Man Behind Viral Blue And Black Dress Admits To Strangling His Wife One Year After Attempted Murder Charge

Almost a decade has passed since the viral black-and-blue dress broke the internet.

Hailing from Scotland, Keir Johnston has pleaded guilty to attacking his wife, Grace, at their residence on Scotland's Isle of Colonsay, a remote island off the west coast, on March 6, 2022. Keir allegedly brandished a knife during the assault and threatened Grace with the chilling words, "Someone is going to die," after a night of drinking, as reported by The Guardian.

According to prosecutor Chris Macintosh, Grace lived in fear of her abusive husband. "There is no permanent police presence on the island, and she was in a situation where she felt trapped," Macintosh told Judge Lady Drummond.

The outlet reports that Grace had "defied her husband's demands not to attend a job interview on the mainland" and found herself in a potentially fatal situation days later. On the day of the assault, Johnston was drinking at a pub and sent multiple messages to his wife. "You should support me, but you do not," one of them reportedly read. When Grace returned home from the mainland, Keir woke up, announcing that he would leave her. The couple went outside, where Keir "grabbed his wife and threw her to the ground."

“Johnston woke up and said that he was going to leave her. She went outside the property to stop him leaving. He followed her and pinned her to the ground," Macintosh said. "He placed both knees on her arms, so she was unable to move. He then began strangling her with both his hands. She was initially able to scream and feared for her life and believed Johnston intended to kill her as he was very forceful.”

Grace was left with bruises and called the police, telling the dispatcher, “My husband is trying to kill me.” Throughout the trial at the High Court in Glasgow, Grace courageously recounted the abuse she faced by her husband for 11 years, which allegedly included "domestic violence acts and coercive control," per the New York Times. Keir reportedly isolated Grace from her friends and family, monitored her finances, and had control over them.

Keir has admitted to the assault and pleaded guilty on Thursday, nearly one year after he was arrested and charged with attempted murder. The judge denied him bail and placed him in custody. “I have no need to tell you that this is a serious and violent offense," Lady Drummond said. “You repeatedly strangled her, injured her, and put her life in danger in what must have been absolutely terrifying circumstances for her. I am afraid, Mr. Johnston, that your status has now changed, you have been convicted of a very serious crime, and you will be remanded meantime.”

2015 marked the beginning of the Johnstons' marriage and their internet fame. In February 2015, just one week before Keir and Grace's wedding, the bride's mother, Cecilia Bleasdale, took a picture of the dress at an outlet mall located north of Chester, England. Bleasdale wanted to wear the dress to her daughter's wedding, so she sent a photo of it to Grace. The dress was blue and black, but her daughter was confused, perceiving the dress as white and gold. Grace shared the historic image on Facebook, fueling endless debates about the dress's colors.

Keir Johnston will receive his sentence on June 6, 2024.

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