Jill Dando© Netflix

What happened to Jill Dando? A timeline of events after her death

The BBC broadcaster was murdered in April 1999

TV and film writer
September 26, 2023

Netflix's new true-crime documentary, Who Killed Jill Dando?, looks into the shocking murder of the popular television broadcaster, who was killed on her doorstep in 1999. 

Over the course of three episodes, the series delves into the life and death of Jill, who was one of the nation's most celebrated presenters and hosted several BBC programmes, including Crimewatch.

Keep reading to find out what exactly happened to Jill and a timeline of the events that followed her death.

WATCH: Netflix’s Who Killed Jill Dando? explores the death of the BBC presenter

What happened to Jill Dando? 

On the morning of 26 April 1999, 37-year-old Jill Dando was shot dead outside her front door at her home in Fulham, London. 

The journalist was killed by a single bullet to the head and is thought to have died instantly.

© Colin Davey

Jill Dando was a popular BBC presenter

Her body was found by a neighbour 14 minutes later and she was taken to Charing Cross Hospital, where she was pronounced dead just after 1pm. 

There was only one sighting of Jill's killer. Her neighbour Richard Hughes saw a man, described as six-foot-tall, white and aged around 40, walking away from the house just after hearing a scream. 

In the aftermath of her death, the police struggled to nail down a suspect and reportedly interviewed more than 2,500 people, took more than 1,000 statements and traced over 1,200 cars.

The investigation became the Metropolitan Police's biggest murder inquiry since the Yorkshire Ripper.

© Photo: Getty Images

Jill Dando was killed in April 1999

Eventually, one man named Barry George was found guilty of the murder in 2001. However, in 2007, the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction as unsafe and he was subsequently found not guilty after a retrial in 2008. 

Twenty-four years later, Jill's killer still walks free and her unsolved murder is the subject of Netflix's latest true-crime series, which features interviews with her family, friends, journalists, investigators and lawyers. 

READ: 23 best crime shows to watch on Netflix

MORE: Murdaugh Murders: The Murdaugh family tree from Netflix's true-crime series

A timeline of events following Jill Dando's death

  • 26 April 1999 – Jill Dando is shot dead outside of her home in Fulham, London. 
  • 25 May 2000 – Barry George is arrested on suspicion of murder.
© Netflix

Jill's murder sparked one of Britain's most high-profile murder investigations

  • 28 May 2000 – George, who had a history of sexual offences, is charged with Dando's murder.
  • 26 February 2001 - George's trial begins at the Old Bailey.
  • 2 July 2001 – George is convicted of the murder of Dando and sentenced to life in prison. 
© Netflix

Barry George was convicted of Jill Dando's murder in 2001

  • 29 July 2002 – George loses an appeal against his conviction. 
  • 25 March 2006 – A solicitor working for George says he has new evidence which undermines the safety of his client's conviction.
  • 20 June 2007 – George wins the right to a fresh appeal. This came after the Criminal Cases Review Commission said too much weight was placed on a tiny amount of forensic evidence - a single particle of gunpowder residue on his coat - in the trial.
  • 15 November 2007 – George's conviction is quashed after the Court of Appeal finds the original conviction to be unsafe. A retrial is ordered. 
  • 14 December 2007 – George pleads not guilty at his retrial.
  • 1 August 2008 – George is found not guilty of Jill Dando's murder.
© Netflix

Barry George was found not guilty of Dando's murder in 2008

Who Killed Jill Dando? is available to stream on Netflix.

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