Could you convict a man when there is no clear cause of death, no weapon and no direct forensic evidence? The gripping SBS Original series The Jury returns with The Jury: Skeleton in the Garden, a shocking new true crime event that puts truth, justice and reasonable doubt to the test. The trailblazing social experiment will premiere on SBS and SBS on Demand from Monday 5 October.
Over five unmissable episodes, a new real Australian manslaughter trial is re-staged with absolute fidelity, with professional actors recreating the proceedings word for word from original court transcripts. As in a real court, the fate of the defendant rests in the hands of a new jury of twelve everyday Australians, bringing a diverse range of ages, cultures and life experiences to the jury room. Putting the audience at the centre of the action as it unfolds, will the jury find the defendant guilty or decide the case has not been proven beyond reasonable doubt? Will they reach the same verdict as the original jury? And once their decision is in, will a final revelation force them to confront the chilling reality: that justice and truth aren’t always the same thing.
In this shocking new true crime case, the jury learns about the mysterious disappearance of a woman whose remains are discovered buried in the defendant’s former backyard a decade after she vanished. But with no confirmed time, location, cause or motive of death, the jury must decide whether the secret burial proves his guilt or whether suspicion belongs elsewhere.
What makes this new trial compelling and uniquely difficult is the near-total absence of physical evidence. There are no fingerprints or forensic traces linking the defendant to the death, and no smoking gun. The case rests almost entirely on human testimony, forcing jurors to judge how witnesses carry themselves, whether their accounts ring true and what moments of hesitation or certainty might reveal. Credibility and composure become crucial pieces of evidence.
Episodes 1-4 of The Jury: Skeleton in the Garden will be available to stream on SBS On Demand from Monday 5 October. The final episode and verdict reveal will be available Tuesday 13 October.
The Jury: Skeleton in the Garden premieres Monday 5 October at 7.30pm on SBS, launching a five-night event across two weeks:
- Monday 5 October, 7.30pm, Episode 1
- Tuesday 6 October, 7.30pm, Episode 2
- Wednesday 7 October, 7.30pm, Episode 3
- Monday 12 October, 7.30pm, Episode 4
- Tuesday 13 October, 7.30pm, Final Episode and Verdict Reveal
Meet the Jurors:
SAHAR, 38 - BUSINESS ANALYST
Sahar is a force of intellect, conviction and constant reinvention. An Iranian-Australian who has moved through multiple careers – from pharmacist to IT analyst, to political candidate – she resists being defined by any single path. Instead, she’s driven by values: equality, justice and a fierce commitment to challenging systems she sees as unjust. Articulate and fearless in debate, Sahar speaks with clarity and purpose, particularly when advocating for women or marginalised groups. Her political identity is unapologetically left-wing, shaped in part by her upbringing.
IN THE JURY ROOM: Sahar brings emotional intensity to the deliberations, acutely sensitive to power imbalances and victim-blaming. She is highly observant of behaviour, making her a powerful advocate for meticulous fact checking.
TIM, 28 - MUSICIAN
Tim is charismatic, articulate and intellectually agile, with a life story that disrupts first impressions. Educated, well-spoken and outwardly polished, he once thrived in the fast-paced world of advertising before a substance addiction derailed his trajectory. Now in recovery, he brings a level of self-awareness and emotional depth that contrasts with his confident exterior.
IN THE JURY ROOM: Tim is a powerhouse. Hyper-logical and legally literal, he gets incredibly exasperated when the room slides into amateur sleuthing and personality judgments. His lived experience allows him to deeply sympathise with the stressors of addiction, frequently acting as the voice of legal due diligence.
SUE, 75 - HAIRDRESSER
A rock-singing grandmother guided more by spontaneity than a rigid rulebook, Sue has spent a lifetime following instinct over caution. Born in England and now firmly Australian, her life has been marked by bold, impulsive decisions – four marriages, including one to a man whose surname she didn’t know, and moving across the world on a whim. Sue still performs on stage with her husband’s band – who is 17 years her junior – fuelled by energy, humour and a love of attention. Warm, witty and endlessly sociable, she is a natural storyteller who draws people in quickly. Beneath the charm lies contradiction: she holds firmly to old-school values yet is surprisingly open to being persuaded.
IN THE JURY ROOM: Sue is a fascinating bellwether for the room. While she is quick to react to courtroom testimony, she is highly empathetic to the toll of a broken marriage and substance abuse, revealing that her own personal history shapes how she views the victim.
MUNESH, 40 - TRAVEL AGENT
Munesh is calm, introspective and deeply grounded – a quiet presence that carries significant emotional weight. Of Fijian-Indian heritage, he is closely connected to his cultural roots and guided by a strong sense of family, responsibility and service. Balancing his career as a travel agent with crisis volunteering, he has developed a capacity to listen with patience and empathy, particularly when others are struggling. His steadiness is hard-won, shaped by personal challenges he rarely speaks about, but reveals later in the series. Munesh became a proud father for the first time just four days before the trial began.
IN THE JURY ROOM: Munesh is not driven by ego. He speaks thoughtfully and sparingly, acting as a cooling anchor when tempers flare. He is exceptionally articulate about balancing moral intuition with the rigid strictness of the law.
GEOFF, 23 - SALES MANAGER
Geoff is thoughtful, composed and quietly authoritative beyond his years. Outwardly, he fits the mold of the affable, young man – athletic, articulate and socially confident. But beneath that surface lies a deeper emotional complexity shaped by personal tragedy. The violent murder of a close friend has profoundly altered his view of the world, leaving him with both empathy and a simmering anger at systemic failures.
IN THE JURY ROOM: Geoff is self-aware about his privilege and strives to approach situations with balance and integrity. He is deeply frustrated by the lack of direct physical evidence and acts as a vocal protector of the minority votes, reminding everyone that a jury is not a game of survival.
MENAKA, 77 - FORMER HR DIRECTOR
Menaka is formidable, insightful and deeply principled woman whose life experience commands attention. Having fled an abusive relationship as a young mother, she spent decades as an HR director and advocating for women and others facing systemic disadvantage. Menaka combines compassion with discipline: she is deeply empathetic, yet unwavering in her commitment to fairness, accountability, and process.
IN THE JURY ROOM: Menaka is the natural matriarch of the jury room. She uses her decades of HR management to help organise the whiteboard, pull the group together and facilitate open debate. She cuts through side-chatter and forces the room to synthesize logic over runaway emotion.
SUZANNA, 27 - SOCIAL WORKER
Born to Russian and Ukrainian parents, Suzanna is sharp, perceptive and direct, with an intensity that can sometimes put her at odds with others. Raised by her grandmother after her mother struggled with mental health and her father served time in prison, she grew up quickly, learning to read people and situations with care. Neurodivergent with ADHD, she processes the world quickly, making connections others might miss, though she can become restless or fixate when something doesn’t sit right. Now working in the community sector, she brings a grounded, people-first perspective, driven by empathy as much as lived experience.
IN THE JURY ROOM: Attuned to bias and group dynamics, she is inclined to question a rush to judgment, often encouraging others to pause and look again. Her father’s incarceration informs her instinct to examine both the evidence and the assumptions around it. While she can be persistent – and occasionally tests others’ patience – her focus remains on keeping the discussion fair.
SHIRLEY, 29 - FINANCIAL RISK CONSULTANT
Shirley is precise, driven, and intellectually formidable. Her unusual upbringing – marked by instability and secrecy as a child of professional poker players – has made her a fiercely independent and disciplined thinker. Now working in financial risk, she approaches problems with analytical rigour and little patience for emotional reasoning. Shirley prides herself on being “cutthroat” in her decision-making, resisting any impulse to let sympathy cloud her judgment – though that instinct isn’t as absent as she would like to believe.
IN THE JURY ROOM: Drawing on her background as a poker player, Shirley is quick to read human psychology, dismantle weak arguments and regulate her emotions. She is unafraid to be the lone dissenting vote in a deadlocked room, holding the line on cold, hard logic. Yet beneath that control, she carries a quiet sensitivity to vulnerability.
JOHN, 29 - AI TRAINER
John is a man shaped by faith, discipline and a deep belief in personal responsibility. Raised in a missionary family in Kenya and Papua New Guinea, his early life was defined by service, structure and a strong moral framework. Now living a quiet life in suburban Sydney working as an AI trainer, he presents as calm, polite and grounded. John doesn’t preach, but his Christian beliefs inform how he sees everything: justice, accountability, gender roles and the structure of society itself. He values order, clarity and truth.
IN THE JURY ROOM: in John is quietly immovable and highly analytical. He is quick to spot consistencies in the investigation and push back against speculation, often acting as a grounding voice of reason when the room descends into chaos.
HICKO, 66 - GARBAGE TRUCK DRIVER
Hicko is the embodiment of the Aussie larrikin – blunt, cheeky and utterly unapologetic. A self-described “garbologist”, he takes pride in hard work, routine and the simple rhythms of life. Surrounded by a large family of six children and 18 grandkids, his worldview is firmly rooted in old-school values: personal responsibility, tough love and a deep skepticism of what he sees as modern “nonsense” or political correctness.
IN THE JURY ROOM: Don’t let the cheeky exterior fool you – Hicko brings razor-sharp, blue-collar problem-solving to the table. While he initially leads with his gut, he is deeply humble and willing to change his mind.
KRISTY, 46 - PAEDIATRIC AUDIOLOGIST
Kristy is energetic, inquisitive and relentlessly engaged – a whirlwind of friendliness and enthusiasm. A lifelong Penrith local working as a peadiatric audiologist, she embodies a familiar suburban archetype: the approachable, talkative, ever-curious neighbour. Her fascination with true crime gives her a sense of purpose and excitement, and she approaches situations with the mindset of an “amateur sleuth”.
IN THE JURY ROOM: Kristy thrives in the group setting, asking rapid-fire questions and absorbing the perspectives around her. While she loves to play detective, she is highly empathetic and is moved to tears when the legal limitations of the system are finally exposed to her.
PAUL, 61 - PHOTOGRAPHER
Paul brings a depth of lived experience that few others in the room can match. His life has been marked by hardship – foster care, homelessness, mental health struggles and years entangled in the criminal justice system. He has since rebuilt his life through faith, community and quiet perseverance. Now working as a photographer, he carries himself with humility and warmth. Paul is not loud or attention-seeking; he observes closely, listens deeply and chooses his moments with care. There is a quiet stillness to him, as though he is guided as much by instinct as by reason.
IN THE JURY ROOM: Paul acts as a calm, watchful presence, often sitting outside the noise of the group as he takes in not only what’s being said, but the feeling in the room. Having once stood in the dock himself, he approaches the responsibility of judgment with deep gravity. He resists being pulled into reactive debate, instead grounding himself before he speaks. When he does, it’s measured and considered – often cutting through tension or reframing the conversation in ways others hadn’t quite reached.
The first season of The Jury: Death on the Staircase & the UK's The Jury: Murder Trial UK are available to stream on SBS on Demand.
