On September 22nd 1998, a technician found the decomposing body of a young Asian woman in the alarm cupboard of a building in downtown Auckland. Visiting from Japan, Kayo Matsuzawa, aged 29, came to New Zealand to fulfill a dream of travel and adventure. Having worked in Christchurch for a few months, Kayo flew to… Read More The Murder of Kayo Matsuzawa.
In the late seventies and early eighties, a stalker prowled the streets and bars of London, in search of young, vulnerable men and boys. Lured back to his flat with the promise of food, alcohol and shelter, once his victims settled in comfortably, Dennis Nilsen would strike, strangling the young men before molesting their carefully… Read More Dennis the Heinous.
It was a chilly autumn night on my journey to Whitechapel. In most of my journeys I view the experience through the eyes of the victim, but tonight I traveled through the eyes of the killer. Whitechapel is no longer an area known for prostitution, but not wanting to give off the wrong impression (just… Read More A Ripper Named Jack.
I first read about the Eliza Fenning case back around 2009, and since then the story has kind of stuck with me over the years, it’s difficult to forget the tragic stories of those wrongfully accused who die pleading their innocence- especially when those accused are very young. On a recent trip to London, with… Read More An Unfortunate Girl and the Matter of Dumplings.
Upper Nelson Street in Auckland, these days is mostly a network of motorway off ramps, but in 1914 the area housed factories and homes. Further down Nelson Street, older buildings and factories have been replaced by modern apartment complexes and restaurants. Many people familiar with the area are probably unaware that over a century ago… Read More The Nelson Street Murder
I first read about the Riccarton Racecourse Hotel murder of Donald Fraser in one of my favorite books about true crime in New Zealand, Shot in the Dark: Unsolved New Zealand Murders from the 1920s and ’30s by Scott Bainbridge. My interest in true crime stories from the 1930s and a liking for old buildings… Read More Murder in the Night
Waiting at the Picton wharf to board an early morning water taxi, on a tight two day trip schedule, as with the other cases, the victims were forefront on my mind. Ben Smart and Olivia Hope went missing on New Years 1998 after catching a water taxi from popular holiday spot Furneaux Lodge in the… Read More Mystery in the Marlborough Sounds
