Real Crime/Paranormal/Conspiracy Theories Book III

The Lundy Murders

Christine Marie Lundy, 38, andher 7-year-old daughter Amber Grace Lundy were murdered inPalmerston North, New Zealand, on 29 August 2000. Mark EdwardLundy (then aged 43), Christine's husband and Amber's father, wasarrested and charged with the murders in February 2001. In 2002 hewas convicted of the murders after a six-week trial and was sentencedto life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years. Heappealed the conviction to the Court of Appeal; the appeal wasrejected and the court increased his non-parole period to 20 years.In June 2013 Lundy took his case to the Privy Council in Britain. InOctober 2013 the Privy Council quashed the convictions and ordered are-trial. In April 2015, at the end of the retrial, Lundy was againfound guilty. Lundy continued to claim he is innocent and in 2017took his case to the Court of Appeal a second time. On 9 October 2018the Court of Appeal released its decision to dismiss the appeal.

Background

Mark and Christine Lundy had beenmarried for 18 years; Amber was their only child. They jointly owneda kitchen sink business. In 1999, Mark Lundy bought a vineyard inHawke's Bay on which he still owed more than NZ$2 million in 2000.

Events on the day of the murders

The murders occurred sometime duringthe night of Tuesday 29 August 2000. On that Tuesday morning, Lundydrove to Wellington on one of his regular business trips. He checkedinto a motel in Petone at around 5:00 pm. His wife or daughter calledhim on his cell phone in Petone; Lundy said he was told during thecall that they were going to McDonald's for dinner; the call ended at5:43 pm. His cell phone records also showed he made a call fromPetone to a business partner of his Hawke's Bay wine-making ventureat 8.28 pm. At 11:30 pm he called an escort service in Petone.

Police found a McDonald's receipt inthe Lundy home for food bought at 5.45pm on 29 August. ChristineLundy took a call at home from a friend just before 7 pm that night. At 7:20 pm a witness described seeing a "suspicious lookingjogger" nearby. The computer at the Lundy home was switchedoff at 10:52 pm.

At Lundy's retrial in 2015, Christine'sbrother testified that he went to the Lundy home the next morning tosee Christine about a business matter. He said he entered through anopen ranch-slider and found the bodies of Christine and Amberbludgeoned to death. Christine's body was on her bed; Amber's was onthe floor in the doorway of Christine's bedroom. Both had died ofhead injuries caused by multiple blows from what was determined to bea tomahawk-like weapon or small axe. No weapon was found. A rearwindow had been tampered with and had Christine's blood on it. Ajewelry box was later determined to be missing.

First trial

After a police investigation of sixmonths, Lundy was arrested and charged with their murders. The trialtook place in the High Court in Palmerston North.

Prosecution case

Four days before the murders, theLundys increased their life insurance on the advice of theirinsurance broker. Christine's cover was raised from $200,000 to$500,000. The prosecution contended that Lundy killed his wife forher life insurance money because of financial pressure, and killedhis daughter because she was a witness. However, the policy documentshad not been issued so the increase was not valid at the time ofChristine's death.