Murder 24/7: Inside the Jamie Gawler case: What to know before Murder 24/7 airs Natural Born Killer

BBC's British true-crime documentary series Murder 24/7 Series 3 is back with a new case this week. It follows the investigation into the murder of 54-year-old Jamie Gawler in January 2025. Titled Natural Born Killer, the episode is set to premiere on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, on BBC One at 9:00 PM.

According to a West Mercia Police report, on Saturday, January 18, 2025, when Gawler's brother tried to reach him on the phone, it was picked up by a South Wales cop. The cop informed him that Gawler's phone was found a day earlier at Porth railway station. Gawler's brother rushed to the 54-year-old's flat in Brierley Court in Hereford, where he found him dead.

Soon, South Wales police officers launched an investigation and, along with his phone, found bank cards belonging to him and another man named Matthew Jonathan. Jonathan became the primary suspect in the case. He was arrested on January 19, 2025, and was thereafter transferred to the Hereford Police Station. Upon further interrogation, it was found that Gawler suffered multiple injuries and was assaulted for days by Jonathan, which he apparently filmed on his mobile phone. He was charged with murder and eventually sentenced for his crimes.

Here's what to expect from the upcoming episode of Murder 24/7.

BBC's Murder 24/7 Natural Born Killer: What happened to Jamie Gawler?

Murder 24/7's Natural Born Killer delves into the investigation of Jamie Gawler's murder (Image Via BBC One)

Natural Born Killer, the latest episode of Murder 24/7 Series 3, is set to drop this Tuesday on BBC One at 9 PM. This week's episode will delve into the murder case of Jamie Gawler. Gawler's body was found in his apartment on January 18, 2025. According to the Crown Prosecution Service, the victim had multiple injuries in his body, with blunt trauma to the chest, neck, and head.

Upon investigation, it was found that Gawler met the 37-year-old Matthew Jonathan at a night shelter in Hereford and they became friends. Jonathan was released from prison in 2024, and when Gawler found out he had nowhere to go, he offered him to stay at his apartment. Little did he know that this would be his life's deadliest mistake.

On January 12, 2025, Gawler was last captured on CCTV at a garage. It was later found out that Gawler was subjected to assault (verbal and physical) in the following days by Jonathan. Eventually, Jonathan stole Gawler's bank cards and used them for various purposes, such as at local departmental stores. When Jonathan's phone was confiscated during the interrogation, police found video and photographic evidence of Jonathan torturing/assaulting Gawler while abusing him using homophobic slurs.

When Jonathan realized that Gawler was dead, he fled the Hereford area on January 17 and boarded a train. According to The Sun, Jonathan had a medical episode on a train platform where he dropped the stolen bank cards, car keys and phone. Gawler's belongings, including his phone, were confiscated by the police officials. When Gawler's brother called up and found out that the phone was with the cops, he knew something was wrong, and he rushed to Gawler's place to check on him. Unfortunately, he found Gawler's dead body with multiple injuries.

Jonathan was eventually arrested in South Wales by officers and was subsequently taken to the police station. During the initial interrogation, Jonathan denied killing Gawler. However, at the hearing in April 2025, he pleaded guilty to the murder of Jamie Gawler.

Matthew Jonathan sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Jamie Gawler

Matthew Jonathan was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder with a minimum term of 32 years on September 12, 2025, at Worcester Crown Court. Previously, Jonathan pleaded guilty to the murder of Jamie Gawler. Kate Seal of Crown Protection Service added (via CPS ):