In August 2009, the body of David Lace was exhumed from Kingston Cemetery in Portsmouth more than twenty years after he had died. Residents peered out from behind curtains as police stood guard. A blue and white tent covered the empty grave, and hessian sacks hid the names of nearby headstones. There were rumours that Hampshire police were about to solve a case that had long haunted the nearby city of Southampton. Detective Chief Inspector Phil McTavish had begun the re-investigation of a murder in Southampton thirty years earlier. With the progress made in forensic science over those decades, McTavish and his team were after one thing — DNA. But Lace wasn't the murder victim, nor was he the man convicted. So who was he? Sign up now to Crime+Investigation Play, the only dedicated true crime streaming service to watch brand new episodes of the TV show Murdertown. To start your free trial head to crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/play/murdertown. Once your free trial ends, you only have to pay the low monthly fee of £3.99, or you can purchase an annual plan for just £39.99 – that’s 12 months for 10. UK customers only. T&Cs apply. 18+. Subscription required. Payment taken if trial not cancelled. Every place we live has a story to tell. Let us know where we should cover next by commenting in the reviews or use #Murdertown on social media. Murdertown is a Crime+Investigation original podcast hosted by Benjamin Fitton, written and researched by Anna Priestland, edited by Joel Porter, produced by Kim Sergeant and series produced by Sam Pearson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.