A new two-part series on Channel 5, Murder in Shetland: Trial by Jury, details the heartbreaking death of Claire Leveque, with her partner, Aren Pearson, accused of murder.
Leveque died at the age of 24 on 11 February 2024, after being stabbed repeatedly while in a hot tub at Pearson's mother's home. She had moved to the Scottish island from Canada, believing Pearson to be a wealthy Bitcoin entrepreneur, and the new documentary shares more of her backstory and life before making they crossed paths.
Although Aren Pearson denied killing his girlfriend, after a harrowing trial (and strong evidence to the contrary) a jury disagreed and found him guilty.
This is the details of the case and where Pearson is now.
Who is Aren Pearson?
Aren Pearson, in his forties, is the man found guilty of murdering Canadian woman, Claire Leveque. After meeting, he tricked Leveque into believing he was a wealthy businessman in the Bitcoin space and invited her to move from Alberta, Canada, to the rural Scottish island of Shetland, where he and his mother were living.
Sadly, Leveque soon found out that Pearson was deceitful and an abusive, controlling partner. In court, he tried to claim that Leveque had stabbed herself, but the jury saw through his lies.
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In court, the jury heard that Pearson's own mother called 999 after he had attacked Leveque.
Who was Claire Leveque?
Claire Leveque was a Canadian woman who was brutally murdered at the age of 24 while in Shetland, at her partner's mother's home. She was in a hot tub in a garage when she was attacked by Pearson, who Leveque told her family was regularly abusive.
Her father, Clint, later said in a public statement: "My little girl was stolen from me. I’ll never get to hug her again, hear her laugh or see her smile. I’ll never see the woman she would have become.
"She’ll never have the chance to be a mother or grandmother, or to know the love a parent has for their child and know that is the love I have for her."
Outside of the court, Leveque's cousin, Hope, said (as reported by STV), she had been a "bubbly, fun girl who brought life to every room that she walked into".
According to the case's sentencing remarks, Leveque had "travelled thousands of miles from her home in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to live with [Pearson and his] mother at Sandness, a village lying some 30 miles from Lerwick at the end of a single track road.
"Ms Leveque had no UK passport and no permission to work. She had no driving licence. [Pearson was] aged 39, some 15 years her senior [...] She was vulnerable and isolated."
Pearson's mother, described her as "just a lovely young girl" when she called 999 on the day that Leveque was stabbed. In a later statement, she also added that Leveque was kind and thoughtful.
Heartbreakingly, Leveque had (at least) 55 injuries as a result of the attack from Pearson, including stab wounds and signs of strangulation.
What did Aren Pearson do?
Pearson stabbed Leveque multiple times in a hot tub in a fit of rage, something he later denied in court, claiming she had stabbed herself.
He admitted the offence during a 999 call, placed by his mother which he later joined, saying: "I've just killed my girlfriend in the hot tub in the garage at Ringville. I stabbed her about 40 times, in the heart, chest, face, neck and back [...] I definitely killed her. To make sure, I drowned her after I stabbed her […] and beat her the f**k up."
A jury went on to find him guilty.
Overseeing proceedings was Judge Lord Arthurson, who labelled Pearson's crime as a "sustained episode of feral butchery", while praising Leveque's family for the strength and dignity they showed throughout the emotional trial.
Where is Aren Pearson now?
After pleading not guilty to the murder of Leveque, on 15 October 2025 Pearson was found guilty by a jury at a trial held in Edinburgh's High Court and sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison.
A couple of months after his sentencing, it was reported that Pearson was hoping to appeal.
During the trial, Pearson's defence solicitor advocate, Iain Paterson KC, said he had been assessed and deemed mentally fit and well. "He has said to me during these proceedings that not a day goes by where he does not think about 11 February 2024 without sadness.
"We’ve had him psychiatrically examined and there’s nothing by way of mental disorder."
Murder in Shetland: Trial by Jury is on Channel 5 at 9pm on 27 April
