The Murder of Betty Guy

In November 2011, 84-year-old Betty Guy died at her home in Johnston, Pembrokeshire. Her daughter, Penny John, called 999 to say her mother had passed away after a battle with cancer. A doctor certified natural causes, and Betty was cremated four days later. Nobody suspected a thing. Then, four years later, police received a call out of the blue. An ex-partner of Betty's grandson, Barry Rogers, claimed he had admitted to suffocating his grandmother with a pillow. Other former partners told detectives the same story. In this episode, forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes looks at how what should have been the perfect crime unravelled. She also asks what the evidence reveals about the two people at its centre, and why Rogers couldn't keep quiet about it. In this episode The 999 call police pulled from the archive, and the two details in it that raised alarm bells What petechiae are, and why those tiny marks mattered so much How police plan and plant a covert listening device The secretly recorded conversations between Rogers and his mother, including the moment he says "jackpot" Kerry's analysis of the power dynamic between mother and son, and why Penny John kept repeating that her mother died "of old age" The bug detector story that didn't add up The 2018 trial at Swansea Crown Court and the puzzle of the missing motive Guests Bronwen Weatherby, LBC Wales correspondent Danni Brooke, former undercover police officer Professor Jason Payne-James, specialist in forensic and legal medicine Archive audio and footage courtesy of Faking It (Series 4). Content note: This episode discusses murder, domestic abuse and violence against an elderly person. Offers from our partners Can you tell when someone is lying? Dr Cliff Lansley's SCAnS Online course, from EmotionIntell, teaches the Six Channels Analysis System that Kerry uses in her own work. Listeners of The Profiler get 10% off at emotionintell.com/theprofiler with the code theprofiler. Want to go deeper into the psychology of crime? Get a free 30-day Audible trial, and help support the podcast, at theprofiler.co.uk/audible. You'll find true crime titles there, including Kerry's own books. Stay in touch If you enjoy the show, please follow or subscribe, leave a five-star rating or review, and share it with fellow true crime fans. For updates and Kerry's weekly email, visit theprofiler.co.uk. You can also follow Kerry Daynes on social media and on Substack. Visit theprofiler.co.uk For further updates and to receive Kerry's weekly newsletter, visit theprofiler.co.uk. Credits • Presented by Kerry Daynes • Produced by Shearwater Media • Executive producers: Jeff Anderson and Steve Anderson • Editing and Music: Rob Warner Content note This episode contains detailed and distressing descriptions of child abuse and murder. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you're concerned about a child's welfare, contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000, or the police on 999 in an emergency. The Profiler with Kerry Daynes is a Shearwater Media and Heromedia production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.