Who killed Ray Walters in Emmerdale? All the suspects’ movements revealed

If you’re watching Emmerdale this week, you might notice some familiar themes. The show is revealing secrets about everyone who could be involved in Ray Walters‘s (Joe Absolom) death through a series of special episodes.

Jai Sharma confronts the people he thinks put Ray’s body in his van, and someone starts to reveal what really happened.

But truthfully, we’re halfway through the week, and we still have more questions than answers.

Ray Walters’s murder suspects and their movements

Laurel Thomas

Ray killed his mother, Celia Daniels, with a knife, and then immediately went to see Laurel Thomas, telling her they could finally be together.

I was shocked to learn about everything Dylan Penders – or Fred Kettle, as I knew him – had been doing. He’d actually told me himself, and I was absolutely furious. Despite how much I cared for him, there was no way I could build a life with someone who exploited children like that, getting them involved in such terrible things as sex work and drugs. It was heartbreaking, but I knew I had to walk away.

I understand he might have been tricked into this whole thing by Celia, and honestly, I feel for him a little knowing that. But even if he was a victim too, it doesn’t make what he did okay. He still needs to take responsibility.

Laurel’s friend, Nicola King, suggested she get back at him by attracting his attention and then calling the police, but Laurel didn’t believe she was capable of doing that.

Arthur Thomas

So, Laurel’s son, Arthur – young Alfie Clarke, who’s great in the role – figured out what Ray was up to and took off running to try and stop him. It was a really tense moment, watching him race towards the confrontation!

Ray had recently contacted someone to arrange for new passports and IDs to be created. With a bag full of cash in hand, he was about to vanish without a trace.

Arthur told the man to get out of the car and demanded an explanation. Then, he picked up a rock and threatened him with it.

Little did he realise, someone was watching on from afar…

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Graham Foster (under Rhona Goskirk’s instruction)

Graham Foster, who everyone believed was dead, unexpectedly reappeared and saw the fight between Arthur and Ray. This happened right after he’d shocked his former girlfriend, Rhona Goskirk, by revealing he was actually still alive.

She was stunned to see him again, and he knew that she required his help.

Rhona’s stepdaughter, April Windsor (played by Amelia Flanagan), disappeared after running away from home following a fight with Ray. Graham heard rumors that April had gotten involved with drug dealing.

After rigorous training with the SAS, he seemed like the only one capable of stopping Ray, and Rhona believed in him. It was difficult to trust him again after he’d left her six years earlier, but she began to see that Graham might be her last hope.

Marlon Dingle

Rhona was hiding Graham while her husband, Marlon Dingle, quietly entered the kitchen and took a knife.

Earlier that day, he’d fought with Ray. Now, he was at the farmhouse, hoping to find April, but instead discovered Celia’s body lying cold on the floor.

Marlon confronted Ray by his car, demanding to know where his daughter was. Ray claimed he had no idea and then drove away.

When we got back to the village, Ross Barton – that lad is something else, honestly – just snatched the knife off Marlon and told him he had to sort everything out himself. It was like he didn’t want anything to do with it, leaving Marlon to handle all the fallout.

Ross Barton

Ross feels a close connection to April, as he was in a relationship with her mother, Donna. Donna tragically took her own life in 2014 while they were together.

He had rescued the teenager several times before, and after discovering the abuse she suffered from Celia and Ray, he was determined to stop them from hurting anyone else.

I was shocked to learn he just drove straight to Butler’s Farm and, unbelievably, stole a gun, even going so far as to load it. It’s just… unbelievable and terrifying to think about.

But was he successful in finding Ray?

Paddy Dingle

Dylan, shaken after finally telling Laurel the truth, was seen by Paddy Dingle, who has always been a father figure to him. Dylan realized he needed to explain that Ray was responsible for the hit-and-run accident last year, and that Ray had also involved April in his manipulative plan.

Paddy was shocked to learn the young boy hadn’t mentioned that his father, Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards), had been working in terrible conditions on Ray’s farm for months.

Filled with anger, he vowed to get revenge on Ray. But Dylan cautioned him that Ray was incredibly dangerous, and getting involved could put his family and friends at serious risk.

Despite everything, Paddy saw Ray near the village hall and told him that once Bear was found, he would report him to the police. Ray pointed out a slight issue with that plan: Bear was already dead.

Paddy was shocked and upset, struggling to believe what was happening. Ray pretended he knew nothing about it, claiming he thought the man was on his side and wasn’t to blame.

Unwilling to forgive, Paddy lashed out. But did he kill Ray?

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1. Stream on ITVX.

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Authors

Michael AdamsSoaps Editor

Michael Adams is the Soaps Editor at TopMob, providing the latest news and spoilers for popular shows like Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, and Hollyoaks. Before joining TopMob, he worked as a Soaps Reporter at Metro for two years and even worked on the sets of Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

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2026-01-21 14:05