On Friday 12 June 2020, I met with the Police officer in charge of the local Taumarunui Police Station, Paul Dowie, and this post contains a copy of my introductory letter to him; a summary of the meeting and a short commentary for the record. It was a big thing for John's Editor and a big call to put a man's entire lifetime of work in the hands of the very organisation whom we … [Read more...] about To the NZ Police – Over & Out
Archives for June 2020
The 2014 Crewe Investigation Review
This is a partial discussion of the NZ Police Review, released in 2014 into the investigation of the Crewe murders in and following 1970. The Police investigated their own at the request of a surviving offspring and examined their processes and findings. They concluded that things went wrong way back when; they came to a lot of sound but some faulty conclusions; claim that it … [Read more...] about The 2014 Crewe Investigation Review
Understanding Endemic Corruption
I describe here how Corruption works to the highest levels in more than one sector then apply this understanding in the case of the Crewe Murders cover-up. It's easy to say, "Yeah! I knew it all the time. Crooked cops!" but how corruption manifests in each discipline is not always easy, nor simple. It's important to understand though. This message is vital if one values truth … [Read more...] about Understanding Endemic Corruption
UNMASKING Old English Wealth
In this post I dig into the challenge of establishing the facts behind the "Old English Wealth" that led to Maisie Demler's extreme (and largely hidden) wealth at the centre of an extended families bitter divide - one that ended in Jeannette & Harvey Crewe's death by way of execution. My conclusions follow John Ingley's findings as presented in his book, I Fed the Baby. … [Read more...] about UNMASKING Old English Wealth
Rochelle Crewe – Many Questions
While the primary questions asked of Rochelle Crewe are who fed her and who killed Harvey & Jeannette, her parents, John has raised more questions in his recently released book, I Fed the Baby. It's a sensitive issue talking about Rochelle, but let's go there. Take a deep breath now . . . … [Read more...] about Rochelle Crewe – Many Questions
IFTB – Publisher’s conclusions
Understanding the events of Pukekawa in June 1970 cannot be just limited to analysing bullets and working out who ‘made’ a couple of dead bodies. John’s criticism of the Police bias and failure to think laterally shows this well. … [Read more...] about IFTB – Publisher’s conclusions
IFTB – 31: Whodunnit?
Events relating to Arthur Allan Thomas’ involvement, arrest, legal events and supposed guilt are preposterous and totally contrived. Much salient information was suppressed and/or ignored by the Police. Informants were maltreated, sometimes substantially . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 31: Whodunnit?
IFTB – 30: Investigation Failures
In 2010 the Minister of Police initiated a Review intothe Police Investigations into the Crewe murders. Afterdigesting their 2014 Report I found myself agreeing withsome of their conclusions but not all . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 30: Investigation Failures
IFTB – 29: Leslee
I mentioned in Chapter Two that Leslee’s confession triggered my investigation into the Crewe murders. It’s no exaggeration to say that this has been a painful lifelong experience, but it started with trying to understand Leslee . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 29: Leslee
IFTB – 28: Len’s Master Plan
In hindsight, and in general, one can now see the larger side of the pattern in the fight for control of the estates. From the hidden agendas of the shareholders to those looking after the welfare of Rochelle, came a battle of minds and ultimately cunning moves that had winners and losers . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 28: Len’s Master Plan
IFTB – 27: The Murder Scenes
Detailed information covering the various murder scenes is readily available from other sources with resulting evidence being quite compelling as to what actually happened. From my point of view after studying police photographs, promising and vital evidence was overlooked as it didn’t necessarily fit the police agenda . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 27: The Murder Scenes
IFTB – 26: Answers Well Hidden
The reason why the bodies of Jeannette and Harvey Crewe were moved from their house created a lot of discussion, speculation and head scratching but it was during the process of establishing who might be guilty that more questions were popping up for me than answers . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 26: Answers Well Hidden
IFTB – 25: The Aftermath
Had Demler been telling lies and why was he stalling for time during the process of reporting what he had discovered at the Crewe homestead? He certainly took his time but there was a logical reason and it had everything to do with timing. I will be putting my head on the block by quietly revealing clues to the identities of the most likely villains . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 25: The Aftermath
IFTB – 24: The Days Between
It’s now time to narrow the focus to what happened on 17 June leading up to the brutal double murder and of the events during the following five days. There’s a heap of information available from a wide variety of sources so my intention, for the record, is to provide a brief account of this period along with some thoughts related to the findings that I have talked about … [Read more...] about IFTB – 24: The Days Between
IFTB – 23: In the Days Before
In an early chapter I said experts worldwide claim that crime comes down to–99 times out of a hundred–love, hate, or money. In the case of the Crewe murders, it was money and lots of it! The question is, “Did this crime come from within the family or was it from those who had outstanding amounts in arrears from the Chennells family trust?” … [Read more...] about IFTB – 23: In the Days Before
IFTB – 22: Inventory of Assets
The next major episode in the timeline of the murders revolves around the administration and management of Maisie’s estate after her death in February 1970. There were issues with carrying out the provisions of her will while processing her probate . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 22: Inventory of Assets
IFTB – 21: Opinion and Failures
The Police never worked out why the Crewes were murdered mainly because they failed to come up with a logical motive. The one they thought had a motive slipped through their fingers and the one they convicted never had a real motive . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 21: Opinion and Failures
IFTB – 20: Legacy of Greed
Maisie Demler passed away on 26 February 1970 and less than five months later, on 17 June 1970, Jeannette and Harvey Crewe were last seen alive, the day before their 4th wedding anniversary . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 20: Legacy of Greed
IFTB – 19: It Didn’t Start Yesterday
Most followers of the Crewe murders were only able to point the finger at ‘whodunnit’ from the information reported in the media or from the long-running court hearings but motives go further back than yesterday . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 19: It Didn’t Start Yesterday
IFTB – 17: The Heat was On
Brief mention has been previously made on the roles played by Maisie’s trustees, particularly Alf Hodgson and Colin Sturrock but a new name is being thrown into the mixture of deceit and drama . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 17: The Heat was On
IFTB – 18: Len gets Anxious
Len Demler was starting to show the pressure he was under and while he could see his future going down the gurgler for the hundredth time, he gathered his thoughts and figured out how he was going to gain the upper hand . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 18: Len gets Anxious
IFTB – 16: What about Heather?
Very little has been written about Dianne Heather Demler. What we do know is her birth date of 21 January 1942; she goes by her middle name of Heather; she went to school at Pukekawa then St Cuthbert’s; left school and became an air hostess in New Zealand, then her life changed . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 16: What about Heather?
IFTB – 15: False Signatures?
Chapter 24 of Chris Birt’s book The Final Chapter examines the claim that Maisie Demler’s signature on her Last Will and Testament was possibly forged . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 15: False Signatures?
IFTB – 14: Common Denominator
The reader may have noticed by now that one person seemed to be keeping close tabs (and tight control) on the family’s inheritance. That person was Maisie Demler . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 14: Common Denominator
IFTB – 13: Age of Eligibility
Jeannette reached the age of 25 on 6 February 1965 and became eligible for her inheritance of the Chennells Estate of which she held half share with her sister Heather . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 13: Age of Eligibility
IFTB – 12: At the Crossroads
Events were coming to a head between Chennells Estate trustees during the early 1960s with the risk of shady deals being exposed by others involved . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 12: At the Crossroads
IFTB – 11: Humiliation for Len
Life was settling down for Len but it was to be the calm before the storm. The years 1961 and 1962 were full of upheavals . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 11: Humiliation for Len
IFTB – 10: Starting a Family
Len Demler certainly had his hands full. He had also started a family and was raising two daughters; Jeannette Lenore who was born on 6 February 1940 and two years later came the birth of Dianne Heather . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 10: Starting a Family
IFTB – 9: Demler Family
The Police initially had Len Demler as their prime suspect. English author David Yallop agreed and wrote that “the man in the target sights of Hutton’s gun was Len Demler” and Taupo author Chris Birt was equally confident in 2001 that Len was the killer . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 9: Demler Family
IFTB – 8: Was Nellie in Charge?
Using her birth year of 1873 Nellie Chennells would have been aged around 40 when she arrived in New Zealand and as a cross reference, her husband was listed on the 1911 electoral roll which makes the dates close enough to add up and work with . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 8: Was Nellie in Charge?
IFTB – 7: Land in England?
On the face of it the last will and testament of Nellie Chennells seemed straight forward, but only if one was not aware of land in England. According to her husband’s will there was land in England so what happened to it? It will be remembered that Nellie was not named as a beneficiary in her husband’s will nor in any of the probates. We said earlier that her entitlement as … [Read more...] about IFTB – 7: Land in England?
IFTB – 6: Howard Takes Over
Newman followed his real estate interests in Auckland (and Tuakau) which left an opening for his son Howard to take over the running of the Section 7 farm . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 6: Howard Takes Over
IFTB – 5: Properties Purchased
Newman Chennells arrived in New Zealand from England in 1911 where he had previously been earning a living as a land agent and auctioneer . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 5: Properties Purchased
IFTB – 4: Chennells Family
Finding an appropriate position in the sand on where todraw the line to find a starting point has been one of themost difficult areas to establish in this frustratingly complexjigsaw puzzle . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 4: Chennells Family
IFTB – 3: Searching for the Truth
It was enough to drive any sane person crazy! … [Read more...] about IFTB – 3: Searching for the Truth
IFTB – 2: I Fed the Baby!
Before my eyes I saw her go into hysterics, then she fell to the floor not unlike a person who is having a fit . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 2: I Fed the Baby!
IFTB – 1: Evils of this World
One of the most sensational and documented murder mysteries in New Zealand remains unsolved regardless of an innocent man being sent to prison for murders he did not commit . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – 1: Evils of this World
IFTB – About the Author
This chapter gives a little of my background, where I grew up and went to school, my hunting skills and what that taught me about patience and failure. Then, as a bushman and about how I eventually ended up in Whangarei and met the woman who later fell on the floor . . . … [Read more...] about IFTB – About the Author
IFTB – Publisher’s Introduction
The double murder of Harvey & Jeanette Crewe in June of 1970 mesmerised the New Zealand public as the related events were literally front-page news at the time–usually daily–and for years. … [Read more...] about IFTB – Publisher’s Introduction
IFTB – Preface
The Preface of New Zealand Police CREWE Homicide Review of 2014, written by Detective Superintendent Andrew J Lovelock, gives a succinct and accurate summary of the Crewe murders. This Preface quotes Pages 11-14 verbatim (includes surnames in capital letters). … [Read more...] about IFTB – Preface
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