New Prime Suspect Emerges In Lin And Megan Russell Murders After Witness Claims Carpenter Confessed On The Exact Same Day! 😱🚨
New prime suspect named in Lin and Megan Russell murders after witness claims carpenter confessed the same day
A dramatic new twist has emerged in one of Britain’s most haunting unsolved questions surrounding a double murder that shocked the nation nearly three decades ago. Defence lawyers for the man convicted of killing Lin Russell and her six-year-old daughter Megan have put forward a fresh prime suspect — a carpenter named Ray Buck who allegedly confessed to the crimes on the very day they happened.
Buck, who took his own life four years after the 1996 attack, was never treated as a serious suspect by police at the time. Now a witness has come forward claiming he heard Buck admit to killing three people and a dog shortly after the violence unfolded on a quiet country lane in Chillenden, Kent. One of Buck’s sons has volunteered a DNA sample for comparison, while the Criminal Cases Review Commission continues a forensic review of the entire case.
Lin Russell, 45, and her younger daughter Megan were attacked while walking home from a swimming lesson with nine-year-old Josie and the family dog. Josie survived the assault but was left with life-changing injuries. The case gripped the country, sparking a massive manhunt and intense media scrutiny. Michael Stone, a local man with a history of drug use and minor crime, was eventually convicted in 1998 largely on the basis of a disputed cell confession. A retrial three years later upheld the verdict. Stone has always maintained his innocence and continues to protest from prison.
The new claims centre on Ray Buck, who was 42 and living in Folkestone, roughly 15 miles from the crime scene, at the time of the killings. Detectives spoke to him during the original investigation after his name surfaced, yet he was not pursued as a primary suspect. A distant relative contacted police in 2017 and later approached Stone’s legal team this year. According to a source close to the witness, Buck arrived at his sister’s house on the day of the murders in a highly agitated state after receiving divorce papers from his former wife Irene.
The witness alleges Buck stormed into the kitchen and declared he had done something unforgivable. He is said to have stated that he had killed three people and could not stop himself, adding that he had also killed a dog and lost a shoelace. Those who knew Buck describe him as a man with a volatile temper who often carried a hammer in his vehicle because of his trade. He was known to police and had a reputation for violence that made others wary in his presence. He also reportedly drove a car matching descriptions linked to the case.
Buck died in 2000 at the age of 46 after jumping from Beachy Head near Eastbourne. His inquest heard he had been depressed after being barred from seeing his children. Some accounts claim he left a note in his van referring to an inability to live with guilt, though official findings focused on his personal despair. At the inquest his sister Tracey Shields head-butted Irene and later admitted assault, receiving a fine.
The fresh witness statement has injected new energy into efforts to re-examine the evidence. Stone provided a new DNA sample from Frankland Prison earlier this month. Serial killer Levi Bellfield, who previously claimed responsibility while serving a life sentence for other murders, has also given a sample. Lawyers for Stone hope to compare these profiles with the sample from Buck’s son. The Criminal Cases Review Commission is already conducting a detailed forensic assessment of the original case materials.
Kent Police have responded cautiously. Sources within the force point to inconsistencies between the witness’s current account and the information he provided in 2017. Detective Chief Inspector Neil Kimber stated that all information received has been comprehensively examined by the investigation team. He emphasised that Michael Stone was found guilty by juries at two separate trials and that an appeal to the High Court left the convictions intact. Stone therefore remains the man legally responsible for the murders of Lin and Megan Russell.
Yet the emergence of Buck’s name has reignited long-standing doubts among those who have followed the case. Supporters of Stone have always argued that the cell confession was unreliable and that crucial forensic links were weak or absent. The possibility that a local man with a known temper, a matching vehicle and an alleged same-day confession was overlooked has added weight to calls for a full reappraisal. The fact that Buck is no longer alive removes the chance of a direct interview, but the DNA comparison could still prove decisive if biological material from the scene yields a usable profile.
Josie Russell, the sole survivor of the attack, has rebuilt her life with remarkable resilience. She has spoken in the past about the lasting impact of the violence and the importance of truth. Any development that revisits the evidence inevitably reopens painful memories for her and the wider family. At the same time, the pursuit of certainty remains essential in a case that has never fully settled in the public mind.
The Chillenden murders occurred in an era before widespread DNA databases and advanced forensic techniques that are now routine. Advances in testing methods mean material preserved from 1996 can still yield results that were impossible at the time of the original investigation and trials. The CCRC’s ongoing work reflects the seriousness with which potential miscarriages of justice are now treated, even decades later.
Ray Buck’s alleged confession, if substantiated, would represent one of the most significant breakthroughs in the case since the original convictions. The claim that he spoke of killing three people and a dog on the same day, combined with the loss of a shoelace and his access to a hammer through his work, creates a narrative that Stone’s team clearly believes warrants urgent scrutiny. Whether the DNA results ultimately support or undermine that narrative will determine the next chapter.
For now the official position remains unchanged. Michael Stone stays convicted. Yet the combination of a new witness, voluntary DNA from Buck’s family, samples from Stone and Bellfield, and the CCRC’s forensic review has created the strongest momentum for re-examination in years. The quiet country lane in Kent where Lin and Megan Russell lost their lives continues to cast a long shadow. Nearly thirty years on, the search for definitive answers has not ended.
The latest claims ensure that the case will remain under the spotlight. If the new evidence holds, it could rewrite the history of one of Britain’s most troubling crimes. If it does not, it will still have forced a fresh look at every available strand of forensic and witness material. Either outcome matters deeply to those who have lived with the consequences since that summer afternoon in 1996.
