If you've been looking for a new true crime documentary to get stuck into, then keep reading. ITV is releasing a new documentary, billed as an investigation into "obsession, control, and betrayal."
According to ITV, WhatsApp Obsession: The Murder of Stephanie Hansen is a "powerful true crime documentary [that] tells the story of Stephanie Hansen, a young woman who was murdered at the hands of her fixated flatmate."
Ahead of the episode's release, here's everything you need to know about the tragic murder of Stephanie Hansen, and where her killer, Sheldon Rodrigues, is now.
Who is Sheldon Rodrigues?
Sheldon Rodrigues was the flatmate of Stephanie Hansen. He developed an extremely unhealthy obsession with her over their seven-year friendship, which began in 2015. They later moved into a flat in West London in 2022, with Hansen making the movie to help with the high cost of living. Rodrigues, meanwhile, was intent on having a relationship with her.
On finding out that Hansen was in a new relationship, Rodrigues' obsession intensified and he spent over 150 hours eavesdropping on his housemate using hidden surveillance devices planted across the home, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Rodrigues also stalked Hansen's new partner and, on one occasion, paid someone £100 to follow him in their vehicle. He also made a string of violent threats to the pair from fake social media accounts and contacted their employer on two occasions, demanding that they be dismissed.
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Things came to a head in December 2022. While at work on December 29, Rodrigues was caught on CCTV checking his phone and adjusting his earphones for a significant amount of time as he secretly listened to Hansen and her boyfriend at home. When his shift ended in the early hours of December 30, Rodrigues went home and brutally attacked Hansen.
She was later found with 60 separate injuries, including 20 knife wounds and 39 impact injuries. Hansen had a number of knife wounds to her neck and blunt force injuries caused by a hairdryer and a large fan.
What happened to Sheldon Rodrigues?
After brutally killing his housemate, Rodrigues left Hansen's body in the bedroom for about 24 hours before calling 999 and pretending he had just found her.
Upon arriving, police discovered Rodrigues had cuts on his palms and fingers, which he claimed were from carving a chicken on Christmas Day. However, this claim was disproven when the CCTV footage from his December 29 shift at work showed these wounds were not yet there.
At his trial, Rodrigues denied murder and tried to shift the blame to Hansen's new boyfriend. He also alleged that the recording devices were set up for his housemate's safety. But the killer's obsession was undeniable and was exposed in messages on his phone dating back to 2015.
In one message exchange from 2021, he wrote: "It hurts to see you every day knowing you'll never like me." To that, she responded: "I do like you, but just not enough." Rodrigues did not accept this rejection and even offered to undergo surgery to alter his appearance.
The court was also told that, 10 days before the murder, Rodrigues searched the internet for "how to make a woman fall in love with me."
Where is Sheldon Rodrigues now?
At trial, Rodrigues was found guilty of murdering his housemate, Hansen. The 30-year-old was later handed a minimum of 25 years in prison at a sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey on March 8, 2024. It's unclear which prison he is serving his sentence in.
Watch WhatsApp Obsession: The Murder of Stephanie Hansen on ITV at 9pm on Tuesday, March 24.
