Summer Spellman was arrested on suspicion of murder on Thursday night, 21 May, after police blocked her trip to the airport in the Theo Silverton killing inquiry. Todd was driving her to catch a flight to America when a police car cut across their route and officers took her into custody.
The arrest followed days of pressure on Summer, who had been under threat of arrest ever since Theo was found dead. DS Lisa Connor-Swain caught up with her over Theo Silverton's death after George Shuttleworth told police he had seen Summer lurking around Theo and Todd's former flat on the night Theo died. Summer had packed her belongings and was trying to leave before officers stopped the getaway.
The case has been building for some time. Theo's brooch was found in the former flat he shared with Todd, and Summer was already under suspicion because of her troubled history with Theo, who had abused Todd and played a role in Billy's death. The latest move by police turns that suspicion into a formal arrest, and it puts her at the centre of a murder investigation that has already dragged in several people close to the victim.
Harriet Bibby has played Summer for six years, and there is no indication she is leaving the programme. Even so, spoilers suggest the character may remain heavily involved for weeks, with future scenes teasing that she could remember a witness who may back up her alibi for the night of Theo's murder. That would matter because the show still has to answer the question of who killed him, and the producer has now said viewers will learn later this summer.
Kate Brooks said, "We reveal to the audience who it is during late June/early July," and added, "There's lots of people who you'll definitely think it could be." George is also set to confess to Todd that he was the one who tipped off police about Summer's suspicious behaviour. That disclosure could change how Todd sees the arrest, but the broader picture is already clear: Summer has been pulled into the centre of the case, and the killer will be named in late June or early July.
