A new suspect has emerged in the murder of Theo Silverton on Coronation Street, and this one has a deadly past. Gary Windass, played by Mikey North, is the only person among the six suspects who could have been called Theo's friend, but his history suggests he is capable of violence.
Gary's Dark History
Gary Windass does not like bullies. When his stepson Liam Connor was being tormented at school, Gary attacked the teenager in a moment of fury. This is Gary all over, or at least it was. He may have mellowed since settling down with Maria Connor, but he has skeletons in his closet. Gary was responsible for the factory roof collapse that resulted in the death of Rana Habeeb, and he shifted the blame to Carla Connor. He also killed ruthless loan shark Rick Neelan in self-defence before taking over the criminal's business and becoming just as ruthless.
Friendship Turned Sour
Gary and Theo started off as best mates. Gary employed Theo as a scaffolder at the builder's yard, but Theo pulled the wool over Gary's eyes. Gary did not see his so-called friend's true colours even during Theo's shotgun wedding to Todd Grimshaw. It was not until Sarah Platt listed all the red flags that the truth finally dawned on Gary. Betrayed and furious, Gary fired Theo and implicitly threatened his life.
Escalating Violence
After Theo brutally attacked Todd and put him in hospital, Gary drove the abuser to the police station under threat of being battered with a wrench. Then when Theo refused to leave Coronation Street and flouted his protection order against Todd, Gary smashed his van with a sledgehammer, which was caught on CCTV. He then sent a text to Theo's phone: "I'M COMING FOR YOU."
Cover-Up and Investigation
In the explosive aftermath of Theo's murder, Gary is taking steps to eradicate incriminating evidence. He deleted the CCTV footage showing him smashing up Theo's van. However, Kit Green is on the case and already suspicious. In upcoming episodes, Kit and Lisa Swain agree that Gary's alibi does not stack up. The police call at the builder's yard and start gathering potential evidence, including scaffolding poles. But the investigation hits a dead end when Lisa tells Kit that they could not retrieve the deleted CCTV footage. Kit approaches Gary and makes it clear that he is still the number one suspect.
Did Gary do it? And will he get away with murder again? Only time will tell on Coronation Street.
