What happened to Grace Millane? The true story behind ITV's Social Media Murders
Here's everything you need to know about the case.
ITV's Social Media Murders is exploring three real-life cases which resulted in the death of a young person, while looking into the unfortunate role social media played in bringing together the culprit and the victim.
One of those cases is the tragic death of Grace Millane - a 22-year-old British backpacker who went missing while on a Tinder date in Auckland in 2018.
A week after Grace’s disappearance, 26-year-old Jesse Kempson was arrested and later convicted of Grace’s murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Using exclusive interviews with the investigators closest to the case, combined with revealing CCTV and police interview footage with the culprit Jesse Kempson, Social Media Murders tells the story of a truly chilling case that sparked worldwide media attention.
Other individuals also speak for the first time, including Grace’s friends, a fellow traveller and a former flat-mate of Kempson who recounts her own experience of knowing the killer and the suspicions she had of him prior to the event.
So, what exactly happened?
Here's everything you need to know about the case featured in the new ITV series.
Who is Grace Millane and what happened to her?
Grace Millane was a British tourist who went missing in Auckland while backpacking.
After graduating from the University of Lincoln with a bachelor's degree in advertising and marketing, Grace embarked on the adventure of a lifetime travelling to South America and then New Zealand.
Grace landed in New Zealand for a two-week stay on 20th November 2018 and travelled around the Upper North Island. She arrived in Auckland on 30th November.
On 1st December, she was seen in Victoria Street in Auckland's central business district.
She was last seen at 9:41pm at the CityLife Hotel on Queen Street with Jesse Kempson, who it later emerged she'd met via Tinder and had arranged to meet with the day before her 22nd birthday.
Grace's parents became worried when she didn't reply to the birthday messages they sent her on 2nd December and the police started to investigate after her parents reported her missing.
Police initially said that there was "no evidence of foul play", but later gathered evidence that she was "no longer alive". Kempson was subsequently charged with her murder on 8th December.
On 9th December at around 4pm, Millane's body was found in the Waitākere Ranges around 19km (12 miles) west of central Auckland.
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Where is Jesse Kempson now?
Kempson was taken into custody on 8th December 2018 at 3pm. He had been staying at the CityLife Hotel in central Auckland.
His trial began nearly a year later on 4th November 2019 and lasted three weeks, with the jury returning a guilty verdict after five hours of deliberation.
His name had initially been suppressed from the public because he faced two further trials. However, that order was lifted by New Zealand's Supreme Court after he lost an appeal against his murder conviction and sentence.
In 2020, it was revealed for the first time that Kempson had raped another British tourist eight months before he killed Millane and he was also convicted of a series of offences against a former partner.
Kempson has now been sentenced to a total of 11 years in jail for the two recent trials, to be served simultaneously with the 17-year minimum sentence for Millane's murder, although he reportedly plans to appeal against both new convictions.
He's currently serving time at Auckland Prison.
Outside the courtroom after the guilty verdict, Grace's father David made an emotional statement describing his daughter as "our sunshine" and said she would be "missed forever".
Social Media Murders starts on ITV2 on Monday 15th November at 9pm. The Murder of Grace Millane will be the first episode in the series. Find out what else to watch with our TV Guide or visit our dedicated Documentaries hub.
