Plot Synopsis

Margaret Fleming was a vulnerable adult understood by authorities to be in the full-time care of Edward Cairney and Avril Jones, living in a remote coastal property in Scotland. But when police started questioning Margaret's friends and family, they were told no one had seen her since 1999. In the murder trial that unfolds, Cairney and Jones stand accused of killing her, disposing of her body and claiming benefits in her name for 16 years. Filmed both inside and outside of the courtroom, this case takes viewers deep into the inner workings of Scotland's justice system as a small community is coming to terms with the prospect of a potentially brutal and calculated crime occurring unnoticed in its midst. MURDER TRIAL: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MARGARET FLEMING had its U.S. premiere on Tuesday, July 21, 2020 at 3:01am ET/12:01am PT, as SundanceNow released both episodes of the program.

Part 1: In 2016, an application for a Personal Independence Payment raised suspicions. When authorities couldn't contact the applicant, the police were called, and it was discovered that a 35-year-old woman had seemingly vanished from a village on the west coast of Scotland. Margaret Fleming was a vulnerable adult understood by authorities to be in the full-time care of Cairney and Jones, living in a remote coastal property in the village of Inverkip. But when police started questioning Margaret's friends and family, they were told no-one had seen her since 1999. In the 2019 murder trial that unfolds, Cairney and Jones stand accused of killing her, disposing of her body and claiming benefits in her name for 16 years.

Part 2: The episode begins with the testimony of Jean McSherry -- former partner of Margaret's father, Derick Fleming -- who takes the stand in Glasgow's High Court. Jean reveals to prosecutor Iain McSporran QC that she lost touch with Margaret when the accused Edward Cairney and Avril Jones became her carers. This episode also features senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Paul Livingstone, who revisits Margaret's eerily derelict home in Seacroft, Inverkip. There is also dramatic testimony from Inverkip local Paul Neeson, as well as Margaret's former school teacher, Jacqueline Cahill. As the Crown's case closes, Edward Cairney takes the stand to give evidence and claims that he's incapable of harming a lady. However, during cross-examining by Iain McSporran QC, when inconsistencies in his story are drawn out, Cairney explodes, claiming there is nothing sinister in anything they've done. As closing speeches are delivered by the prosecution and defence, and the jury retire to consider the charges, Murder Trial: The Disappearance of Margaret Fleming concludes with Cairney and Jones discovering their fate on verdict day.