How will murderer John Sugden be caught out in Emmerdale?

The killer has dispatched with Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter), and also claims to have hidden the body of evil Anthony Fox (Nicholas Day).

John drugged mother-in-law Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter), attacked Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) and poisoned Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant) before swooping in to play the hero.

There's also John's ex Aidan Moore (Geoff Dignan), who has slipped back into a coma, and we know that John is responsible for Aidan being in this state in the first place.

With so many crimes under his belt, just how will John come unstuck?

Read on as we delve into all the theories.

How will John Sugden's crimes be exposed in Emmerdale?

Robert Sugden uncovers John's dark secrets

Robert is about to face a dark threat from John, and Robert becomes convinced that his newfound sibling is hiding something.

Little does Robert know just how sinister John is, but as Robert opts to head home after his release from prison, can he uncover what makes John tick and expose him for who he really is?

It's the outcome we're truly hoping for, and Emmerdale has surely timed Robert's epic comeback to tie in with John's downfall.

Will Robert be the one to discover John's crimes, or might the trusting Dingles dismiss Robert's words, forcing him to play the long game?

Well, there's always the chance that Robert won't be the one to bring John down. But, either way, he's bound to be central to the drama.

Aaron Dingle becomes John's target

Having married John after the shock of Robert's initial arrival, Aaron will again insist that he and Robert are over for good. But when Robert informs John of his kiss with Aaron, leaving John furious, could this cause John to target Aaron?

Either as punishment for his forbidden kiss with Robert, or to keep Aaron in his grasp, might John use his medical equipment to drug Aaron, keeping him exactly where he wants him - close to him and away from Robert?

With everyone else falling at John's feet to praise his caring tendencies, only Robert would notice that John was up to no good, leading to a rescue mission and, hopefully, an eventual 'Robron' reunion. But that's a subject for another time!

But perhaps John and Aaron will ride out the storm of Aaron's betrayal and, instead, Aaron catches John just as the latter is poised to commit another shocking act?

Aaron is far too smart to remain oblivious for long, but maybe he could keep any potential discovery under wraps so he can gather evidence against John in secret - working with Robert to bring him down!

It's about time Aaron was made aware of all the red flags he's been missing.

Evidence on Nate Robinson's body reveals the truth

The police are currently focused on Tracy (Amy Walsh) as the main suspect in Nate's murder, but we have to wonder how they, or Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) for that matter, can really believe Tracy is capable of killing Nate - let alone of getting his body into the lake!

Is it too late for Nate's body to be checked for drugs in his system, therefore revealing what actually ended his life? John was careful in disposing of Nate, but might he have left any DNA on the body that could come back to haunt him?

Yes, this would be far too easy a solution for a soap, but it would be a triumphant watch for viewers!

Anthony Fox's body resurfaces

So, John is embroiled in the concealing of another murder - that of evil Anthony. Ruby Miligan (Beth Cordingly) killed Anthony, but when Aaron thought he was to blame, John hurried Aaron away and later claimed he had got rid of the body alone.

Several other villagers among the Dingle clan are in on this secret, but after spinning a tale about a makeshift grave, only John knows where Anthony's remains ended up.

But while Ruby's recent confession was quashed when Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) stepped in to provide a fake sighting of Anthony, what if his body is found just as everyone is starting to relax?

And do we really believe that John is keeping its whereabouts quiet for a noble reason? What if Anthony was actually alive and John finished the job without telling the group?

We also note that John's decision over the body means he has a hold over Ruby, Aaron and the others. What if one of them finds out where Anthony is, and that there's more John hasn't told them?

Could this allow the likes of Cain and Chas to finally see how dangerous John is?

Aidan Moore regains consciousness – again

John stopped himself from injecting air into Aidan's body in order to murder him without the hospital staff realising, but Aidan then fell back into a coma.

There's nothing to suggest Aidan will ever be seen again, but what if John's decision not to kill him comes back to bite him?

Might the ITV soap bring Aidan round once more, leading him to pitch up in the village and reveal exactly what John did to him?

Keeping Aidan alive may just have been a way of showing John's human side, but we have a feeling there's another reason Emmerdale chose not to kill off this previously unknown character.

It's just a matter of time before John will face his reckoning, and we can't wait to see how it all unfolds.

Read more:

• Emmerdale sets up killer John Sugden's latest Nate scheme in ITVX release
• Emmerdale star set to return to ITV soap after 2 years off screens
• Emmerdale airs game-changing Ruby Miligan twist amid murder confession in ITVX release
• Emmerdale star opens up on future of Matty and Amy's adoption story
• Emmerdale newcomer Joe Absolom opens up on his dark storyline involving April
• Emmerdale airs big romance cliffhanger – will Aaron Dingle choose Robert or John Sugden?
• Emmerdale airs dramatic aftermath of epic Robert Sugden return in ITVX episode
• Emmerdale's Ryan Hawley confirms Robert Sugden future on soap after dramatic return

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1. Stream on ITVX.

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