It’s official: Coronation Street villain Joel Deering (Calum Lill) has been murdered.
October 14’s instalment of the ITV soap saw Craig Tinker (Colson Smith) break the news to DS Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers) and Kit Green (Jacob Roberts) that Joel’s body had been found, and the post-mortem later revealed that two blows to the head was what finished him off.
With the police having declared this a murder investigation, there is no shortage of characters who may be in the frame – but whodunnit?
As Metro‘s own soap detective, I have put myself into DS Swain’s shoes and gathered all the evidence from the past few weeks to try and get to the bottom of who the culprit is!
So, get your notepads ready, because there is a lot to be getting on with…
Who killed Joel Deering in Coronation Street? Full list of clues and suspects
Lisa Swain
In a shocking turn of events, the suspect with the most evidence stacked against them at this stage of my investigation is the Detective Sergeant herself, Lisa Swain.
Starting from the beginning, Lisa has made it no mystery that she wants to bring Joel down, and has gone to extreme lengths in her attempt to do so.
Through her interactions with Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney) last year, we learnt that Lisa has very strong feelings about violence against women – something which Joel is guilty of, in the case of Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) and several other young women.
Despite adoring her job, Lisa put everything on the line this summer as she attempted to collect enough evidence to bring Joel down following the collapse of his case, admitting to Carla Connor (Alison King) that she could face suspension if she was caught.
She also left professionalism at the door when she was forced to release Joel after his first arrest, when the CPS deemed that there wasn’t enough evidence to charge him. As she told him he was free to go, she made it clear that she wasn’t someone to be messed with.
‘In the meantime, even look at Dee-Dee or Lauren again, and it won’t be prison you’ll need to worry about. And yes, that’s a threat…’ She had told him. With Joel having continued to harass both Dee-Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown) and Lauren, has Lisa stuck to her word and finished him off?
Things got even more complicated when it transpired that daughter Betsy Swain (Sydney Martin) had also been targeted by Joel – but could this have been enough to push Lisa over the line from seeking justice to seeking revenge?
When it was uncovered that Joel had sent threatening messages to Betsy, Lisa was horrified. With Joel threatening to kill Betsy, could Lisa have killed him in defence of her daughter? After all, she previously mentioned being willing to take a bullet for her child…
With the messages having come to light, Lisa was taken off Joel’s case, and warned that it had become too personal for her to make rational judgements. However, she was adamant that she wanted to continue the investigation herself. Could this be because there’s something she’s trying to cover up?
The day after his murder, Lisa admitted to Carla that the case against Joel had become very personal, thanks to Betsy’s involvement, before admitting that she’d have wanted to look Joel in the eyes during his final moments. But who’s to say she didn’t do exactly that, given how badly she wanted to see Joel pay?
What’s more, before the post-mortem, Lisa remained pretty adamant that Joel’s death had been suicide, despite Dee-Dee arguing that that wasn’t in Joel’s character.
Could Lisa have been trying to hide the fact that she had killed him by convincing everyone that Joel had taken his own life? It seems out of character for Lisa to be so set on one outcome, especially given her history.
Earlier this year, she admitted to Carla that she had argued with wife Becky about a case on the day she died, and had never had the opportunity to tell Becky that she had been right.
Because of this, she takes care to look into every possible outcome of an investigation – something she didn’t appear keen to do in Joel’s case. Is that because she knows the truth, and is desperate to get away with murder?
Furthermore, we know that Lisa’s phone was off on the night of Joel’s murder – could she have switched it off so that no one knew where she was going? She also told Dee-Dee that it had been broken, and it is entirely possible that that could have happened during a confrontation with Joel.
She’s also no stranger to putting herself in harm’s way for the sake of a case, as she emotionally revealed to Carla in recent scenes. Could Lisa’s nonchalant attitude to dying on duty have led her into a dangerous situation with Joel, leaving her with no choice but to fend him off, accidentally killing him in the process?
When Kit took over the case, Lisa seemed relieved to note that he hadn’t made a lot of progress on it, and even went as far as to try and dissuade him from asking his higher-ups for more resources.
When Kit pointed out that it seemed strange that she was so convinced Joel was dead, despite having no proof at that point, things grew tense between them. Was Kit onto something?
On the other hand, recent scenes showed that she was covered in bruises, before a flashback revealed that she had been chasing someone through the precinct on the night of Joel’s murder.
She later revealed that she had been knocked over by a car after chasing a handbag thief, having been unable to find Joel, and because that was how Becky had died, she had to lie to Betsy about it.
However, the fact that even her own daughter suspects that Lisa could have killed Joel suggests that she definitely has it in her…
Of course, there is also the possibility that Lisa is innocent, but is covering up for someone else…
Betsy Swain
Betsy has plenty of motive for wanting to kill Joel, especially given the threats she received from him recently – and even admitted to Lisa that she was glad he was dead.
Joel used Betsy to procure abortion pills, which he fed to Lauren in a bid to induce an early labour and kill their child. Thankfully, baby Frankie survived, though he has had a number of health scares during his life.
Once Betsy worked out what Joel had done, she was terrified, and ended up confiding in Lisa, which resulted in Joel being arrested.
With Joel having threatened to kill Betsy in his final text messages to her, could he have gone after her, leaving her with no choice but to kill him in self-defence?
Alternatively, could she have killed him simply for involving her in his disgusting plot against Lauren?
And, having turned to Lisa in times of trouble before, could she have confessed everything, leaving the Detective Sergeant in a difficult position?
Lauren Bolton
If anyone has motive to kill Joel, it is Lauren.
Earlier this year, Joel attacked Lauren and left her fearing for her life, after grooming her for months. What’s more, he tried to kill her unborn child, before blaming her.
He has continually harassed and gaslit her, leaving her completely terrified.
Could Lauren have finally snapped?
We know that on the night of Joel’s murder Lauren was certain that she had spotted someone in the garden, and even left a message for Lisa insisting that she knew where Joel was. Though she later admitted that it had been a false alarm, could she have been covering her tracks?
Also, Lauren was sleeping on Max Turner’s (Paddy Bever) sofa that night, so it wouldn’t have been difficult to sneak out unnoticed for a face-off with Joel…
In fact, when Nick Tilsley (Ben Price) later asked her how she found sleeping on the sofa, she said it was really comfy, though Nick disagreed. Could this be a hint that she didn’t really sleep there at all?
She had previously expressed how terrified she was of Joel coming after her and Frankie – could he have done just that, leaving her with no choice but to fend him off?
She also has form for fighting back, having attacked Joel in the hospital when he wound her up several weeks ago. Could she have lashed out again, taking things further this time?
We can be certain that she planned on defending herself from him in one way or another, as viewers may remember how she stole Lisa’s CS Spray from her bag while she was distracted.
It is also possible that Lauren would have known where Joel was on the night of his murder, given that she had a tracking app connected to his phone. Though earlier in the day it had been showing as ‘no signal’, who’s to say that it didn’t start working again later that night, leading Lauren directly to him?
When talking to Kit about the night of Joel’s murder, Lauren appeared understandably angry as she recalled how she was supposed to get justice that day, but was robbed of it when Joel failed to show up to court. Could she have gone about getting justice in a different way?
Not only that, but when Kit mentioned that she would have been crazy to have killed him herself, Lauren appeared shifty. Had he hit a nerve?
Max Turner
Lauren wasn’t alone on the night of Joel’s death, as she was staying with Max. They both witnessed what they thought was someone in the garden, and Max was quick to grab a knife to defend her.
Though we know that a knife wasn’t the weapon used to kill Joel, it shows that Max was willing to go to extreme lengths to protect Lauren. Could he have gone out later and killed Joel?
Dee-Dee Bailey
Viewers will know that Dee-Dee also had access to the tracking app on Joel’s phone, so there is every possibility that she was the one who went out in search of him.
A recent flashback revealed that Dee-Dee had come face-to-face with him while wielding a crowbar… Pretty damning evidence, especially given that she was later seen washing blood off it in the sink.
However, we never saw her actually attack Joel, and she seemed surprised to see him. Had she intended just to smash up his car and had her plan scuppered by his presence?
She has plenty of reason to want him dead, given how he lied to and manipulated her – not to mention what he was doing to Lauren behind her back. He even attempted to destroy her career in a petty revenge plot.
On the day of Joel’s murder, Dee-Dee was furious that he hadn’t turned up to court for his plea hearing, insisting that if he was scared to face court, he should be even more frightened to face her.
That wasn’t the only threat she made that day. When Roy Cropper (David Neilson) revealed that Joel appeared to be a danger to himself, Lauren was quick to insist that she’d be happy to see him beat himself up, before Dee-Dee swore that she would be the first to volunteer to help him. Was it more than just a figure of speech?
On top of that, she was quick to blame herself for bringing Joel into everyone’s lives. Could she have seen it as her duty to get rid of him as well?
The next day, Dee-Dee appeared to arrive home very late. This could have been because Ed Bailey (Trevor Michael Georges) had asked her to stay with him and Michael Bailey (Ryan Russell) at No.3 – but how can we be sure that she didn’t sneak out to find Joel?
Not to mention, she also suffered a dizzy spell. Given Joel’s injury on the night of his death, could she have fought with him and sustained injuries herself?
Later that day, Dee-Dee appeared shocked when the police managed to locate Joel’s car so quickly. Could this be because she was worried about getting caught?
The only thing that makes me wonder if Dee-Dee is innocent is her determination to prove that Joel is still alive. Despite Lisa being adamant that his death was a suicide before his body was found, Dee-Dee refused to accept that as the truth.
However, this could be explained away as a type of trauma response. Perhaps Dee-Dee really did kill him, but is desperate to believe that he isn’t really dead…
In recent scenes, Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson) warned Dee-Dee not to tell Kit that she hadn’t been sleeping well, as he could take that as the sign of a guilty conscience. With Dee-Dee looking shifty at the suggestion, it’s something we’re also going to keep in mind…
Ed and Ronnie Bailey
Ed and Ronnie Bailey (Vinta Morgan) have previously lashed out at Joel Deering, and there is every possibility that they may have done so again.
After intercepting an argument between Joel and Dee-Dee in September, Ed and Ronnie tracked him down to the precinct and threatened him, with Ronnie pinning him up against the wall.
With both men having seen how upset and angry Dee-Dee was at Joel not showing up for court, could they have tracked him down once more and finished what they started?
The day after the attack, Ronnie told Debbie Webster (Sue Devaney) that Joel should be thankful he’s still breathing – so it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to assume that they were angry enough to want him dead.
Furthermore, when Dee-Dee found out about their first confrontation with Joel, she was left worried that they had jeopardised the case against him.
However, Ed was quick to promise Dee-Dee that he would ‘make it okay’ if things didn’t go to plan. Joel not turning up to court would certainly fall into that category, so has Ed stuck to his promise?
On top of that, Ronnie assured Dee-Dee that Joel would get what was coming to him…
He’s also been keen to get the latest from Kit and Lisa on the Joel Deering case – is he trying to stay ahead of the game?
However, recent scenes revealed that although both Ed and Ronnie went to Joel’s flat with a crowbar on the night of his murder, they weren’t able to actually find him.
Ed assured Dee-Dee that they had come straight home – but there is no telling what they both did when they went their separate ways. Could either of them still be hiding something?
Recent scenes revealed that an altercation took place on the road outside Joel’s flat that night, with a neighbour’s car ending up damaged by a red vehicle.
It later transpired that Ronnie’s red car had been in for a repair – has he lied about what happened?
Kit Green
DS Lisa Swain isn’t the only police officer in the frame for Joel’s murder, as Kit isn’t exactly looking completely innocent either.
The newcomer recently took over Joel’s case after Lisa was taken off, and he hasn’t seemed to have made a lot of progress so far… Could he deliberately be trying to hold up the process to stop his colleagues finding vital evidence linking him to the crime?
‘Kit usually likes to take the law into his own hands in order to get justice,’ actor Jacob Roberts said in a recent interview, before adding that Kit is ‘gunning for Joel and wants to take him down’. Could Kit have sought justice against Joel by killing him?
When asked if Kit has any idea who may have killed Joel, Jacob said: ‘I think he does know deep down…’
Is that because he was the one responsible?
Suspiciously, on the night of Joel’s murder, Jenny Connor (Sally Ann Matthews) told Daisy Midgeley (Charlotte Jordan) not to bolt the back door of the Rovers, as Kit had yet to arrive home. What was he doing out so late?
In a recent scene with Lisa, the pair referenced the movie The 39 Steps, which Kit cited as one of his favourites. In that movie, a British spy is framed for murder by other spies before going on the run.
Could Kit be set to take inspiration from his favourite film and frame Lisa for Joel’s murder, despite being guilty himself?
Mason Radcliffe
Teen troublemaker Mason Radcliffe hasn’t had much to do with Joel, but he was the one to encourage Betsy to speak to mum Lisa about the bruises on her arms several months ago.
On the night of Joel’s murder, Mason was settling down to spend the night in Speed Daal, when he was distracted by someone opening the front door.
This turned out to be Betsy, who was terrified that Joel was set to come after her. With Mason having promised to protect her, could he have stayed true to his word and killed Joel in defence of Betsy? After all, he was in possession of a crowbar…
Though tests on the weapon by police proved that there was none of Joel’s DNA present, that doesn’t mean that Mason didn’t clean it, as Lisa pointed out.
Carla Connor
Carla Connor has been in the frame for several Corrie whodunnits in the past, so it wouldn’t feel right leaving her out of this list – especially with the evidence against her slowly building.
On the night of Joel’s murder, while Lisa assured Carla that she shouldn’t be scared, Carla insisted that she wasn’t scared of Joel, but of what she’d do to him if they crossed paths…
Could Carla and Joel have stumbled across each other, with Carla delivering a fatal blow?
A recent flashback revealed that Carla had seen something on the night of Joel’s death – could it have been Joel himself?
Like many of the suspects, Carla has plenty of motive. Best friend Roy suffered for months as a result of Joel keeping quiet about his crimes, and Carla went to extreme lengths to try and free Roy from prison.
In recent months Carla has lashed out violently in defence of Roy, even being charged with ABH after knocking a lad off his bike for speaking badly of the cafe owner.
If she can do that over some comments, imagine what she could do if she got her hands on Joel…
Roy Cropper
After everything he’s been through this year it would be quite ironic if Roy did finally kill someone. And if anyone were to face the wrath of Roy, we imagine it would be Joel…
It would certainly another big twist, which this storyline has been full of.
Gus Deering
Finally – for now – we can’t rule out Joel’s dad, Gus.
Corrie is no stranger to a whodunnit plot twist that sees a parent murdering their child.
Viewers may remember the 2012 murder of Frank Foster which had numerous characters in the frame. Eventually, the culprit was revealed to be his mother, after she found out the truth about Frank raping Carla.
Could Gus have turned against Joel after realising the extent of his crimes?
Does Gus know more about his son’s death than he is letting on?
