Yahoo Finance Home and Away killer suspects after death in Summer Bay
Major Home and Away spoilers follow from recent Australian episodes, which some UK viewers may prefer to avoid.
Home and Away has kicked off a new murder mystery storyline.
This week's episodes in Australia saw Summer Bay's residents left in shock as Susie McAllister's body was found by fishermen in the sea.
Police have since launched a murder investigation, as Susie was seemingly killed by a brutal blow to the head, before having her body dumped in the water.
There were no shortage of enemies who wanted Susie gone, so we're rounding up the most likely suspects.
1. The jilted lover: John Palmer
John was the most devastated when Susie's true nature was exposed a few months ago. Susie cruelly faked romantic feelings for John over a number of weeks, even moving in with him and sharing a bed.
This left John convinced that he'd finally found happiness again after his heartbreaking split from Marilyn. In reality, sneaky Susie was only interested in conning John and stealing from his bank accounts.
The fallout saw John hit rock bottom, although it's unclear whether he really would have wanted to harm Susie. After all, once Susie left, John made little secret of the fact that he still had feelings for her. He even fooled himself into thinking that she wasn't all bad, much to the concern of his friends.
Since Susie's body has been found, Australian viewers will have noticed that John has seemed genuinely upset and has also backed up the police's efforts to investigate thoroughly. But could this all just be an act?
2. The menacing mechanic: Justin Morgan
Justin was another of Susie's victims during her reign of terror in the Bay. He and his partner Leah accepted Susie's help to secure their dream home, but she shamelessly stole their life savings and did a runner.
Justin and Leah were both frustrated at the thought that Susie may never face punishment for her crimes. However, while Leah focused on trying to track Susie down, Justin found himself in the grip of a devastating painkiller addiction.
Viewers have seen Justin's addiction change him beyond recognition, as he has become short-tempered and manipulative, rather than the kind-hearted man that the Bay's residents once knew.
On Australian screens, Justin also recently subjected newcomer Stephen to a brutal beating and put him in hospital. Could he have turned violent with Susie too?
3. The amateur detective: Leah Patterson-Baker
Leah was devastated when Susie scarpered with all of her money. While others advised Leah to let it go, she had other ideas and launched a one-woman mission to bring Susie to justice.
Leah spent her days browsing online scam forums and gathering evidence in the hope of figuring out where Susie may be hiding. She also followed possible leads to her whereabouts, which all turned out to be dead ends.
Or were they? Lots can happen off screen in a soap, especially when the writers want to withhold key information from the audience. We certainly shouldn't rule out the possibility that Leah tracked down Susie without us realising and things turned nasty.
4. The concerned neighbour: Irene Roberts
Irene wasn't one of Susie's scam victims, but she was one of the first people in the Bay to realise that the conwoman couldn't be trusted. This led to repeated moments of tension between them.
Things came to a head on the day that Susie fled from the Bay. Irene tried to stop her, but Susie retaliated by attacking Irene from behind with chloroform and knocking her to the ground.
On Australian screens, Irene has already faced stern questioning over Susie's death, with new cop Cash Newman pointing out that she previously attacked evil groomer Tommy in order to save Bella.
Cash suggested that Irene's protective instincts could actually be a pattern of behaviour. Could Irene have also lashed out in defence of John, Leah and Justin – three of her closest friends in the Bay?
5. The outside bet: Marilyn Chambers
Marilyn tried her best to stay out of Susie's way during the schemer's time in Summer Bay. She occasionally found it difficult to see her ex-husband John moving on with a new woman in his life, and knew that other residents like Irene didn't trust Susie.
Marilyn was devastated for John when Susie did a runner with his savings. As one of the kindest souls in the Bay, it's hard to imagine that Marilyn would brutally murder someone – but perhaps we shouldn't underestimate just how far she'd go to protect John.
6. The mysterious stranger: Stephen Tennyson
Stephen showed up after connecting with Leah, who'd been searching for previous victims of Susie. Susie had once conned Stephen too, but viewers have always suspected that there's something dodgy about this Summer Bay newcomer.
Stephen helped John and Leah with their search for Susie, but often behaved suspiciously by trying to steer them in certain directions with their plans.
Not long after Stephen arrived, John also started receiving texts that were seemingly from Susie, which may not have been a coincidence. The police have since confirmed that Susie was already dead when these messages were sent, so somebody was trying to trick John.
Could Stephen be hiding sinister secrets? As a guest character rather than a show regular, he's certainly the most expendable if the Home and Away writers want to send their secret killer to the exit door.
7. The new cop in town: Cash Newman
Summer Bay's last cop Colby Thorne was a secret killer, sparking a gripping storyline that lasted for nearly two years. So, could Home and Away have decided to sneakily recycle the successful plot?
Cash has turned up in the Bay to investigate Susie's demise, but we know very little about him so far. He has also appeared just a little too keen to pin the murder on someone – randomly accusing Irene and Justin without any real evidence to go on.
Could there have been a secret link between Cash and Susie that we don't know about yet?
Home and Away airs weekdays at 1.15pm and 6pm on Channel 5 (UK) and Mondays to Thursdays at 7pm on Channel 7 (Australia). Selected classic episodes are available via Amazon Prime Video in the UK.
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