07 August 2023 , 19:00
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The death of backpacker Grace Millane shocked and saddened the world when it was discovered that she had been strangled, murdered and dumped in a suitcase by her Tinder date, Jesse Kempson.
The 27-year-old killer, who later claimed in court that Grace died during a 'rough sex game' gone wrong, horrifically lied to police officers and buried her body in a shallow grave.
Grace, who was assumed missing whilst travelling New Zealand after graduating from university, was killed the night before her 22nd birthday in a hotel on December 1, 2018.
An ITV true crime series Social Media Murders, which airs tonight, examines the tragic story of how Grace fell victim to a depraved murderer, who is serving a minimum of 17 years behind bars.
The messages show the murderer was the one pushing for a date with the 21-year-oldScreenshots of Tinder messages exchanged between Grace and Kempson reveal how he lured her into meeting him for a date, before going back to his hotel room and strangling her to death. The disturbing conversation was released in 2019 and shown to jurors during the three-week trial, in which Kempson was found guilty of murder.
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The killer sent the first message on the dating app, saying: 'Hey Grace how are you?? Much planned for the weekend?' She replied by telling him it was her birthday tomorrow and she did not have any plans. He then proposed they go for a drink, with Grace initially appearing reluctant to meet the local man during her travels. She repeatedly tells him 'maybe' in response.
He asks her 'maybe yes??', prompting the Brit to suggest he 'convince' her. The murderer offered to 'shout' free booze for Grace and recommended a 'cool Mexican place'. Grace told him she was 'maybe' up for drinks, although when her killer suggested another venue she said 'I haven't said yes yet?' In a chilling message, the 27-year-old then replied 'you haven't said no either'.
The killer offered Grace free drinks for her birthday to persuade her to meet with him
Grace agreed to go on a date with Kempson and later returned to his room, where he strangled herThe pair later had a boozy date in Auckland with Grace returning to her killer's room, where he fatally strangled her before proceeding to go on another Tinder date, while she lay dead in his apartment. On December 2, when Grace failed to contact her family and reply to birthday messages, alarm bells rang and the backpacker was reported missing. By December 8, police investigating Grace's disappearance had announced it was now a murder investigation.
The following day, Grace's body was found in a mountain range about 12 miles outside of Auckland. Shortly after, Kempson, then 26, was charged with murdering Grace. He was initially unnamed, as he had also been convicted of two further trials earlier that year. It included the rape of a woman he met on Tinder, and a series of offences against a former partner - including sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection, threatening to kill and assault with a weapon.
In the ITV documentary, Millie Mason - Kempson's former flatmate - said her house had a "bad feeling" about him and avoided spending one-on-one time with him. Speaking to ITV, she said: "We eventually stopped wanting to be alone in the house with him, you just knew you shouldn't be near him alone. It does make you wonder, what else he was hiding, what else wasn't true."
Social Media Murders, Episode 1: The Murder of Grace Millane, airs tonight on ITV at 10:45pm.