PARENTS' GRIEF
Are Rhys Jones’ mum & dad Steve and Melanie still together? A look at the parents from The Clues That Caught the Killer
Plus, how to watch the Channel 5 doc about bringing Rhys' killer to justice
ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD Rhys Jones was shot as he walked home from football practice in 2007.
His parents feature in the crime documentary The Clues That Caught the Killer — here's everything we know about the couple.
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Are Rhys Jones' parents still together?
Rhys Jones parents Steve and Mel briefly split as they struggled to cope following his death, it was revealed in ITV drama Little Boy Blue (2017).
A source said the heartbreak that followed the young Everton fan’s murder took a strain on the couple, who first met while working at Tesco.
Speaking to the Sunday People, they said: “It was obviously a traumatic time for Steve and Mel. It took its toll.”
The newspaper reported that Steve briefly moved out of their home in Croxteth, Liverpool, as they worked on their marriage.
Their breakup happened shortly after the court case came to a close and 18-year-old Sean Mercer was jailed, though the pair eventually came back stronger, according to the source.
Mel and Steve met in 1982, and have now been married for 37 years.
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What happened to Rhys Jones?
Everton fan Rhys, 11, was shot on August 22, 2007, as he walked home from football practice through the car park of the Fir Tree Pub in Croxteth.
Three shots were fired, with the little boy fatally struck by one of the bullets.
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More than 300 officers worked on the murder investigation, with 11 people ultimately arrested over the killing.
Sean Mercer, a member of the Croxteth Crew gang, was charged with murder, and the then 18-year-old sentenced to life behind bars with a minimum of 22 years.
Fellow gang members, including James Yates, Nathan Quinn, Melvin Coy, Dean Kelly and Gary Kays were also convicted of assisting an offender.
As Rhys lay dying, Yates helped Mercer dispose of his bike, clothes and the gun he had provided him with just before the shooting.
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How to watch The Clues That Caught the Killer
The Clues That Caught the Killer is a three-part docuseries looking into some of Britains most shocking murders by dissecting how a team of investigators went about catching the killers.
Examining how Sean Mercer was brought to justice, the episode delving into Rhys Jones' case airs on Channel 5 on Thursday, May 30.
The documentary will be shown between 11.30pm and 12.35am, and is available on My5 until July 3, 2024.
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