Emmerdale spoilers: Revenge declared on ‘murderer’ as major character suddenly collapses and dies

Ethan died in after being involved in a hit and run (Picture: ITV)

Emmerdale’s Ethan Anderson (Emile John) started Tuesday (May 28)’s episode nervously awaiting a probable prison sentence and ended it dead, in a dramatic and shocking twist.

Ethan was facing prison after pleading guilty to driving offences. He crashed while driving Nicky Miligan (Lewis Cope) to rescue his partner Suni (Brahmdeo Shannon Ramana), who had just seen some men who previously attacked him and was terrified in case they spotted him.

Nicky and Ethan had both been drinking but Nicky had drunk far more, so Ethan got behind the wheel.

When he lost control of the car and crashed in a remote spot, he realised immediately that Nicky was seriously hurt and was unconscious. He dragged his friend from the car but then, worried about his career as a lawyer, he fled the scene.

Not long after he confessed what had happened to his father, Charles Anderson (Kevin Mathurin), who turned him in to the police.

When Nicky’s parents, Caleb Miligan (William Ash) and Ruby Fox-Miligan (Beth Cordingly), discovered that Ethan had caused the accident and had abandoned their son – and then lied about it – they were furious.

Ruby soon saw her chance for revenge and deliberately ran Ethan over on the day of the village fete.

He staggered into the village bloodied and bruised, and Ruby made it very clear to him that she had no remorse about what she’d done – and threatened him that worse was to come if her son didn’t recover.

In this episode, Ethan was facing his day in court and knew he could soon be locked up for his crime. He wanted to use his remaining time in Emmerdale to try and warn Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) about seeing Rose Jackson (Christine Tremarco) and Ruby in a clandestine conversation, worrying that Rose didn’t have Dawn’s best interests at heart.

Failing to speak to Dawn he left her a message and then headed back home, where Charles was getting ready for court. Father and son shared some loving moments, with Charles assuring his son that they would be ‘Team Anderson for ever.’

Then Charles went into the kitchen and after a while realised Ethan wasn’t replying to him. When he went back into the other room he was horrified to find Ethan on the floor, not breathing.

Caleb and Ruby have been searching for revenge (Picture: ITV)

Ethan collapsed on the floor (Picture: ITV)

Charles frantically did CPR as he waited for an ambulance, with Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker) taking over when she returned home.

As Ruby and Caleb looked on, Ethan was carried into an ambulance. Also watching, Leyla Harding (Roxy Shahidi) commented that Ethan being run over previously had obviously been a factor in what had happened.

Feeling guilty, Ruby later asked Claudette Anderson (Flo Wilson) if there’d been any news and at that point Charles and Manpreet returned home. To Claudette’s horror they said that Ethan was dead.

Manpreet said that there would be an autopsy which would uncover why an apparently healthy young man had just collapsed and died. Charles, however, said he knew what was the cause – it was the hit and run.

‘It’s murder,’ he said, and swore ‘by almighty God’ that whoever had committed the hit and run would be made to pay. Of course he was unaware that the driver was standing in front of him – and Ruby looked shocked at his words as she realised she might have caused a death.

Meanwhile Charles has to deal with another loss in his life after his father dying and his daughter moving abroad. Kevin Mathurin told us this one will hit him hardest.

‘Charles has lost his one and only constant, his son, who has been in his life throughout while other have come and gone, he’s always been there. So now Charles has to deal with a life without Ethan, which is devastating.

‘It’s going to hit the hardest because Charles raised Ethan on his own and Charles and Ethan have always been together. They have been the core unit of the Anderson family, so for Ethan to be gone is going to be devastating for Charles to deal with.’