I was in Scotland Yard and feature on true crime show and this is what it really takes to investigate murder

There’s a new true crime documentary series that goes behind-the-scenes of some of the most chilling murder investigations the UK has ever seen. And it features the shocking case of a Manchester man who was found chopped up in a suitcase in the Peak District. 

Taking viewers through the intricacies of each case is former homicide detective Steve Keogh. The last 12 years of his 30-year career at Scotland Yard were spent investigating murders, including high-profile cases like the murder of Eastenders actress Sian Blake.

Titled ‘Secrets of a Murder Detective’, the new series aired its first 10 episodes on the TRUE CRIME channel (Sky 146, Freeview 67, Virgin Media 148, Freesat 135) in March, followed by another 10 episodes, which began on Thursday 29 May. The Manchester episode, “Gamble With Death” is set to air in June. 

We caught up with Steve to find out a bit more about the gruesome Manchester case and what it really takes to become a detective.

“Gamble with Death”

“It’s always dog walkers,” Steve said, referring to the people who found the suitcase in the Peak District containing Yang Liu’s charred body parts back in 2016.

It was impossible to determine the identity or cause of death at first because Yang Liu’s head, hands and feet had all been removed. Eventually, though, ANPR cameras managed to identify a car both entering and returning from the area the night of the murder, which then led the investigation from Derbyshire to Manchester. And it was a spot of blood found in that car that led them to Ming Jiang. 

The then 43–year-old had brutally murdered his friend Yang Liu, who was 36 at the time, for money. He was a gambling addict with around £273,000 debt and a criminal background in fraud. After bludgeoning his friend to death, Ming Jiang blew a further £180,000 in the casino. 

Steve said: “It was just a bloodbath, essentially. Obviously dismembering a body is going to be a messy affair. There's no justification for murder ever, but when it's all just about money, it just feels completely wrong.” 

Having spent 12 years of his 30-year career in the police working as a homicide detective, Steve believes there are three broad reasons why people murder. The first two are based on emotions: emotions that “push” people to murder, such as anger or jealousy and emotions that “pull” people towards it, like power, control, sexual gratification and even enjoyment. 

Most of the cases Steve encountered during his career were these spur-of-the-moment killings. The Yang Liu case, however, falls under the third reason – gain.  Steve said: “These murders that are pre-planned – so not only committing the crime but to dispose of the body afterwards – thankfully, are rarer. Because they're scarier, aren't they? Just to think that someone would do that to a human being, just to pay off their gambling debts, I find that quite scary and thankfully they're rarer.”

“We’re not robots”

During his career, Steve worked on around 100 murder cases – “although you never know how many, you lose track,” he said.

He retired from Scotland Yard a few years ago, but the work has never really left him. As well as presenting Secrets of a Murder Detective, he has written two books about murder investigations, has just launched a new podcast ‘Murder Investigation for Crime Writers’ and is a regular at CrimeCon. “I can't let murder go. Everything I do is about murder,” he added. 

The veteran detective has found a niche for himself within the true crime genre, which continues to be popular – as demonstrated in the countless documentaries and podcasts that are available today on streaming services globally. While there are debates as to the ethics of true crime presenting these cases as entertainment, Steve is very clear where he draws the line in this regard. 

He told ManchesterWorld: “If it's not victim-focused or there's no purpose for it, I wouldn't get involved. I know there's a side of true crime that almost glorifies the killers, glorifies the criminals, and I wouldn't get involved in that. To me, it's about education and it's about sharing knowledge. It's taken me a little bit of time to find my feet and make sure I'm comfortable with where I'm at.”

One of the most important details Steve hopes viewers take away from Secrets of a Murder Detective is the fact that “the investigators aren't robots and they're human beings.” 

He continued: “A lot of people focus in on the sights that you see, but one of the most difficult things I found was dealing with the trauma of the families and being there on that journey with them. Being there in those very early stages, when they're emotions are raw and they're just trying to get their heads around the fact they've just lost their loved one - that can be really difficult.”

For him, supporting the families of victims, helping them find justice, is what makes the job so rewarding. 

“There's this pin-drop moment in court when the jury are about to come back with that verdict and when you've been through that journey and you've been through all that crap with the family and he comes back with a guilty [verdict],” he said. “To me, that first time, I was like: I can't do anything else. There's nothing that's going to replicate this in the police. I always think it's a bit corny when I say this, but it was like I had found my calling.”

• “Secrets of a Murder Detective” is available to watch in TRUE CRIME now.
• Steve Keogh’s new podcast “Murder Investigation for Crime Writers” is available to stream on Audible.
• And you can find his books, “Murder Investigation Team,” “Murder Investigation Team: Jack the Ripper: A 21st Century Investigation,” and “Murder Investigation Team: How Scotland Yard Really Catches Killers” on Amazon.