Ronald Burgess is a character appearing in the episode Things That Go Bump in the Night of the ITV crime drama Midsomer Murders.
Ronald was the conductor of the local church choir, married to Sylvia Burgess but keeping the marriage loveless and having a pension for harassing and groping other women in Fletcher's Cross. He had an affair with Janet Pennyman, the wife of undertaker Patrick Pennyman, and to be together, they made plans to kill Patrick. After having sex in the mortuary's prayer room, Patrick walked in to see Janet covered her nude self under a sheet, which she relished his reaction over. Roger, equally naked, crept up behind Patrick with a candlestick and struck him unconscious in his head, then celebrated with Janet over drinks once Patrick's death was disguised as a suicide by cutting his wrists with a box cutter. They laughed over the plan of her preparing dinner, then pretending to call for Patrick, then "stumbling upon" a dead Patrick before running out making horrified noises to get bystanders to rush to her aid. The ruse went off without a hitch, and the majority of the village bought it hook, line, and sinker. Janet continued the "grieving widow" performance during and after questioning.
Ronald partook in festivities arranged near the railroad, then groped Anne Marr and bragged about him not facing repercussions even after she was ready to report to Sylvia. Janet and Ronald continued to counter problems, as Elizabeth Key was investigating the mortuary, since her family brooch was stolen from her mother Rosemary Key, shortly after she died from hearing cues about her late husband David Key during Rosetta Price's seance. Janet was involved in Patrick's business of swiping belongings from the deceased, and she offered information on the descedants to Rosetta so she'd seem legitimate during her shows. Knowing they'd get found out, fearing their split from arrest, Janet and Ronald planned Elizabeth's murder next. She was knocked out with a brick at her front door, before Ronald cut her wrists with the same box cutter, the duo likely having gotten used to the pattern to try and use it to throw off the police.
As their last hurdle, John Whittle had seen them making out in Patrick's undertaker vehicle, having planned a lascivious move to sexually extort Janet for his silence. As the duo would have none of that, they arranged to kill John at the rail track, leaving two suspects behind to divert investigators: James Griss, the rail worker and former belligerent colleague of Patrick, and Thomas Marr, Anne's brother whom Janet called on a payphone just to lure him to the site so he'd have as less credible alibi. As John approached Janet on the tracks and gravel, Roger tiptoed behind with a large metalwork hammer used for the tracks. Roger killed John instant with a blow to his head from the hammer, before the pair arranged his corpse and cut his wrists per their usual fashion. Janet was tracked through the payphone, but she acted like she needed more time to mourn Patrick's murder. The jig was up when Roger arrived with a bottle of champagne and flowers, his hand near Janet's cheek and ready to kiss her.
The investigators questioned the two separately, alleging the other gave them up. Roger felt davestated that Janet could've betrayed him and delighted in the fun they had together. Janet thought Roger would've gone to prison for her by taking all the credit, so she confessed too, saying she'd never forget the night Patrick was murdered with how pricelessly it went. The two of them were shortly after arrested.
Victims[]
All of the following was committed with the complicity and abetting of Janet Pennyman
- Patrick Pennyman - Hit on the back of the head with a big candlestick and then had his wrists slit with a box cutter.
- Elizabeth Key - Hit on the back of the head with a brick and then had her wrists slit with a box cutter.
- John Whittle - Lured to the train tracks and killed by a blow on the back of the head with a hammer used to check the railway. His body was then moved further along by the track and had his wrists slit with a box cutter.