The Jury: 14 and on Trial for Murder is based on the real life case of brothers Jerome and Joshua Ellis, but what happened to them after the shocking crime?
The brothers were teenagers when they were accused of murdering their stepdad, Neil Tulley.
Their case eventually went before a jury after they were accused of stabbing Neil to death at their family home.
The Channel 4 series recreates the brothers’ trial, with actors taking on the roles of those involved in the case – apart from the jury. They are members of the public.
However, viewers watching the drama will notice that the brothers have different names.
In The Jury: 14 and on Trial for Murder, Jerome and Joshua are portrayed as Daniel and Luke.
Here’s what happened in the real case involving Jerome and Joshua Ellis and what is known about their lives now.
The real case portrayed in The Jury: 14 and on Trial for Murder
In 2013, 14-year-old Jerome and Joshua Ellis, 23, were convicted after killing their stepdad, Neil Tulley, at the family home in Guildford, Surrey.
Neil, 54, had been living at the Cedar Way property with the brothers and their mother. Evidence presented during the trial suggested he was asleep, or almost asleep, on the sofa when the attack began.
The brothers armed themselves with kitchen knives and inflicted 65 separate areas of injury. Some of the wounds were described as severe injuries to the neck, with the court hearing that Neil was almost decapitated.
After Neil’s death, Jerome and Joshua fled the family home and went into hiding. A bellringer eventually discovered the brothers hiding in a porch.
The pair later admitted that they had been involved in Neil’s death, but both denied murder. They argued that years of alleged violence and threats at home had pushed them beyond what they could cope with.
They also said they feared what Neil might do to them, their mother and their siblings. The jury heard that Neil had previously threatened to kill Joshua and had attacked him with an axe.
Neil had been arrested and charged with making threats to kill, but a jury later found him not guilty.
The prosecution accepted that the circumstances surrounding the family were complex. However, prosecutors argued that self defence did not account for Neil’s killing because he was asleep when the attack began.
The prosecution instead claimed that the brothers had planned the killing as an act of revenge. Their defence argued that they had simply reached breaking point after everything they had endured.
Where are Jerome and Joshua Ellis is now?
The jury accepted that Jerome’s actions had been influenced by the abuse and circumstances he had experienced. He was therefore cleared of murder and convicted of manslaughter by reason of loss of controls.
Jerome was later sentenced to six years in detention during a hearing at Guildford Crown Court.
He has since been released and very little is known about his life as an adult. Jerome is understood to live privately and away from public attention.
Joshua, the older brother, was found guilty of murder by the jury. He received a life sentence at the sentencing hearing, with a minimum term of 14 years.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Preston said outside court: “The sentence today reflects the severity of the crime and it is never an easy decision for the judge or jury to make with such emotive events to be considered.
When is The Jury: 14 and on Trial for Murder on next?
The four-part series uses original court transcripts alongside a jury made up of members of the public. Some viewers spotted a flaw in the format however, objecting to jurors discussing the case before all evidence had been heard.
The series began on Channel 4 on Tuesday 1 September 2026 and continues tonight at 9pm (Wednesday September 2).
Episodes three and four will air next Monday and Tuesday evenings.
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