7, the bodies of Tucker, as well as Patrick Tate and Craig Rolfe, were found. They’d all been shot at close range with a shotgun after being lured there.
Suspicion is soon raised over who orchestrated and carried out the attack. Leah Betts’ father, who has a history with fi****ms, was briefly interviewed but released when it’s revealed he was recording an interview for a TV station less than an hour before the attack.
Jack Whomes and Michael Steele are eventually arrested, tried, and sentenced to three life sentences, after drug dealer Darren Nicholls comes forward as an informant, claiming he drove the getaway car for the pair when the murders took place.
However, some members of the police force doubt how solid the case is.
Episode Two: Secrets and Lies
Run Time: 48mins
An investigation firm called TM Eye - which looks into potential miscarriages of justice for free - starts looking into Whomes and Steele’s case, believing they might be innocent.
Interest and debate over the case and who committed the murder continues to grow online. Whomes and Steele were connected to the victims going back to at least 1992, with Tate friends with Whomes’ brother and Tucker while he was in prison.
After being released in July 1994, Tate started working for Tucker, and due to his bodybuilder stature became known in the gangster scene.
Steele would work with Tucker and Tate and fly drugs in on his plane, dumping them in fields where the plane would land for dealers to collect.
It’s noted that a few weeks before the murders a deal went wrong, and Tate allegedly threatened to kill Steele unless he got the money he lost. One standing theory is Steele and Whomes created the ambush by doing a “dummy run” for a subsequent new deal, killing them in the process – explaining why the trio drove to a country lane.
Investigators and experts look into how the murders took place, and how no forensic evidence actually ties Whomes or Steele to the case.
Doubt is soon cast on Darren Nicholls testimony, with retracing the steps of the night further adding confusion over the timeline.
Episode Three: Truth and Justice
Run Time: 47mins
In the final episode, with no fingerprints, blood or DNA connecting the men to the crimes, Darren Nicholls’ testimony remains the only thing linking the men to the crimes.
A new fight for an appeal is launched, with online sleuths launching their own investigation.
One content creator lands an interview with Steve ‘Nipper’ Ellis, who was once associated with Tucker, Tate and Rolfe – and he appears to admit knowledge of the murders.
Nipper and Tate at one point dealt drugs together after meeting during a stint in prison, and he notes Tate acted as Tucker’s “enforcer” as they started business together.
In an interview with the documentary, Nipper says Tucker made threats against his family, including his sisters, admitting he had plans to kill them – but never got the chance.
Nipper claims his father, who died in 2016, was the one who murdered the three men to protect his family, with him talking about the deaths in detail on his deathbed.
In 2014, a police report was leaked that suggested a crime boss was taped discussing killing the Essex Boys shortly before they were murdered.
Meanwhile, the documentary interviews other former criminals who claimed Tucker and Tate had begun stealing from other drug dealers, creating enemies of other criminal gangs.
An unearthed police interview has an informant claim a crime syndicate had ordered their murders via a contract killer.
“Witness A” has information on the killing that was ruled out of the case, but proves interesting to the new investigators. A farmer who lives near the scene unknowingly corroborates parts of Witness A’s timeline, specifically the time the murder took place.
However, as it’s not new evidence, it can’t be used as grounds for an appeal.
TM Eye meet an anonymous source at an Essex Hotel, who claims Whomes and Steele weren’t involved in the murder – but they were.
They claim they were sent to prison for an armed robbery, with Tucker being given some of the cash for safekeeping, but once they got out, Tucker refused to return the cash.
The anonymous interviewer claims he paid for Tucker to be taken out by a hitman and was the sole target, with the others being “collateral damage”.
He added he doesn’t know who committed the crime or how it played out beyond him paying someone money. He later retracted his statement.
To date, no one else has been arrested, with Steele and Whomes’ latest appeal rejected in 2023.
