Was journalist Jill Dando killed by a cousin of Freddie Mercury?

On April 26, 1999, Jill Dando, 37, was found bleeding on her doorstep. The young woman is far from unknown: she is one of the best-known presenters in the United Kingdom. Considered a second Lady Di, nothing predestined her to make the heyday of the BBC. From journalist in written press in the local newspaper of her city, she finds herself in front of the cameras and presents a multitude of programs, the most important being Crimewatch…a show dedicated to unsolved cases. By embodying this program, Jill Dando could not imagine that an episode would be dedicated to her a few years later. And for good reason, she was shot in the head as she was about to enter her home at 29 Gowan Avenue, in Fulham. Who killed the journalist?

English police in pursuit of Jill Dando’s murderer

Netflix returns to this unsolved murder case, in the documentary series Who killed the BBC’s darling?, broadcast Tuesday September 26, 2023. With the help of numerous witnesses, including Nigel Dando, her brother, Alan Farthing, her fiancé whom she was to marry in September 1999, or even former colleagues, the series unravels the thread of this news item which left England speechless 24 years ago. Many avenues have been studied over these two decades. Was Jill Dando killed by a walker? A neighbour ? An obsessive fan? A jilted ex-lover? Or maybe it was a political crime? The investigators sift through his entourage and find nothing. They also fail to understand why she was targeted and how this person found out about her schedule. Until they come across the profile of a strange man who calls himself Barry Bulsara. A long process then begins to bring down the person they are convinced is guilty.

Same last name as Freddie Mercury

Hamish Campbell, detective in charge of the investigation, was directed to the suspect by several anonymous calls received early in the investigation. The profile fits: the man lives near the scene of the crime, he is unemployed and lonely. In police files, it appears that he has already been convicted of attempted rape and assault, under several names. Barry Bulsara is one of them. When the news reaches the ears of the press, it goes into overdrive. Jeff Edwards, former journalist for The Mirrorexclaims: “Barry Bulsara? Is he related to Freddie Mercury? I knew his real name was Bulsara, an unusual last name, and I figured it couldn’t be a coincidence”. And yet. The man arrested, and who will be convicted and then imprisoned for the murder of Jill Dando before being cleared, is actually called Barry George. “He was always changing his identity, using aliases, celebrity names”, explains the detective. He therefore has no connection with the iconic singer of Queen whose birth name was Farrokh Bulsara. While he was released in 2008, the former suspect agreed to sit in front of the Netflix cameras to deliver his side of the story.