Storyline for The Witness on Netflix

The Witness is a dramatic reexamination of the Rachel Nickell case, one of most extensive investigations in the history of Great Britain.

In July of 1992, Nickell (Eleanor Williams) was stabbed dozens of times and sexually assaulted as she walked with her 2-year-old son Alex Hanscombe (Jahsaiah Williams) in the woods adjacent to Wimbledon Common.

Alex was left bruised and clinging to his mother’s body; he was also the only person who witnesses the killing.

The murder was splashed all over the media, and the police ordered Alex and his father, André Hanscombe (Jordan Bolger), to stay at the house of his mother June (Kerry Godliman) for their safety.

As police try to get Alex to describe what he saw, a counselor (Claire Rushbrook) tells André that the sooner he can discuss what he saw, the healthier he will be as he gets older.

Meanwhile, DI Keith Peddler (Neil Maskell) is put in charge of the investigation, which brought in a criminal psychologist named Paul Britton (Paul Chahidi) to create a psychological profile of the killer.

Via the rudimentary description Alex gives of the killer, combined with information from other people in the park, leads police to a man named Colin Stagg (Jamie Bisping), though there isn’t enough evidence to hold him.

Peddler recruits Britton to see if he can extract an admission via letters where he poses as a female “pen pal.”

Episodes for The Witness on Netflix

Episodes for The Witness on Netflix S1.E1 ∙ Episode #1.1
A woman is murdered in front of her 2-year-old in ’90s London. While his father tries to shield him from a media storm, the police identify a key suspect.

S1.E2 ∙ Episode #1.2
As DI Pedder’s undercover operation develops, another murder hits the headlines. André and Alex move abroad, but their grief continues to follow them.

Episodes for The Witness on Netflix S1.E3 ∙ Episode #1.3
Over a decade later, old evidence is reexamined by new eyes on the case. Will André and Alex finally get justice — or is there more to the story?