The case of the BBC soap star will be explored in ITV documentary Murder in the Family: True Crime Presents
An ITV true-crime documentary is airing on Friday night (March 7) about an EastEnders star who was murdered by her brother following an argument.
The episode of Murder in the Family: True Crime Presents will tell the story of Gemma McCluskie, whose mutilated body was discovered floating in a canal in East London on March 6, 2012.
Gemma, who was 29 at the time of her death, had played Ethel Skinner’s great-niece, Kerry Skinner, in more than 30 episodes of the BBC soap between 2000 and 2001.
Police initially found her torso in Regent’s Canal, Hackney, before later locating other body parts. It was determined that she was hit over the head at least twice before her body was cut-up into six pieces with a knife and a cleaver.
During the trial of her 36-year-old brother Tony McCluskie, who admitted to manslaughter, he claimed to the court that he ‘lost control’, alleging that she came at him with a knife.
The prosecution said that Tony killed his sister after she asked to leave the flat they lived in together in Shoreditch and she had lost patience with him. The jury were told that Gemma was frustrated with Tony for allowing their sink to overflow when he left taps running.
Tony brought a heavy suitcase to a cab firm on March 2, 2012, telling a driver that it was a ‘sound system’, before bringing it towards a canal.
Gemma’s torso was found in the suitcase the following week, with her limbs discovered in plastic bags the week after that. The young woman’s head was eventually located in the water six months after her death.
Tony was charged with murder on March 10, 2012, with his official trial being held the following year on January 14 at the Old Bailey.
While Tony admitted to manslaughter, he denied murdering Gemma due to having a ‘loss of control. Found guilty of her murder on January 30, 2013, Tony was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum sentence of 20 years.
Mr Justice Fulford told Tony during the trial: “I have no doubt that you killed your sister because she was furious with you for letting a sink overflow in the bathroom. I unhesitatingly reject your account that she had used bad language towards you or that she had belittled you in the past.
“She was a warm-hearted woman who was loved by a great many people…. Your hope must have been that she would never be found.”
Describing Gemma as someone who was ‘was huge in personality with a zest for life’, her father said she was ‘very much loved’ and would be greatly missed’.
Murder in the Family: True Crime Presents airs at 9m on Friday, March 7, on ITV and ITVX
