The unsolved mystery of who killed Jeanette and Harvey Crewe in their Pukekawa farmhouse in 1970 continues to fascinate. It remains one of the most controversial cases in New Zealand legal history.
The murders spawned two trials, two appeals, several books, a royal commission, a film, and - eventually - official findings of police corruption that shocked New Zealanders.
It also resulted in a free pardon, the only time the New Zealand government has overruled the courts to set a prisoner free.
Combining gripping narrative, detailed research and new insights from key players, this book tells the complete story of the case for the first time.
By:
Kirsty Johnston,
James Hollings
Imprint: Massey University Press
Country of Publication: New Zealand
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 153mm,
Spine: 23mm
Weight: 516g
ISBN: 9781991016478
ISBN 10: 1991016476
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 09 November 2023
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified
Introduction 9 1. TE AWA, TE WHENUA 15 2. RETURN TO PUKEKAWA 41 3. A TERRIBLE BLOODY MESS 54 4. THE INVESTIGATION 63 5. THE ARREST 93 6. THE FIRST TRIAL 112 7. THE BACKLASH 134 8. THE SECOND TRIAL 144 9. THE GATHERING STORM 167 10. THE PARDON 183 11. THE ROYAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY 199 12. INTEREST REKINDLED 211 13. SHORTFALLS 229 14. BULLETS, WIRE, AXLE 247 15. A DISTRICT DIVIDED 274 16. THE COURT OF LAST RESORT 286 Notes 297 Bibliography 308 Acknowledgements 310 About the authors 312 Index 313
Kirsty Johnston is an investigative journalist with an interest in inequality, gender and social justice. Her work has helped to change lives, such as the banning of seclusion rooms in primary schools, and the repeal of a law that discriminated against family carers for the disabled. She began her career at the Taranaki Daily News and has worked at Stuff, the Sunday Star-Times and the New Zealand Herald. She was awarded Best Investigation at the national media awards in 2014, Best Crime and Social Issues reporter in 2019, and Reporter of the Year in 2022. She has made two documentaries. She now works for RNZ. James Hollings is an Associate Professor of journalism at Massey University in Wellington. He is the author of A Moral Truth: 150 Years of Investigative Journalism in New Zealand as well as numerous academic articles on journalism. Before joining Massey, he was a radio and newspaper journalist both in New Zealand and overseas. He has also made two documentaries.
Reviews for The Crewe Murders: Inside New Zealand’s most infamous cold case
‘The reporting is meticulous, even forensic — and the subject is just so deeply, enduringly really interesting that it’s hard to tear yourself away from the pages of this most gothic of New Zealand murders’ — Steve Braunias, Newsroom ‘A brilliantly researched and compelling look at one of our most significant unsolved cases, one that also gives readers a fascinating peek into our cultural and legal history’ — Greg Fleming, Kete Books