Despite the abundance of light-hearted shows like Bridgerton or the drama-filled Married at First Sight Australia, some of us opt to unwind with a twisty true crime thriller or documentary – and there's actually a reason why so many of us do.
If that sounds like you, then listen up. ITV's Murderer Unmasked series is currently running weekly, with each episode investigating a true crime event. In this week's episode, viewers follow the tragic murder of Alex Davies. The 18-year-old was brutally murdered after meeting another man on Grindr, in a story that rightfully shocked the nation.
Ahead of tonight's Murderer Unmasked episode, here's what we know about killer Brian Healless and where he is now.
Who is Brian Healless?
Killer Brian Healless (18) matched with Alex Davies on Grindr, a gay dating app, in 2019. Alex was open about his sexuality, but Brian confessed he was "not out yet" and suggested a "discreet spot" halfway between their two homes for their first meeting, per the BBC.
At the meeting spot, a remote woodland area in Parbold Hill, West Lancashire, Healless stabbed Davies 128 times. He then dragged Davies through the mud and covered his body with branches before leaving him to die alone.
What happened to Brian Healless?
Following the brutal murder of 18-year-old Davies, Healless was tried at Preston Crown Court in 2020. The court was told that Healless was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the killing, which psychiatrists who examined him agreed with.
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Jurors, however, rejected the defence that his responsibility for the killing was diminished by his mental state. This is because of the calculated actions he took before and after the killing to try to wipe any connection between himself and the victim. This is something that Judge Brown noted when handing Healless his sentence.
"You were messaging him on Grindr and Instagram for the purpose of meeting him at a remote location. You were undoubtedly setting him up to kill, and you are a manipulative, calculating and devious person," Judge Brown told the court.
"You made a Google search about the phone before the meeting and stole it immediately after the killing. You took the other phone and Samsung Galaxy watch, a set of headphones, a leather wallet, and a rucksack as well and not long after you had returned home, you re-registered and factory reset the two phones," he went on. "In my judgement, you are a cold-blooded killer, and this was a most brutal murder."
Where is Brian Healless now?
After his trial, Healless was handed a minimum prison term of 24 years, but was taken to hospital on the day of sentencing after serving just two hours in jail. Speaking to the BBC, Davies' mother expressed her "shock" at learning Healless had been moved to a psychiatric hospital so soon after sentencing.
"I was told he was off to prison and it was only weeks after, when the Probation Service got in contact with me, I was told he was only in prison for the two hours and then he was swept back to Guild Lodge," said Beverley Davies. As a result, the grieving mother felt that "justice had not been served."
"He is so dangerous. Why is he not in a high secure hospital?" she went on. "I have asked for a general impression of what life is like in Guild Lodge, but there just seems to be a barrier where the public is not allowed to know about what the conditions are like in a medium secure hospital."
Explaining the situation, Alex Chalk MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, told Davies' mother that officials had relied on assessments from four independent psychiatrists. These assessments confirmed that Healless continued to suffer from a mental disorder requiring hospital treatment.
Chalk added that it was "not usual but by no means unprecedented" for an inmate to be moved to hospital on the day of sentencing, and described Healless as being a "restricted patient."
Commenting on the matter, a Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "Prisoners may be transferred for treatment in mental health hospitals, based on assessments by expert clinicians, but will return to serve their sentence in prison once they are fit to do so."
Murderer Unmasked airs on ITV1 at 9 PM on Thursday March 19.
