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you'll need our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
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anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
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please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website case file would like to thank the
00:02:06
Queensland police homicide investigation unit the white ribbon foundation and the
00:02:11
family of Leanne Lapham for their assistance and support in creating this episode and highlighting the issues
00:02:17
raised the names of several witnesses have been changed in 1979 American psychologist dr. Lenore Walker developed
00:02:33
the cycle of violence a theory that explains the patterns of behavior within an abusive relationship the cycle
00:02:40
consists of three phases the first distension building has daily issues like employment finances children
00:02:48
illness and two misunderstandings caused pressures within a couple to increase during this time verbal emotional or
00:02:57
financial abuse intensifies to a boiling point where release is inevitable the cycle then enters the second phase acute
00:03:06
explosion abuse Peaks as the abuser establishes their dominance through action following this they may express
00:03:15
feelings of remorse or shame perhaps fearing their part and they leave or report them to authorities they try to
00:03:23
justify their actions by blaming external factors before seeking forgiveness sometimes threatening self harm to gain
00:03:30
sympathy it's during this final stage known as the honeymoon where the abuser promises to change and displays an
00:03:39
unusual amount of love and affection the survivor is distressed her confused than
00:03:45
humiliated he hopefull the relationship will improve if they give their partner another
00:03:50
chance their pair then enter a stage of denial downplaying the severity or refusing to acknowledge the abuse
00:03:58
entering a period of harmony and intimacy this stage can be short-lived to long lasting before the cycle repeats
00:04:08
itself [Music] [Music] situated on North Queensland's cassowary coast these Innis Vale a township of
00:04:39
approximately 10,000 residents surrounded by farmland and old-growth rainforests heavy rainfall coupled with
00:04:47
an average daytime temperature of around 30 degrees Celsius keeps the area lush and green all year supporting an
00:04:54
agricultural industry of sugarcane bananas and other tropical fruits by 2009 29 year old Leanne Maxine Lapham
00:05:05
had relocated to Innis Vale to be closer to her family she shared an unbreakable
00:05:11
bond with her mother Carrie although their personalities often clashed Kerry believed this had less to do with
00:05:18
animosity and more to do with astrology Leanne starsin was Pisces sensitive intuitive creative and emotionally
00:05:28
driven Kerry was a Capricorn confident practical hardworking and determined Leanne also had bipolar disorder
00:05:39
although her mood was unpredictable at times Kerry remained a pillar of support and to the pair shared more good times
00:05:47
than bad the end was good fun whenever she saw an opportunity to get a rise out of her mother her mischievous side would
00:05:57
come out during a shopping center visit Leanne started tap dancing much to Kerry's embarrassment
00:06:04
her mother's mortification only encouraged Leanne as a passerby I asked isn't it
00:06:11
lovely to see somebody so happy - which Leanne replied I just love my mummy joking they were running away from home
00:06:22
the to set out on a road trip heading south with the windows down and - music blaring LeAnn was at the wheel when
00:06:30
slippery conditions caused the vehicle to spin and hit a dirt mound on the roadside LeAnn was hesitant to get back
00:06:38
behind to the wheel so they checked into a caravan park for the night there a scientific era VN was perched on a
00:06:45
hilltop above a busy highway prompting LeAnn to taunt her mother with comments like wouldn't it be horrible if
00:06:52
we started rolling down the hill although it could drive her mad cari embraced who yen's playful
00:07:00
personality in innisfail LeAnn was staying between Carey and her partner Frank's house and the detached room at
00:07:10
the home of a family friend 57 year old Augie Augie lived on a wrecking yard that serviced his business mandoo towing
00:07:20
LeAnn was searching for somewhere more permanent while doing occasional bar work and tattooing she had several of
00:07:29
her own a gesture on her right shoulder a woodpecker on her stomach several flowers and stars on her legs and - the
00:07:37
name of her daughter who was currently living with her father on her left wrist hoping to make a career of it LeAnn
00:07:46
would practice her art on friends and family including inking a flower on Kerry's right calf
00:07:56
in early 2009 Lian was a Kari and Frank house when Frank invited over one of his
00:08:03
workmates 36 year-old Graham Evans the former butcher turned a laborer had recently moved to Queensland from New
00:08:12
South Wales settling in Nina's file where he worked as a self-employed painter when he laid eyes on Leigh Ann
00:08:19
Evans felt an immediate attraction and wasn't shy telling Carrie his feelings protective of Leanne she warned him that
00:08:28
it was her daughter he was talking about Evans excused himself to use the bathroom
00:08:34
but went to speak with Leanne instead inviting her on a date that evening Evans maintained a level of stability
00:08:43
and charm that separated him from other men around town until Ian returned from their date smitten Carrie portioned her
00:08:52
to take things slow but the two quickly became a couple theirs was a rocky relationship from the outset with the
00:09:01
erratic Evans often lashing out at Leanne Carrie felt it wasn't going to work but Liam excused his behavior by saying
00:09:09
mum is really nice he just gets angry the pair fluctuated between contentment and disharmony with Leanne's threats to
00:09:20
leave causing Evans to beg for forgiveness declare his love and promise to treat
00:09:25
her better [Music] in September 2009 lee-enfield pregnant determined to raise her child in a
00:09:34
stable two-parent household she believed Evans when he expressed the joy and eagerness at starting a family yet his
00:09:43
behavior remained violent and unpredictable causing Lee in to break things off only to resume their
00:09:49
relationship when Evans expressed remorse in early 2010 when Leanne was heavily pregnant
00:09:58
she and Evans travelled 16 kilometres north to camp at Ella Bay an argument broke out and Devon slapped Leanne
00:10:06
snatched her handbag and to push her out of the car he slammed her legs in the door before
00:10:12
driving away severely bruised on both legs face and arms Liane walked to a payphone and to called
00:10:21
her mother in tears her taxi was ordered to pick her up Carrie knew Evans was verbally abusive
00:10:30
and called her daughter names but Liane assured everything was fine when she saw
00:10:37
the injuries Evans caused Carrie encouraged her Liane to file a police report and she obtained a medical
00:10:43
certificate to corroborate it on March 15 LeAnn was scheduled to appear at the innisfail Magistrates Court to apply for
00:10:52
a domestic violence order against Evans who had no prior criminal record citing intimidation harassment and
00:11:00
verbal and physical threats however she had to leave before the application was filed to attend an antenatal class the
00:11:10
order was adjourned until April 13 on March 21 Liane sent a text message to a longtime friend Matt who lived in
00:11:21
Brisbane she was fed up with in his file and had plans to leave town if the judge
00:11:26
didn't issue the domestic violence order against Evans he had recently threatened
00:11:32
to steal the baby from her or failing that take it by force she detailed how Evans showed up unannounced at her
00:11:40
mother's house and refused to leave he verbally abused LeAnn causing her to lose her temper she wrote to Matt I got
00:11:49
so angry that I put Bob in danger that's real bad I'm angry at myself the unis failed Department of Communities Child
00:12:01
Safety and Disability Services contacted LeAnn on March 22 amidst concerns for her unborn child's welfare LeAnn
00:12:11
reported that her relationship with Evans had ended she also intended to obtain the domestic violence order
00:12:17
referencing the threats he'd made the department then contacted Graham Evans who said that he had no intention
00:12:25
of resuming the relationship citing LeAnn's bipolar disorder and their constant arguing Kerry didn't see Evans
00:12:36
for a few weeks and assumed the domestic violence order had been filed and their
00:12:41
relationship was over on March 24 2010 LeAnn gave birth to a boy named Bradley James Lapham Evans visited them in
00:12:52
hospital promising to change and provide for his family LeAnn was reluctant but agreed to get back together if he
00:13:00
delivered on his promises when her mother questioned to Leanne's decision she responded that she loved Evans and
00:13:08
wanted to make things work for Bradley the couple found an ideal family home a spacious three-bedroom house surrounded
00:13:18
by greenery 22 kilometers south of Innis Vale but it wasn't available until later
00:13:23
in the month Evans sent Leanne a text promising to fund a motel room for them in the
00:13:30
meantime writing I swear that Leigh I will do anything to make that happen I'm not losing you if I
00:13:40
can not then I'm no man I will get us out of this [ __ ] I need your love Lee and I will get it
00:13:49
the next morning he secured a one-week stay at the Riverside motel in the town center where he until the end had stayed
00:13:57
on prior occasions and on April 13 the trio settled in Lian failed to appear in court to complete her domestic violence
00:14:08
order against Evans seemingly eager to start afresh but this honeymoon period was only temporary but the evening of
00:14:18
April 15 the pair were fighting again Evans was failing to live up to his promises arriving home late drinking too
00:14:27
much and rumors had spread of his alleged infidelity he urged we and to be strong and to
00:14:35
persevere for Bradley's sake at 10 a.m. on Monday April 19 Evans dropped Lian and Bradley at Carrie's house a three
00:14:47
minute drive from the Riverside motel Lian and Kerry ran some errands in town including a visit to Bendigo Bank where
00:14:56
Lian withdrew $100 they entered the Cole supermarket where Leanne purchased food
00:15:03
for dinner she sent Evans a text suggesting she cook a seafood basket or creamy sauce
00:15:09
and reminded him to pick her up for a three o'clock post the Nadel appointment he responded sounds good hon see you
00:15:18
then Evans arrived after 3 p.m. enter Lian irritated by his tardiness silently climbed into his white 1994
00:15:30
Holden rodeo you and to the pair took off at 2:30 p.m. the next day Evans friend Sam arrived home to find
00:15:41
Evans and baby Bradley at his house Evans you was packed full of gear and he asked to stay the night saying she's
00:15:50
left me with the baby and had gone off he explained that the night before LeAnn was angry at him for being late and
00:15:58
slapped the beer out of his hand then stormed out of their motel room Evans assumed tissue is blowing off
00:16:05
steam and would return later but she never did two days later on April 22 Leanne's
00:16:15
sister received a phone call from Evans he said Leanne had gone to Cannes a coastal city 80 kilometers north of
00:16:23
Innis Vale to visit a friend who had just given birth and texted him saying she would be home later that evening
00:16:31
meanwhile Kari hadn't noticed that Leanne wasn't responding to texts or answering calls she phoned Evans who
00:16:40
claimed to Leanne had her mobile phone with her in Cairns but he hadn't heard from her at all while it wasn't unusual
00:16:47
for her daughter to travel to visit friends Carrie knew Leanne would not elect to leave her newborn in the care
00:16:55
of Graham Evans over the following days Evans spoke to friends about Leanne's departure telling some she would return
00:17:05
within the week and others that she wasn't coming back at all on April 28th Kerry arrived to innisfail police
00:17:15
station to file a missing-persons report to the best of her knowledge Leanne didn't know anyone money and was
00:17:22
well-liked within her social circle she detailed Graham Evans abusive behavior including an incident on Leanne's
00:17:30
birthday when he threw a hot drink at her burning her skin bank records revealed Leanne hadn't accessed her
00:17:38
account since the day she allegedly left the motel alone Graham Evans provided a
00:17:46
statement to police in which he attested that he had not heard from Leanne since
00:17:50
April 19 and had no knowledge of her current whereabouts he claimed she had gone to the
00:17:57
supermarket that night to get more dinner ingredients and to return to short time later with a white plastic
00:18:03
bag tucked in her brown handbag between 7:30 and 8:00 p.m. Leanne grabbed her hand back and walked
00:18:11
out the door without saying a word she hadn't reappeared by the next day and wasn't responding to messages
00:18:20
despite having extended their stay for one more night heavens checked out of the motel with
00:18:26
Bradley and went to stay at his friend Sam's house convinced who Leanne had to left him for good
00:18:33
Evans admitted he and Julianne had a volatile relationship but denied the Ella Bache card or incident explaining I
00:18:42
would say when it was good that was good but when we were arguing it was bad he described to Leanne as headstrong and
00:18:53
that her bipolar disorder caused her to become easily upset and moody in the week leading up to her disappearance
00:19:01
Leanne threatened to end their relationship and to leave town but the pair managed to patch things up
00:19:07
Evans claimed that she quote would always go and come back Evans hinted his mobile phone to police
00:19:20
with text messages between him mentally and displaying a clear cycle conversations switched between
00:19:27
affectionate banter and chitchat before an argument would take place Leanne would express her disappointment
00:19:34
with Evans and to give him the opportunity to end the relationship but he begged her to stay on April 10 Evans
00:19:43
texted Leanne how much he loved her and was thankful for the chance to make things right the next night he wrote
00:19:51
love you with all my heart I am so mad with myself for letting it end up like this I can make it right and that's what
00:20:00
this man will do hon I swear by April 17 tensions escalated once more Leanne told Evans she had booked a
00:20:12
flight and was leaving for good as he pleaded with her to reconsider Leanne insisted that were better off apart and
00:20:19
Evans responded by swearing on their son's life that he would never snap at her again asking her to let him love her
00:20:28
by April 19 things seem to have improved as they text the dinner plans throughout
00:20:34
the afternoon until they were back together at the motel room there was silence until 10:30 5:00 p.m. when
00:20:42
Leanne's mobile received the text from Evans letting her know that he had fed the baby and gone to sleep she did not
00:20:50
reply over the following days of Leanne's disappearance Evans texted her to get in touch offering to pick her up
00:20:59
wherever she had gone and sending her his love she did not respond detectives were unconvinced who Leanne would
00:21:09
willingly leave her four week old son and were immediately suspicious about Evans a search of the couple's
00:21:17
three-bedroom house that they planned to move into and that form a room at the Riverside motel uncovered no signs of
00:21:24
foul play the motel manager revealed that during a previous stay in 2009 Leanne and Evans were heard arguing
00:21:35
followed by smashing glass Leanne called out for help but the fight dissipated soon after during their recent motel
00:21:45
booking in mid-april Evans approached the manager at around the lunch time on the 19th requesting to stay an extra
00:21:52
week citing their disruptive behavior the manager only agreed to an additional day and at around 4:30 p.m.
00:22:01
cited Leanne smoking outside that was the last he saw of her and there had been no reports of disputes or
00:22:09
suspicious activity immediately prior or after her disappearance at 8:00 a.m. the next morning the
00:22:18
manager noticed that Evans you´d wasn't in the parking lot it reappeared at around 1:00 p.m.
00:22:24
parked near the administration office with Evans loading items into the back tray the manager recalled seeing a
00:22:33
second person helping but couldn't be sure Evans then told reception the family would be moving elsewhere a cleaner
00:22:43
attended to the vacant room the following day where she noticed two bed pillows were missing
00:22:48
along with their slips and protectors two fresh pillows were found in a cupboard but were of a completely
00:22:56
different brand CCTV footage from April 19 showed Leanne visit the supermarket at 6:40 p.m. with transaction records
00:23:07
listing her cash purchase of cream mushrooms and onions three minutes later she was filmed heading back to the
00:23:15
Riverside motel with the Imperial tavern camera across the street recording her return at 6:51 this camera pointed
00:23:25
towards the road and captured a portion of the motel yard silhouettes of several
00:23:30
figures were recorded coming and going but Leanne was not cited to leaving the Riverside motel this didn't necessarily
00:23:39
prove anything as the footage only captured the left side of the motel whereas the couple
00:23:45
were staying in a unit on the right furthermore the cameras were shut down at 11:00 p.m. while the system was
00:23:52
backed up overnight resuming at approximately 9:00 the next morning Leanne's friends and acquaintances
00:24:01
provided further insight into her abusive relationship with Evans with witnesses reporting that in the past he
00:24:08
dragged her screaming by her hair and threatened to slit her throat Leanne had also been seen with red marks
00:24:16
around her neck telling others Evans had choked her unconscious this was of particular interest to detectives as
00:24:24
statistics showed women who are non fatally strangled by their domestic partners are seven times more likely to
00:24:31
be murdered investigators spoke with a former girlfriend of Evans who explained their relationship started
00:24:39
positively with friends predicting it was built to last she described Evans at the outset as a
00:24:46
normal country guy and a dependable provider who offered financial assistance to friends strapped for cash
00:24:54
then one afternoon as she drove an intoxicated Evans home he punched her for the first time she broke up with him
00:25:04
only to relent to his begs for forgiveness and reunite three weeks later the abuse escalated and peaked
00:25:14
when she lost their child from an ectopic pregnancy Evans spiraled afterwards wrapping his
00:25:21
hands around her neck and threatening to kill her she took his threat seriously as Evans was a gun enthusiast turn'd
00:25:29
owned several firearms in 2001 she left all her belongings and fled to a friend's house marking the end
00:25:38
of her five-year ordeal Evans continued to harass and stalker until he moved to Queensland in 2007 a
00:25:48
former cleaner who serviced Devon's home told investigators of three threatening
00:25:53
incidents in August and September of 2002 she reported him to the police after she found him waiting in his car
00:26:01
outside her home despite having never told him where she lived as she never made a formal statement she was unaware
00:26:09
if any action was taken domestic violence orders do not appear on the respondents criminal record unless they
00:26:18
are disobeyed meaning this information was absent from Evans own record when questioned about Evans demeanor the day
00:26:27
after Leanne disappeared his friend Sam failed to notice anything unusual although Evans was in possession of a
00:26:36
brown handbag adorned with diamond shaped patterns Sam was able to describe the bag in
00:26:43
intricate detail that far exceeded the rudimentary description circulating in the media proving he had seen it in
00:26:50
person electronic surveillance was later placed on Evans mobile phone it recorded
00:26:57
a conversation between him and Sam with Evans conceding he may have had who Leanne sent back with him when he
00:27:04
visited Sam's home on April 20 as the investigation progressed Kari was unable to shake the feeling that Evans
00:27:13
knew more about her daughter's disappearance than he was letting on he looked her in her eyes and swore he had
00:27:20
no idea where Leanne had gone Kari quote I just had that feeling that gut feeling
00:27:30
I thought he knows something I know he knows something but nobody could prove anything let me ask you something
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after having been made aware that CCTV footage was available from the Imperial Tavern Graham Evans agreed to
00:32:33
participate in a formal police interview his story remains the same except for one detail he stated he arose before
00:32:42
dawn and drove to Carrie's house to safely and was there but the lights were off so he left without knocking on the
00:32:49
door as he drove away the Sun was rising indicating it must have been around 6:30
00:32:55
to 7:00 a.m. in a subsequent interview two weeks later Evans explained to this return trip took
00:33:02
him roughly 15 to 20 minutes and that he never exited his vehicle police had driven all possible routes Evans could
00:33:10
have taken two carries and back again determining the longest took just ten minutes this revelation appeared to
00:33:18
rattle Evans a little but he stuck to his questionable timeline prior to her final departure Evans claimed that LeAnn
00:33:27
returned from the supermarket with a plastic bag but she never removed it from her handbag so he didn't say its
00:33:33
contents but during his second interview Evans stated LeAnn had purchased the mushrooms this raised the question how
00:33:43
he could have known if she never disclosed to him what she had purchased Evans deflected calling it an educated
00:33:50
guess as both he and LeAnn loved mushrooms and often added them to meals while their official stance was that
00:33:59
foul play was involved investigators had yet to uncover any evidence to support this belief in April
00:34:07
2011 just short of a year since her disappearance her fresh appeal was launched by Leanne's friends and family
00:34:14
her Facebook campaign titled come home Lee was used to generate attention with a post by Leanne's cousin Cassandra
00:34:23
stating it's unbelievable but true as we all go on about our normal lives a family still wonders every moment where
00:34:32
Leanne may be Lee's son Bradley spent his first birthday two weeks ago without his mother although it may have been a
00:34:41
precious moment it could have been better for others this may just be another story but the truth is lien is
00:34:50
someone's daughter mother and sister no one believes that someone can just disappear without a trace we know
00:34:58
somewhere there is someone with something by 2012 having exhausted all lines of inquiry
00:35:07
the investigation into Leanne's disappearance officially went cold in July 2016 the cassowary Coast police
00:35:19
district underwent a change in senior management with the newly appointed chief Steve Kerr's Lee declaring lien
00:35:26
lappam's disappearance would be treated as a priority Queensland's homicide investigation unit
00:35:33
was brought in to assist in us fails Criminal Investigation Branch as they re investigated the case
00:35:39
Graeme Evans remain - their main suspect but it quickly became evident they weren't going to extract any new
00:35:47
information from him instead they focused on eliminating every other person of interest so a jury could see
00:35:54
that all signs pointed to Evans as the perpetrator the CCTV footage taken from the Imperial Tavern on the night of
00:36:03
April 19 2010 was re-examined showing several silhouetted figures crossing the road from the pub towards the Riverside
00:36:12
motel the tavern had since gone into liquidation the detectives managed to obtain staff logs and purchase records
00:36:20
from its bottle shop and bar they tracked down former employees and customers that night in an effort to
00:36:27
identify those captured on CCTV this was a large undertaking as several people had since moved overseas but eventually
00:36:36
the detectives were able to account for every silhouette in the darkened CCTV footage determining LeAnn was not one of
00:36:44
them a task force was established to review over 100 crime stopper files and other reports to establish what
00:36:53
information could be confidently eliminated from the investigation key witnesses were reinterred many of whom
00:37:01
expressed their opinion that Leanne's former housemaid augie was involved it was well known he had unreciprocated
00:37:09
romantic feelings Fillion and did not like Evans Oggy was known to Venus foul police as he had worked with them for
00:37:19
over 25 years towing vehicles from accident sites during initial questioning he was honest
00:37:26
about his affection for the and disdain for her boyfriend having come to her aid after several
00:37:32
altercations Augie claimed he last saw Leanne on April 16 2010 she appeared happy
00:37:41
although commented she didn't like leaving Evans alone with the baby during this meeting Auggie declared his love
00:37:49
filly an and expressed his interest in pursuing a relationship he received the text from her later that night but
00:37:57
didn't hear from her again which was unusual given she usually made contact at least every two days when he heard
00:38:05
she was missing he contacted Evans to voice his concerns and asked to be informed of any progress in the
00:38:12
investigation aw geez wrecking yard man do towing was in the business of providing old cars to scrap metal
00:38:21
companies after collecting a certain number of vehicles a car crusher would be transported from Brisbane to a
00:38:28
paddock 500 metres from his property rumors circulated as to whether the car crusher had been used to destroy
00:38:35
evidence and if Leanne was buried on August property although detectives were not
00:38:41
convinced of his guilt they understood the importance of officially writing all the out of the investigation by 2016
00:38:50
Oggy was imprisoned for drug-related convictions a search and excavation of his former wrecking yard was carried out
00:38:58
but nothing was uncovered to link him to Leanne's disappearance statements provided by a third party placed the
00:39:07
spotlight back on Graham Evans when police were informed that he spoke of having choked Leanne until her eyes
00:39:14
rolled back in her head On February 8 2017 investigators located Evans on his boat on the Johnson River he agreed to
00:39:26
accompany them back to the inner spell police station to participate in another recorded interview during which he
00:39:33
adhered to his original statements from years prior when questioned about minor inconsistencies in his
00:39:41
versions of events he stated he was unable to recall although the evidence against him was mostly circumstantial
00:39:49
Evans was the only suspect remaining after the extensive police inquiries and he was charged with the murder of LeAnn
00:39:57
Lapham Evans former cleaner who had spoken to police following Leanne's disappearance was interviewed for a
00:40:08
second time she admitted to not being completely forthright in her initial interview in 2010 fearful Evans would
00:40:17
hurt her for speaking with police she now admitted to having been intimate with Evans on one or two occasions in
00:40:24
2002 but there were never a couple in late August Evans tracked her down to her sister's
00:40:32
house and asked her to come to his property to do some cleaning unnerved by his unexpected presence and tense
00:40:39
demeanor she refused and asked him to leave but Evans grabbed her by the arm and said you're coming with me she broke
00:40:48
free and Evans then said I've only come here to do one thing he grabbed her by the throat and applied pressure he spat
00:40:58
in her face and threatened to kill her only relenting when her sister emerged from the house and threatened to call
00:41:04
the police Evans left the property hurling verbal abuse as he went she initially hesitated to report the
00:41:15
incident to the police as she knew Evans owned a gun and was proficient with a knife having once seen him carve up a
00:41:22
sheep despite her fears she proceeded with the report and a domestic violence order was issued she never saw Evans
00:41:30
again soon after she moved interstate and changed her phone number partly motivated by a desire to distance
00:41:38
herself from Evans although she hadn't heard from him since she remained fearful that he would find her again
00:41:49
in August 2017 new legislation was passed in Queensland Parliament titled nobody no parole this law required
00:42:00
prisoners convicted of murder or manslaughter to reveal the whereabouts of their
00:42:04
victims remains in order to be eligible for parole it aimed to provide closure for families applying to anyone
00:42:12
currently incarcerated with inmates told providing the information now will be taken into consideration when their
00:42:19
parole applications were made on September 19 2017 Graeme Evans appeared in the Brisbane
00:42:28
Supreme Court to apply for bail the statements provided by his former partners were presented along with a
00:42:36
transcript of the text messages sent between him and Leanne which displayed the volatility of their relationship
00:42:43
the court also heard that since his time in custody Evans had been contacting witnesses and questioning them about the
00:42:50
statements they made to police bail was therefore denied On February 7 2018 one year after his arrest
00:43:02
Evans lawyer contacted detectives to discuss the possibility of a plea bargain under the no body no parole
00:43:09
legislation Evans would plead guilty to the lesser charges of manslaughter and interference with a corpse and to lead
00:43:18
detectives to Leanne's remains in exchange for the shorter sentences imposed by these less serious charges
00:43:26
Leanne's family were consulted and although they had too mixed feelings about Evans receiving less jail time
00:43:33
they sought to be reunited with Leanne after all these years On February 27 evan stood before the
00:43:43
cannes supreme court to formally enter his guilty plea he then led police to a hillside covered in dense bush lands on
00:43:51
a private property in Cowley Beach approximately 20 kilometers south of Venice Vale where he confessed the
00:43:58
dumping Leanne's body eight years prior within just 20 minutes of the search commencing the first of Lian's remains
00:44:07
were uncovered Evans proceeded to provide police with his version of the events that transpired on the night of
00:44:16
April 19 2009 beginning with LeAnn's supermarket trip to buy the remaining ingredients for dinner while she was
00:44:25
gone heavens open to the fridge and found an open packet of bacon with a knife inside
00:44:31
he placed the bacon into a container and left the empty pocket and knife in the sink when LeAnn returned and saw the
00:44:39
items in the sink Evans alleged an argument broke out and a struggle ensued Evans overpowered LeAnn and wrestled her
00:44:49
onto the bed where he repeatedly punched and elbowed her in the head until she slid onto the floor he left the room to
00:44:57
smoke a cigarette and when he returned 20 minutes later she was no longer breathing panicked he waited until it
00:45:05
was dark before wrapping her body in a sleeping bag and placing it in his car he intended to throw her into the river
00:45:13
but it had recently flooded and he realized that unless she was taken by a crocodile she would likely flow through
00:45:20
Innis Vale the following day instead he hid her body in an area of dense bushland
00:45:27
and a couple of days later discarded her clothing and phone in a river south of venice bail
00:45:35
when Kerri heard that LeAnn had been found she almost fainted quote I knew that she was gone but I still had that
00:45:45
little bit of hope that she might have just run away it was closure that's what I needed more than anything even though
00:45:54
it's hurting it will always hurt it's just that little bit of closure that I know where she is now on March 21 2018
00:46:08
then now 43 year-old Graham Evans was sentenced in the Townsville Supreme Court his defense lawyer argued his
00:46:17
client had showed significant remorse and reflected on the events of LeAnn's death every day stating the difficulty
00:46:25
of course is the initial panic and the lie it's like a getting on a roller coaster that you can't get off the
00:46:34
prosecution urged the judge to hand down the maximum sentence of nine years with
00:46:39
no parole arguing that Evans showed a complete lack of dignity and respectfully an which shouldn't be
00:46:46
discounted simply because he directed police to her body a victim impact statement highlighted the devastating
00:46:55
impact to LeAnn's death had on her family with Carrie telling the court her daughter's death left a hole in her
00:47:02
heart quote we were mother and daughter but also best friends who could speak about
00:47:09
anything and everything I wanted to believe she had just taken off and could walk back through the door
00:47:16
I've lost a part of my soul that can never be replaced and a part of my heart that will never recover in sentencing
00:47:27
Townsville Supreme Court Judge justice david north described LeAnn's death as senseless and brutal quote it arose out
00:47:38
of a trivial domestic argument that got out of hand and can only have done so because of an inability to step back and
00:47:45
take a count off or control your anger he acknowledged that while leavens had started with brutality deception and
00:47:54
allies he had cooperated with the authorities had he failed to do so justice north stated his sentencing
00:48:02
would be considerably higher he saw it at Evans lack of prior criminal history reported good character
00:48:10
and the shame he felt he also accepted that LeAnn's death had been unintentional and that Evans had taken
00:48:19
full responsibility Graham Evans was therefore sentenced to serve nine years in prison with the possibility for
00:48:27
parole after just four years pending his performance during incarceration Evans plea bargain was the first case in
00:48:38
Australia solved under the no body no parole of legislation in a subsequent press conference
00:48:45
detectives encouraged anybody else in a similar situation to come forward to discuss their options with police
00:48:52
declaring the importance of returning homicide victims to their families cannot be understated
00:49:01
Evans lawyer Phil Rennick stated that Evans looked forward to doing his time and upon his release would go on to look
00:49:09
after his intially and son Bradley quote I don't know what the child understands
00:49:16
he's fairly young but it's going to come a time when mr. Evans or some other family will have to explain it to
00:49:24
Bradley the circumstances of his mother's death reached Bradley's classmates at his primary school where
00:49:31
he was teased for having a murderer as a father Carey quote imagine how a little
00:49:40
six-year-old seven-year-old boy feels with all that happening leaving abusive relationships can often
00:49:54
be a slow process with many survivors returning multiple times before separating for good some stay to avoid
00:50:02
homelessness poverty custody issues the shame of a failed relationship or because they have been exposed to such
00:50:09
prolonged abuse that their self-esteem has been severely impacted others have been cut off from their families friends
00:50:17
or communities leaving them with no support network to turn to whilst others fear no one will believe their partner
00:50:25
could be capable of abuse in many cases survivors stay because leaving in itself
00:50:32
can be dangerous violence often escalates when a partner attempts to leave and it is during this time that
00:50:39
most domestic violence related murders occur according to statistics compiled by not-for-profit organization white
00:50:49
ribbon Australia one Australian woman is killed by her current or former domestic
00:50:54
partner every week with indigenous women 32 times more likely to be hospitalized
00:51:00
from family violence than non-indigenous women domestic violence is also cited as
00:51:07
a major contributing factor to illness disability and premature death for Australian women aged between 18 and 44
00:51:15
years old and is the leading cause of homelessness for women and their children Australian police deal with
00:51:24
thousands of domestic violence matters each week approximately one incident every two minutes not all forms of
00:51:33
domestic abuse are physical that can include stalking emotional financial social spiritual and image based abuse
00:51:44
signs of an abusive relationship included perpetrators who humiliate their partner in front of others monitor
00:51:51
what they are doing read their private communications unfairly accused them of being
00:51:57
Faithfull control what they wear or eat prevent them from practicing their religion or constantly criticized their
00:52:05
appearance intelligence or mental health silence and inaction are cited as reasons cycles of violence continued to
00:52:15
perpetuate it is encouraged to speak to people privately who appear to be trapped in an abusive relationship
00:52:23
if someone discloses their experience with domestic violence to you what ribbon Australia recommends you listen
00:52:30
with our judgement offer encouragement and support help the survivor discuss options ask if they need assistance
00:52:38
contact a support service and keep in touch to see how they are going respect their concerns and to reassure them they
00:52:48
have done the right thing by confiding in you and don't force them into making any decisions check with them first
00:52:55
before you say anything to their partner as violence may escalate if they discover you have been informed about
00:53:02
the abuse keep the information confidential unless children are involved and the laws of your state or
00:53:10
territory require you to inform police in support of this episode white ribbon Australia provided case file a statement
00:53:19
that read raising awareness is a critical part of preventing violence community's standing together and saying
00:53:28
no to violence against women and children can encourage people to speak out when they see behavior that isn't
00:53:34
okay or to question their mates behavior towards their partner or even their own
00:53:40
attitudes bringing violence against women and children into the spotlight is a key
00:53:47
step in ending disrespect and violence Kerry is waiting for the right time and place to scout aliens ashes explaining
00:53:57
I've got to let her be free cuz she was a free girl she hopes Leanne's murder will act as a warning to others to free
00:54:07
themselves from abusive relationships urging people to end things after the very first sign of violence as Leanne
00:54:15
would never have believed Evans was capable of escalating as far as he did well if there is anybody out there that
00:54:26
is going through with it going through it get out of it go report it there is always somebody around there to help
00:54:34
them there is somebody out there that can help them don't be scared yeah yeah gotta get out ma don't be
00:54:47
afraid hey thought it depends on how they've been threatened for you know like you
00:54:58
know thoughts still it out there and let somebody know about it yeah you've got to open your mind open your
00:55:11
eyes and open your mouth more than anything I think yeah and let it go on any longer than once only that once it's
00:55:24
all you need and there's a lot of people out there they'll be thinking oh well it
00:55:29
was just a one-off but it's never a one-off once they start that's it it'll just keep going and getting worse and
00:55:39
worse well I reckon if she had of if she hadn't gone and and hadn't charged the first pond I don't think this would have
00:55:49
happened but see he was probably thinking well I've got away with it this far and go even further if I want that's
00:56:01
what I said it's hard to know what anybody's thinking when this is all happening you know it's pretty hard but
00:56:14
I don't reckon she would have been dead now if she had to go on and saying somebody about it she wouldn't even talk
00:56:22
to me really properly about it you know cuz I used to say to her you were right like yeah everything's fine
00:56:29
well why'd you leave him no because he started mouthing off and round around around I said well that's fair enough
00:56:35
what do you want to go back for oh I love him and I said I you can love somebody but you don't have to put up
00:56:43
with [ __ ] it's not worth it my no hero and you want to do something about it oh
00:56:54
she liked my what does it take to get it through their heads don't put up with it it's
00:57:03
not worth it you can only give it voice by saying don't be there because it'll only get worse
00:57:13
that will get worse it'll never get better imagine what their families we think you know they get bashed and
00:57:23
killed and all that they're not just losing themselves what about their families how their families are feeling
00:57:30
about it or would feel about it it's not a good thing leave behind but you know what if it's not where I can
00:57:40
make whether you've got kids or not don't be there don't put the kids through that it
00:57:46
because they're the ones who's going to be suffering too my daughter's dead now and she was only 30 years old yeah and
00:57:58
there is younger than money up edits , you know there's help out there but people don't can I say they don't seem
00:58:10
to wanna look to find it you know go to their parents go to a friend go to somebody you know there is help out
00:58:25
there there is no I just wish to Ling in have it taken you know when I told oh you
00:58:34
want to do something about it now you know because otherwise it just get worse and look we're gotta
00:58:54
[Music] [Music] you