Former care worker Kerri Hutcheson has been cleared by a jury of murdering her partner in Dundee.
The 34-year-old was accused of stabbing Graeme Hutcheson through the heart at her home in Whitfield Avenue following an argument in March 2022.
After six days of often harrowing evidence, jurors at the High Court in Dundee found the crown’s case not proven.
Hutcheson, who said she acted in self-defence, was told by a judge she was “free to go”, finally ending a nightmare that began nearly two-and-a-half years ago.
Here we present a timeline of the key events that led to the night that ended with Graeme Hutcheson’s death – and turned Kerri Hutcheson’s world upside down.
1. Relationship begins
Graeme Hutcheson, 33, connects with Kerri Hutcheson, who he doesn’t know, via Facebook in December 2021.
They begin chatting over social media before exchanging messages.
They enter a relationship at an unspecified time during the month after meeting up in Dundee.
Graeme, living in the Glasgow area with his parents, would stay with Kerri off and on from December until March.
Kerri, then 32, made one trip to Glasgow to visit Graeme during this period.
The court heard Kerri enjoyed the relationship and did not highlight any specific issues.
Eight years earlier, Kerri had been left devastated by the sudden loss of her partner Paul Allan, a chef in St Andrews, who died just months after his son’s birth.
2. Bombarded with calls about bingo night
Kerri goes on a night out with Sarah McLaren, and two other friends to the Buzz Bingo at the Stack Leisure Park in Lochee on Friday March 4, 2022.
Graeme was in regular contact with Kerri via social media messages and FaceTime.
It was said he was unhappy about Kerri going on the night out.
Kerri claimed in evidence that because of this repeated contact, she was planning on ending the relationship.
Defence counsel Mark Stewart referred to Kerri being “bombarded” with contact during this night out.
3. Graeme’s surprise visit
A day later Graeme Hutcheson travels to Dundee via train in order to visit Kerri at her then-home on Whitfield Avenue.
Jurors were told he wanted to collect clothes belonging to him from the address.
The visit was not planned.
Kerri is said to have received an apology from Graeme, who then stayed with her that night.
4. An ‘awful’ atmosphere
Lynn Hutcheson, Kerri’s sister, pays a visit to the Whitfield Avenue address along with her mother on Sunday March 6.
They are met by Kerri and Graeme outside the property.
Lynn Hutcheson described the atmosphere as “awful” between the pair.
5. Argument overheard by neighbours
On the morning of Monday March 7, Kerri and Graeme are captured on CCTV attending at the Kellyfield Post Office in Whitfield.
Kerri said she attended to usual household chores and spent the day in her home with Graeme.
Neighbours who gave evidence first hear shouting coming from the property at some point between 4-5pm.
Many of them recognise a “Glaswegian” man’s voice as Graeme.
This was after hearing him regularly shout or talk loudly on the phone outside or during Rangers matches.
Shaun Williamson, Kerri’s next-door neighbour, hears Graeme shout: “Do you think I’m f****** stupid?” and “f*** off” at around 7pm.
He described Kerri as speaking in a “talking” voice.
Matters quieten down for a period in the evening.
Graeme stays upstairs in the property while Kerri remains downstairs in the living room.
She messages best friend Danielle Ramsay on WhatsApp and each complain about their respective partners.
Kerri describes herself as “raging” and “ready to blow” as well as remarking that she was going to “throw out” Graeme.
The pair spend an hour on the phone and Kerri is described as speaking in a “low voice”.
Danielle Ramsay identifies Graeme in the background asking Kerri who she is speaking to.
6. Graeme Hutcheson’s death
Kerri claimed she was in the kitchen having a cigarette just after 10pm when Graeme came downstairs.
She said she told him the relationship was over due to his behaviour over the previous three days.
Kerri claimed Graeme grabbed an eight-inch knife with a fine tip from the nearby dish rack, raised it above his head and “came at” her with it.
Police and paramedics found Kerri with a small cut on the back of her left hand. She claimed this was sustained after covering her face while being attacked.
Kerri said she swiped the knife away which entered Graeme’s chest, past his ribs and passing through his heart.
She said she could not remember exactly what had occurred, telling jurors it was “over in seconds”.
Blood was found in various rooms in the house. She said this was due to Graeme walking wounded through the rooms before returning upstairs to a bedroom.
7. The 999 call
Kerri makes a frantic call to 999, in which Graeme can be heard groaning in the background.
She pleads for help from ambulance personnel. She is only informed help was being dispatched after nine minutes.
At one stage during the 23-minute call, a distraught Kerri describes Graeme as “turning blue” while she tries to compress the wound.
8. Emergency services arrive
Kerri comes downstairs, moves her two dogs into a room and answers the door to police after 11pm.
Sergeant Richard Grieve finds Graeme lying back down, topless and wearing boxer shorts with smeared blood on his chest and a single, visible wound.
Paramedics had been waiting outside the property prior to police arrival.
Desperate efforts were made to save Graeme’s life over 20 minutes but he was pronounced dead at 11.35pm.
Kerri repeatedly asks about Graeme’s welfare, as well as making a string of remarks to the police. Officers believe she is under the influence of alcohol.
Two female officers arrive and remove her blood-stained clothes, despite Kerri not being an officially arrested person at that time.
She is given a white forensic suit to wear and is taken to Ninewells Hospital to be examined for her cut. Kerri refuses the offer of paper stitches.
While at Ninewells, Detective Constable Andrew Howe informs Kerri of her partner’s death before arresting her on suspicion of murder.
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