EastEnders has killed off Ray Kelly in a grisly twist after Hunter Owen took shock action to protect his mum Mel.
Ray (Sean Mahon) was murdered by Hunter in the closing moments of Thursday's double bill (January 3), bringing his stint on the show to an explosive end.
Proving he really is his father's son, Hunter gunned down Ray during a horrifying fight in the woodlands as Mel's big revenge story came to a head.
Mel (Tamzin Outhwaite) had followed Ray to the woods as instructed, determined to save her son Hunter – who had been kidnapped in Thursday's earlier episode.
Once in the woods, Mel regained the upper hand as she held Ray at gun point – refusing to let him go until Hunter was released.
But as tensions between the pair reached boiling point, Mel became increasingly anxious about Hunter's safety – eventually finding him tied up and injured nearby.
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However, as Mel desperately tried to flee in the car with Hunter, a manic Ray caught up with them and tried to smash his way through the window.
Frantic, Mel ended up reversing the car into Ray and was left believing she'd killed him as a result. Determined to cover up her actions, Mel subsequently buried Ray in the woods but was horrified when he emerged from the ground just as she was about to walk off.
Ray then tried to strangle Mel to death in a terrifying final fight but was eventually gunned down by Hunter in the closing moments of the episode.
Fans had been aware that the story was likely to be leading to a shock death thanks to recent spoiler pictures, but Ray's identity as the victim had been kept under wraps until transmission.
With Ray dead, is Hunter now facing a prison sentence? And how far will Mel go to keep him out of trouble?
EastEnders continues on Friday, January 4 at 8pm on BBC One.
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