Death in Paradise series 14: The truth about what really happened to DI Mervin Wilson's mum Dorna Bray
By Helen Fear |Death in Paradise's DI Mervin Wilson has finally worked out who killed his mum Dorna Bray, in the emotional penultimate episode of series 14.
Actress Judith Jacob portrayed Dorna in flashbacks during the climatic episode, in which Merv finally nailed her murderer.
The Londoner arrived in Saint Marie in the hope of reuniting with his mum, who gave him up when he was a baby. However, he was saddened to learn of her death.
Here's what happened to DI Mervin Wilson's mum Dorna Bray, who killed her, how, and why...
***Warning: spoilers from Death in Paradise series 14 episode 7 ahead***
What happened to Mervin's mum Dorna Bray?
Viewers know that Mervin arrived on the island with the secret mission to find his estranged mum Dorna Bray. However, sadly he discovered that she had recently died.
He told Commissioner Selwyn Patterson that, having grown up in the care system, he'd never met his biological mother. Ultimately, he decided to stay on Saint Marie in a bid to get to know the island where his mother spent her life, and to find out the truth about her mysterious drowning.
In episode seven (Friday, March 14, 2025), Mervin reopened his mother's case and uncovered the prime suspect in her murder... But, even though everything pointed back to the suspicious bar owner Roy Palmer, Merv couldn't work out how foul play was involved. And why would anyone want her dead anyway?
By all accounts, Merv knew that mum Dorna had taken a boat out in a storm and drowned at sea. She had planned to scatter her father Ervin's ashes in the ocean. However, she was familiar with the tides, and Mervin could not understand why she'd have taken such a risk in bad weather.
Also, there was the small matter of the permit. Dorna had applied for a permit to scatter her father's ashes on a beach in Saint Marie – so why did she change her mind?
Just as the team started making headway in the case, Sterling pulled rank and told Mervin to close the case (boo, hiss). But Selwyn stepped in to save the day - arresting Sterling for damaging his car and allowing Merv the time he needed to solve the case. Selwyn, not all heroes wear capes...
Who killed DI Mervin Wilson's mum Dorna Bray in Death in Paradise?
In episode seven of the current series, Mervin was forced to confront his past and finally got the answers he was looking for.
In the particularly emotive episode, DI Mervin Wilson's gaze fell on the rather shifty Roy Palmer (Gerard Horan), who first popped up in the previous week's episode six. He subsequently discovered that Roy was responsible for Dorna's death. He may not have directly killed her with his own hands, but he put everything in place.
The motive? Roy was in huge debt and wanted to get his hands on Dorna's very expensive ring. When we say expensive, we mean two million dollars worth!
He wasn't acting alone either. Roy set up Dorna's death with the help of her neighbour Brianna, who just could not refuse a stake in the money...
How was Dorna Bray killed?
Mervin discovered that bar owner Roy had been friendly with Dorna's dad Ervin, and subsequently got to know his daughter Dorna. However, this wasn't even half of the truth.
In fact, Roy had met Dorna decades before. He'd been on Saint Marie for a holiday in April 1974, at the same time as Merv's dad Charlie. Charlie fell in love with Dorna and gave her a stolen ring to remember him by. Turns out the ring was worth a fortune and Donna, unaware of its value, wore it everyday. But it wasn't on her body when she was found...
Roy staged Dorna's death to look like an accident. He convinced her to scatter her dad Erwin's ashes at sea, knowing there was a category 4 storm coming that no one could have survived.
He slipped her a sedative so she felt drowsy on the boat - a trip she planned much earlier in the day, before the bad weather was due to hit. He followed her until she passed out unconscious and took over, leaving her on the boat and in great danger. Oh and, of course, pocketing the ring at the same time with the intention of selling it.
Meanwhile, Brianna posed as Dorna later in the day so that onlookers saw her heading out in the storm. She slipped back safely and unnoticed minutes later.
The only flaw in the plan - apart from getting caught - was that Dorna's sedative wore off sooner than Roy had expected, so she'd been able to make a distressed call from the boat.
Who is Mervin Wilson's dad in Death in Paradise?
Mervin's dad Charlie Wilson vacationed on the island of Saint Marie in April 1974 with his family. During his stay, he met young Dorna Bray and fell in love. She subsequently became pregnant with Mervin.
Sadly, Charlie's parents weren't happy about the relationship or the pregnancy and they forced the couple to give the baby up. Dorna was left "broken" and never forgot her son.
Charlie returned to the UK, while Dorna remained on Saint Marie. In the penultimate episode of Death in Paradise series 14, Mervin said: "I know who my dad is. I reached out before I came here. He didn't want to know."
Death in Paradise viewers have not yet met Charlie Wilson - but we expect he'll be introduced in the future.
