00:00:00
today's episode is brought to you by the Lindsay Busey AK annual memorial walk Lindsay boo Xia was the 24 year old real
00:00:07
estate agent from Victoria in the Canadian province of British Columbia we covered the circumstances of her death
00:00:14
in detail back in August 2016 during episode 28 of case file every year Lindsay's father Jeff Busey AK organizes
00:00:24
a memorial walk to honor his daughter's memory in the campaign for justice this year marks 11 years since Lindsay's
00:00:30
death and once again the Lindsay Busey Act memorial walk for justice will be going ahead on February 2nd the walk
00:00:38
begins in Victoria is a Royal Oak burial park on Falaise Drive the cemetery where
00:00:43
Lindsay's ashes are held it continues past the house where Lindsay was murdered and ends up on the steps of
00:00:49
Saanich Municipal Hall we recently caught up with Jeff who spoke to us about this year's upcoming walk and
00:00:56
filled us in on a few other things about the case we'll be releasing that interview tomorrow on the main case file
00:01:02
podcast feed the same way you get our weekly episodes so keep an eye out for that
00:01:14
[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
00:01:26
anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
00:01:32
please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website today's episode deals with a crime
00:01:39
committed against the child it won't be suitable for all listeners during recess
00:01:49
until lunchtime at Hakham West primary school in 1982 teachers patrolled the schoolyard to oversee the young children
00:01:56
as they ran around and played together between lessons yet there was often one student separated from the others
00:02:03
preferring to stick by her teachers sides rather than go off and play with her peers 10 year old Louise Bell a shy
00:02:12
and timid girl Louise found comfort in the company of adults whom she knew and trusted when her fifth grade teacher
00:02:19
Miss grace asked if boys would rather play with her classmates instead of accompanying her on yard duty she
00:02:26
responded on fine unhappy I just want to stay and help you before linking hands with her teacher
00:02:35
Louise's introversion extended beyond school hours when her friends were rushing out of the classroom to head
00:02:42
home the ways would often stay behind and help clean up before her parents arrived
00:02:47
to pick her up during a school camp she sat by herself on the bus and didn't interact with the other pupils but the
00:02:55
camp itself served to bring the ways out of her show when she joined in on a pillow fight that broke out amongst the
00:03:02
children the teachers were delighted to say the ways jump in on the fun it was a
00:03:07
clear sign that Louise was finally starting to feel more at ease with her peers despite suffering from asthma she joined
00:03:15
the school's basketball team the year five basketball Saints donning a number seven blue and yellow jersey her father
00:03:23
Colin Bell sometimes assisted with the team affording the dad and daughter some valuable bonding time
00:03:30
in late November 1982 the basketball Saints celebrated the end of the season with a break up barbecue and pool party
00:03:39
at their coach's house during celebrations Louise was thrilled to be awarded with a trophy commending her
00:03:46
efforts ending 1982 on a high note the following year started like any other for the Bell family parents Colin and
00:03:56
Diane were enjoying spending quality time with Louise and of a younger daughter six-year-old Rachel who were
00:04:02
both off school for the summer holidays Christmas and a new year have gone by in
00:04:08
a whirlwind of excitement and social engagements and things were starting to quieten down after the busy festive
00:04:15
season the Bell family were looking forward to relaxing over the weeks ahead before school resumed at the end of the
00:04:22
month with the two young siblings eager for upcoming plans that included a shopping excursion a picnic and a trip
00:04:30
to the cinema to see the latest Steven Spielberg blockbuster et On January 4 1983 Colin and Diane instructed their
00:04:41
two daughters to prepare for bedtime as the Sun began to set over meadow way a quiet residential street in the lower
00:04:48
middle-class suburb of hakkon West located 30 kilometers south of Adelaide central business district the Bell
00:04:56
residence was an unassuming small family homestead typical of the area a single-story creamed brick building with
00:05:04
a fenced-in backyard and small front lawn the face directly onto the street at 8:30 p.m.
00:05:12
Louise dressed in part of the new pajama set she had received for Christmas a pale yellow sleeveless cotton top dotted
00:05:20
with small yellow flowers she chose not to wear the matching shorts as she found
00:05:25
to them too uncomfortable the young Belle daughters said goodnight to their parents and retired to the
00:05:32
small bedroom they shared at the front of the house which held two single beds pushed against the jacent walls
00:05:38
separated by a chest of drawers the bed heads lay underneath a large window that
00:05:45
overlooked at the front lawn at 10 p.m. Diane went to check on her daughters and
00:05:52
found that Louise was still awake noticing that the curtain and window were open above Louise's bed though Amy
00:06:00
instructed her eldest daughter to close them before wishing her good night and heading off the bed in the room next
00:06:07
door Diane awoke at 6 o'clock the following morning of January 5 as she walked down
00:06:15
the short hallway towards the front door she peered into her daughter's bedroom and noticed the youngest Rachel was
00:06:21
still sleeping but Louise was not in her bed she checked to the lounge room kitchen bathroom and backyard but there
00:06:31
was no sign of her eldest daughter anywhere Diane woke her husband Colin who rushed
00:06:38
into his daughter's bedroom where he made a horrifying discovery the curtain and a window above Louise's
00:06:45
bed were open under the mesh floor screen appeared to have been cut from the corner of the window frame and was
00:06:51
flapping in the breeze he raced outside checking the neighbors swimming pool before heading down the street to the
00:06:59
primary school desperately searching for any sign of his daughter failing to find
00:07:05
her Louise Colin returned home distressed to find she hadn't shown up during his brief absence he turned to
00:07:14
his wife and said something is terribly wrong [Music] police arrived at the bells meadow way
00:07:47
property to conduct a search for the Waze and question her family about her possible whereabouts six year old Rachel
00:07:54
Bell who had been sleeping soundly in the bed next to her sister hadn't heard the ways get out of her bed at any time
00:08:01
throughout the night or morning likewise neither of her parents had heard Athena
00:08:07
despite their bedrooms being separated only by a very thin wall and both bedroom doors remaining open all night
00:08:15
notably the window leading into the 10 year olds bedroom was in full view of the street shielded only by a handful of
00:08:23
sparsely established trees and shrubs other than the tear in the mesh flyscreen covering the window there were
00:08:31
no signs of forced entry or of a struggle having taken place upon initial inspection of the torn screen police
00:08:40
believed the wire had been pushed out of place from inside the bedroom this led them to consider the possibility Louise
00:08:47
was responsible for the breakage herself and had likely left home on her own accord and would soon return however
00:08:55
given Louise's asthmatic medical history they proceeded with a full-scale investigation amidst concerns for her
00:09:03
safety by 11:00 a.m. a team had gathered at the nearby Christie's Beach Police Station
00:09:10
to formulate a plan enlisting the services of various departments including high-ranking police officers
00:09:17
the special task and rescue force country Fire Service and to the state emergency services they established the
00:09:26
police command post at the nearby happened West primary school where Colin bill made a brief appearance telling the
00:09:33
media we loved Louise very much and want her to come home it doesn't matter if she's done anything
00:09:40
wrong just some knowledge that she's alright would be a relief we are worried that she may have an asthma attack if
00:09:48
she is in trouble three helicopters swept the nearby coastline as law enforcement volunteers
00:09:56
and to Louise's relatives and friends came to the surrounding suburbs checking everything from stormwater drains to
00:10:04
rubbish bins the possibility that the young girl had simply run away from home was dismissed when over 100 members of
00:10:12
the multiple emergency service departments failed to uncover any sign of Louise after six hours of intense
00:10:19
searching by the next day of January 6 police declared of Louise's disappearance a major crime the police
00:10:32
Technical Services team was unable to find any scientific or physical evidence to suggest who Louise had been abducted
00:10:39
from her bedroom leading investigators to maintain the belief that the young girl had voluntarily left home but had
00:10:46
ran into foul play shortly thereafter Rachael Bell drove around with police to point out all the locations that her
00:10:55
older sister was known to play but there was no sign of the Wiis at any of her favorite hangouts police stations across
00:11:03
the state were issued with a description of Louise who was approximately five foot tall and average Bill with short
00:11:10
brown hair brown eyes lightly freckled skin and it was likely wearing floral yellow pajamas that may have taken a
00:11:19
change of clothes with her investigators conducted door knocks of the area and interviewed anyone who had been in
00:11:26
recent contact with the Bell family to see if they could uncover any leads in the days before Louise's disappearance
00:11:36
the local milkman recalled having to jump some tent wires that had been sitting across the concrete path leading
00:11:42
to the bells front door however on the morning of January 5 he noticed the tent wires were no longer sitting on the
00:11:50
front path but had instead been bunched together and moved aside on the lawn clearing the way as the search for
00:11:59
Louise gathered pace Colin and a Diane Bell remained at home in case their daughter reappeared where any news came
00:12:06
through although police had initially advised the couple not to speak to the media in a bid to raise awareness Colin
00:12:15
and Diane invited members of the press into their home to make a public appeal for information they said they hadn't
00:12:23
been able to sleep spending many hours with police going over Louise's photographs school reports and anything
00:12:30
at all that might provide some sort of clue sitting solemnly on the couch in their lounge room and emotionally
00:12:38
distraught Colin Bell broke down in tears as he told TV news reporters I'm convinced she's not hiding anywhere and
00:12:46
if someone is watching this don't harm her please don't Diane sat by his side visibly shaken as
00:12:57
she timidly asked her daughter to please come home Colin urged residents of South
00:13:03
Australia to check their backyards sheds and unoccupied shacks for Louise before
00:13:09
pleading quote to anyone who might have her even if they just leave her in a phone box a hundred miles from here
00:13:17
please do it if they fear this has gone too far and I don't want to get caught please don't harm the Wiis leave her
00:13:27
where we can find her a large publicity campaign was launched with hundreds of posters featuring Louise's photograph
00:13:37
and the physical description distributed throughout suburban shopping centers with newspapers television and radio
00:13:44
stations asked to promote the campaign posters of Louise's smiling face were plastered on the front of public
00:13:51
transport buses throughout the Adelaide metropolitan area urging anyone with information to come forward
00:14:00
ten detectives were assigned to work on the case full-time as an additional thirty five police officers conducted
00:14:08
numerous searches around at the bells property and the surrounding Hackham West area the police Technical Services
00:14:16
team conducted further tests on the mesh floss grain from Louise's bedroom window
00:14:21
and stated that were unable to determine whether the screen had been torn from within the bedroom or cut from outside
00:14:28
the home police staged the reenactment to determine the logistics of someone reaching in the bedroom window and
00:14:35
snatching the Wiis from her bed and concluded it would have taken an adult male perpetrator six feet tall or higher
00:14:42
just thirty Seconds to lift the child and carry her out they also theorized Louise may have been
00:14:50
enticed to exit the house either via the window or even the front door although her parents dismissed this theory saying
00:14:58
their daughter was well aware of stranger danger the Bell family and investigators who were working
00:15:06
tirelessly on the case continued to hold on to the hope that Louise would be found alive but braced themselves for
00:15:12
the worst major crime squad detective JJ Edwards said there is always hope but as time goes by that hope must diminish
00:15:24
the sad part is we just have nothing on how she left home there is no positive information which could indicate the
00:15:32
circumstances of her leaving home or what has happened to her since that time On January 12 one wake after Louie's
00:15:42
vanished the South Australian government offered a $5,000 reward for anyone with
00:15:48
information about her whereabouts the reward was not as substantial as the community had hoped but given the lack
00:15:56
of evidence to confirm without question whether or not a crime had occurred it was the best the government could offer
00:16:03
acting South Australian premier mr. Roy said you don't know what's happened to this poor ten-year-old girl whether she
00:16:12
has run away from home or is lost in the bush we will increase the reward the moment the police are able to tell me
00:16:20
they are now convinced there is a crime but at present we want information on the whereabouts of the child the day
00:16:30
after the reward was announced Colin Bell received a phone call the unknown male caller claimed to have taken the
00:16:38
Wiis and demanded $30,000 threatening to kill the child if the money wasn't paid
00:16:45
the call was soon determined to be a hoax the caller identified as an unemployed in 19 year old from the
00:16:52
nearby suburb of Mitchell Park who was charged with the crime of demanding money with menaces
00:17:00
a second phone call from someone claiming to have information about Louise was made at 9 p.m. on January 17
00:17:08
four days after the initial hoax call strangely this call was placed to a hack of West's resident who lived on
00:17:17
underbanked Grove just two streets away from the bells home on Meadow Way but the recipient of the call had no
00:17:24
relation to the Bell family the unknown male caller spoke with a slight European
00:17:30
accent and claimed he had in the ways Bell in his custody he sounded noticeably upset pausing to take deep
00:17:38
breaths as he explained that Louise was in need of medical assistance alluding that her injuries were the result of
00:17:45
sexual assault he said Louise was happy with him and did not want to go home but insisted it
00:17:53
was a matter of life or death describing her medical condition as a desperate situation the caller explained that he
00:18:02
had chosen a phone number at random and was unwilling to contact emergency services for help in case that phone
00:18:09
call was traceable to prove that he was telling the truth he admires the pair of
00:18:15
Louise's earrings could be found underneath a brick on the corner of South Road and Beach Road in Hackham
00:18:20
West a main intersection just one kilometer from the bells property on Meadow Way police were immediately
00:18:28
informed of the call and a rush to the location specified by the anonymous caller sure enough on the corner of the
00:18:36
South broht and Bates road intersection they found a broken brick with a pair of
00:18:41
small silver hoop earrings hidden underneath : and Diane Belle confirmed the earrings
00:18:48
belonged to Louise as they featured a repair her grandfather had made to the catch on one of the items certain Louise
00:18:56
was wearing the earrings on the night of her disappearance there was now no doubt she had met with
00:19:02
foul play and was in grave danger in a subsequent press conference investigators said it was unclear
00:19:11
whether the person involved was known to the Bell family but given the information received during the
00:19:17
anonymous phone call they remained confident that Louise was still alive and was being held captive in the
00:19:23
adelaide area attempts to trace the phone call from the perpetrator were unsuccessful the
00:19:31
recipient of the mysterious call had scribbled down as many nights during the conversation as she could but nothing
00:19:38
listed led to the identification of a suspect however investigators now had some information to go by the suspect
00:19:47
had a European accent and it was described as pleasant sounding and well-spoken with a very good command of
00:19:54
English days later on January 20 police received a report from a member of the public who was prompted to call
00:20:03
authorities after spotting a man acting suspiciously in the date' Creek area 85 kilometers south of Adelaide the man was
00:20:12
in the company of a young girl and too the pair was saying with the blue car police rushed to the area but failed to
00:20:20
uncover any sign of Louise or her captor six weeks went by with no further contact from the alleged perpetrator
00:20:34
then on February 28th the underbanked Grove resident who had received the phone call that led authorities to the
00:20:42
discovery of Louise's earrings was once again involuntarily involved with the investigation
00:20:48
the woman awoke at 6:45 a.m. and went to collect the milk and a newspaper from her front yard when she noticed what
00:20:57
appeared to be an old rag laying on her lawn she paid the item no attention and carried on with her morning routine
00:21:06
hours later at around at 9:00 a.m. she returned home after dropping her son off at school when the rag caught her saw it
00:21:14
once more as she noticed that was neatly folded she picked it up and realized that wasn't a rag at all but a
00:21:22
sleeveless cotton pajama top dotted with yellow flowers it had multiple tears down H side and was
00:21:30
drenched in water thinking nothing of it the woman placed the item of clothing inside an empty
00:21:38
poplin container with the intention of later throwing it away half an hour later she was hit with the stark
00:21:46
realization the Wiis Bell had been wearing a floral yellow pajama top on the night she went missing police were
00:21:57
notified of the discovery and presented the item to Colin and go aunt Bella the couple noticed the label from the
00:22:04
inside color of the top was missing confirming that it belonged to that daughter Diane herself record previously
00:22:12
cutting the large red label from the gunman after Louise had complained that was itching her neck having now
00:22:21
identified Louise's earrings and pajama top police were no closer to finding the
00:22:26
child or her doctor had the suggestion of police the woman who found her Louise's pajama top agreed to be
00:22:34
hypnotized in a bid to revive any memories that could assist with the investigation under hypnosis she
00:22:42
recalled that when she first left her house to collect the milk and paper at 6:45 a.m. she noticed the head and
00:22:49
shoulders of a clean-shaven man with collar length blonde hair hiding behind a brick wall less than 100
00:22:55
metres from her home after returning home from dropping her son off at school the woman also recalled she had seen the
00:23:04
leg of a man in a nearby walkway this information led to the theory that the perpetrator had been hiding closeby so
00:23:13
he could watch as the woman discovered the pajama top authorities were convinced that the perpetrator was
00:23:19
taunting them by distributing Louise's belongings throughout hakham West with the intention of them being found it
00:23:27
appeared he derived pleasure from this twisted game of cat-and-mouse examination of Louise's pajama shirt
00:23:36
revealed it a being removed from her body in such a way that suggested her hands had been bound together at the
00:23:42
time in addition traces of algae and soil on the waterlogged pajama top were found to contain a unique blend of
00:23:51
microbiology found exclusively in the on compare Inga River an 88 kilometers away
00:23:57
that stretches southwesterly from the Mount Lofty ranges and ends in port Noarlunga
00:24:02
located just eight kilometers from the bells family home in hackin West an inlet and surrounding riverbanks
00:24:10
important or longer was searched but resulted in no trace of Louise or her abductor nevertheless investigators
00:24:18
believed at the close proximity between the locations where Louise's earrings and a pajama top were found as well as
00:24:26
the source of the algae and soil samples found on the ladder indicated the perpetrator either lived in nearby or
00:24:33
had not taken the school girl far the reward for information regarding Louise Belle's whereabouts received a
00:24:42
significant boost when a group of anonymous adelaide businessman donated an additional ten thousand dollars for
00:24:48
her safe return raising the total sum of the reward to fifteen thousand dollars Catholic priest
00:24:56
reverend father robert aiken offered himself as a mediator for the bail family and made a public plea for the
00:25:02
person responsible for Louise's abduction to return the young girl to her family he invited the perpetrator to
00:25:10
make a confidential contact with him anytime via phone at the church or any other location reassuring he was just as
00:25:18
concerned for the perpetrators well-being as it was for Louise's when the priest was asked if offering his
00:25:26
services to the potentially dangerous man put his own safety at risk Father Aitken replied I have no dependents this
00:25:35
girl is just beginning life and I don't mind her putting myself in danger if it's going to help someone
00:25:42
father Aikens invitation yielded at no response meanwhile police continued with their investigation
00:25:53
door knocking over two and a half thousand homes and conducting interviews with over 8,000 people despite these
00:26:01
efforts months passed with no compelling leads or discoveries then crucial information was offered from an
00:26:09
unexpected source when several inmates at the now-defunct Adelaide jail alleged they knew who was responsible for Louise
00:26:17
Belle's disappearance according to four prisoners in April of 1983 a fellow inmate serving time for an 8 month
00:26:26
prison sentence for a string of child sex crimes confessed to murdering Louise the inmate was 36 year old father of
00:26:35
four Raymond dijanna casing casing was not unknown to investigators he'd been interviewed just days after the incident
00:26:46
as he was a known sex offender who up until just before Louise's disappearance had lived only 500 meters away from her
00:26:54
residence in hackin West at the time the ways went missing casing had only just relocated to the outer city suburb of
00:27:02
Torrance ville 29 kilometers away a link between the suspect and Yahweh's bail was established the wire
00:27:10
information provided by one of guessing's ex-wives prior to his move across town to Torrance Ville getting
00:27:18
served as president of the Hakam West community group and had given the Bell family in application form for
00:27:24
membership when cleaning out casings belongings after their separation his ex-wife found a piece of paper with
00:27:32
Colin bells name and address written on it passed on by another member of the community group to whom the bills had
00:27:38
expressed an interest in joining further investigation revealed the uncovering go
00:27:45
River was a favorite fishing spot of casings and a pair of sneakers found in the back of his vehicle contained to the
00:27:52
same microbiological substance as that found on Louise's pajama top based on raymond de Jonge casings alleged to
00:28:01
jailhouse confessions previous residency within the Hakan west area known association with the bell family
00:28:08
convictions for child sex offenses and to the forensic evidence that put him in the vicinity of the onku pega River
00:28:15
police charged him with the abduction and murder of Louise Bell in November 1984 desynch stood trial in the South
00:28:27
Australian Supreme Court were only two of the inmate statements regarding his alleged confession were considered
00:28:34
admissible the prosecution used these as the backbone for their case and argued that multiple sources claimed Keating
00:28:42
had showed a consciousness of guilt regarding Louise's disappearance although he didn't have a European
00:28:49
accent his well-spoken manner matched the voice described by the hack on West a resident who received the phone call
00:28:56
that led investigators to Oasis earrings the only physical evidence linking gazing to Louise's disappearance was the
00:29:04
microbiological substance found on his sneakers that was also found on Louise's pajama talk nevertheless the
00:29:13
circumstantial evidence against him was strong and after 24 hours of deliberation the jury delivered their
00:29:20
verdict guilty Raymond to John Keating was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Louise Bell gating continued
00:29:33
to maintain his innocence over Louise's murder and 17 months into his life sentence he appealed his conviction
00:29:41
during the appeal hearing one of the two inmates who had testified against him at
00:29:46
trial retracted their testimony admitting guessing had had never confessed to the crime in another blow
00:29:54
to the original trial the appellate judge determined the statements given by the second inmate who claimed casing had
00:30:01
confessed were a complete fabrication both witnesses were deemed to be unreliable and untrustworthy rendering
00:30:10
their evidence inadmissible with the Arthur's jailhouse confessions which formed the entire backbone of the
00:30:18
prosecution's case the highly circumstantial case against gazing weakened dramatically Chief Justice King
00:30:26
who was overseeing the appeal said quote if the evidence is disallowed the inevitable consequence is that the trial
00:30:35
is miscarried and at the verdict must be set aside on April 12 1985 raymond de Jongh
00:30:45
Keating's conviction for the murder of louise bell was quashed by the South Australian Court of Appeal and he was
00:30:51
cleared of all charges relating to her disappearance minutes after the hearing came to an end D Singh was released from
00:31:00
custody his wrongful conviction referenced as a miscarriage of justice in the Australian legal system yet his
00:31:08
release served as an opportunity for getting to continue to harm others as years later he was found guilty and
00:31:15
sentenced to seven years prison for child sex crimes committed against two sisters over an eight-year period with
00:31:24
getting eliminated as a suspect in the law waste bail investigation her case was reopened and her disappearance was
00:31:31
once again marked unsolved today's episode is brought to you by article article is an online-only furniture
00:31:54
company that offers beautifully designed modern furniture at an affordable price
00:31:58
by eliminating the layers of traditional retail article is able to keep the quality high into the prices low with
00:32:06
all furniture orders shipped within the US and Canada had a flat rate of $49 case files music composer Andrew Jocelyn
00:32:14
recently placed an order with article and immediately fell in love with the user experience in Scandinavian
00:32:19
simplicity of articles furniture designs the accent pieces he ordered complimented his house perfectly and he
00:32:26
was thoroughly impressed by the quality of the materials the professionalism of the delivery service and to the
00:32:32
aesthetic of his new items Haven Andrews dog loves article with their new wool rug quickly becoming his favorite place
00:32:39
to sleep article is offering listeners of case file $50 off their first purchase of $100 or
00:32:46
more to claim visit article com slash case file that all it takes go to article comm slash
00:32:55
case file enter the discount will be automatically applied at checkout that's article dot-com slash case file
00:33:02
to get $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more today's episode is also brought to you by car a new year brings
00:33:13
an opportunity to reset and to establish new habits for our happiest healthier cells joining a gym eating better you
00:33:21
know the drill but improving physical health isn't the only resolution to consider we can resolve to improve our
00:33:27
mental well-being - that's why we're excited to partner with car the number one app to help you sleep
00:33:34
meditate and relax if you had to calm calm / case fall you'll get 25% off a car premium subscription which includes
00:33:44
hundreds of hours of programs including guided meditations on issues like anxiety stress and focus including a
00:33:52
brand new meditation each day called the daily car there's also sleep stories which are bedtime stories for adults
00:33:59
designed to help you relax before you doze off head to the lavender fields of France with Stephen Fry or explore New
00:34:07
Zealand with Jerome Flynn from Game of Thrones Bob Ross is even in there too their soothing music breathing exercises
00:34:16
gentle stretches to relax your body and more for a limited time case file listeners get 25% off a car premium
00:34:25
subscription at com.com slash case file that's CA LM dot-com slash case file get unlimited access to
00:34:35
all of Khan's content today at com.com slash case file give yourself the gift of car and a happy and healthy 2019
00:34:47
today's episode is also brought to you by Squarespace an all-in-one platform that allows you
00:34:53
to build your own website with just a few easy clicks if you like me and find the web design intimidating Squarespace
00:35:00
is the place for you with Squarespace you don't need to know anything about coding or computer
00:35:05
programming to build a professional looking site that's both functional and attractive it's also a lot of fun to do
00:35:12
Squarespace offers templates created by world-class designers all you need to do
00:35:17
is pick a template that's right for you then follow the prompts to drag and drop
00:35:21
images enter text add products and customize your settings Squarespace offers a one-stop shop for all your
00:35:29
website needs from design to domain names to hosting and everything in between whether you're a musician
00:35:35
blogger personal trainer fashion designer small business owner writer budding photographer or anything else
00:35:43
you can think of having your own website is essential to build your brand advertise your services or showcase your
00:35:50
work if you've been putting off building your website because you feel out of your depth now is the time with
00:35:57
Squarespace I had no idea what I was doing when I first decided to start a podcast but its services like
00:36:03
Squarespace that take the guesswork out of establishing a web presence and make it an enjoyable experience stop thinking
00:36:11
about it and do it check out squarespace.com slash case file for a free trial and when you're ready to
00:36:18
launch use the offer code case file to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain that's squarespace.com
00:36:27
/ case file what are you waiting for in December 1985 almost three years after Louise Bell went missing a cranial
00:36:45
inquest was conducted to examine the cause and circumstances leading to her disappearance during the inquiry police
00:36:54
confirmed that they were no longer actively looking for our suspect but were instead focusing their
00:36:59
investigations on finding the schoolgirls body in order to provide closure for her family although
00:37:05
detectives had no suspects they described the likely perpetrator to be a tall strong man who was very
00:37:12
psychologically abnormal following the two-day inquest State Coroner Kevin Ahern handed down his findings
00:37:20
concluding that Louise had been abducted from her bedroom during the night of January 4 1983 in what was likely a
00:37:27
sexually motivated attack he also suggests that the perpetrator could be an exhibitionist given his premeditated
00:37:35
actions in exposing certain clues to authorities such as Louise's pajama top and earrings coroner Ahern said that
00:37:44
there was nothing to suggest who Louise's disappearance was connected with any other missing children's cases
00:37:49
in South Australia and he found it quote very disturbing to realise there are people in the community of such abnormal
00:37:57
mentality the coroner added that while the whizzers body had not yet been located
00:38:03
his official finding presumed she was no longer alive determined to get on with their lives Colin and Diane Bell had not
00:38:12
spoken to the media since the early days of the investigation and were distraught
00:38:17
to discover the inquest into their daughter's disappearance was being conducted so close to Christmas in a
00:38:24
reluctant comment to Adelaide newspaper the advertiser Colin Bell said I just want to be left alone with my family
00:38:32
what's left of it it's been a tremendous strain on all of us only the offender can know what we've been through and
00:38:40
it's water off a duck's back to him we just want to get our lives back together after the cranial inquest four years
00:38:49
went by with no new information regarding Louise Belle's disappearance and - the case went cold until a new
00:38:57
line of inquiry eventually came to light on December 30 1989 a 13 year old boy was riding his bike important or longer
00:39:06
when the occupant of a white Volkswagen Kombi van tricked him into entering his vehicle the teenager was then bound
00:39:13
gagged and blindfolded before the assailant threw the boys bicycle into the back of the van after driving nine
00:39:21
kilometres south towards the rugged coastline of maslin's Beach the assailant wiped his captives back down
00:39:28
and abandoned it against the gate to create the illusion the team was in the area when the alarm was raised that the
00:39:35
teenager was missing the discovery of his abandoned bike led police to presume he had drowned and a land and sea search
00:39:43
of maslin's beach ensued in reality the teen was being driven to his abductors property in Hackham West where he was
00:39:51
held captive overnight and subjected to repeated acts of sexual abuse at midday the following day the assailant
00:39:59
temporarily left the property giving the brave captive time and opportunity to free himself from his bonds he ran to a
00:40:07
house next door where he raised the alarm and called police for help the assailant returned home a short while
00:40:15
later oblivious to the fact his captive had escaped and police were awaiting his
00:40:20
arrival he was promptly placed under arrest the man responsible for the teenager's attack was 41 year old at
00:40:29
data Fenig a mild-mannered German born maths and science high school teacher who was married with two daughters upon
00:40:37
learning his captive had escaped Fenig admitted to the brazen attack but said he had only taken the boy because he
00:40:44
felt lonely telling police quote I just wanted someone to hug date of fennec was held in the
00:40:52
Christie's Beach police station where he placed a phone call to his wife admitting he had been thinking about
00:40:58
committing the crime for months whilst Fenig was in police custody law enforcement received a phone call from a
00:41:05
woman who believed the schoolteacher could be responsible for another crime 11 months prior to pfennigs arrest On
00:41:14
January 18 1989 10 year-old Michael black left his house in the rural Riverside town of Murray Bridge located
00:41:23
76 kilometres of Adelaide Michael hopped on his bicycle and rode towards stir reserve a popular Riverside
00:41:31
Recreation Area Michael was looking forward to an afternoon of fishing taking with him a fishing rod canvas bag
00:41:39
and his beloved family dog Stewart Reserve was one of Michael's favorite fishing and swimming spots where the
00:41:46
lush green lawns and calm waters provided the perfect place to cast the line various witnesses spotted Michael
00:41:54
at the reserve throughout the day with the last known sighting occurring just before 3 p.m.
00:42:01
later that afternoon his fishing rod bike bag and thongs were found to neatly stack together further upstream at the
00:42:09
much quieter fishing spot of Kili reserve his shirt was found in a willow tree even further upstream where he's
00:42:16
thought was spotted barking frantically and running up and down the riverbank no witnesses had seen Michael at tealy
00:42:23
reserve and his parents confirmed it was an area their son did not like the frequent as he was forbidden from
00:42:29
venturing there without parental supervision although he was a competent swimmer an extensive underwater search
00:42:37
of the area was conducted by police divers as they believed Michael may have drowned his body wasn't found nor did a
00:42:45
rise to the surface after three days as was expected in the case of death caused
00:42:50
by drowning according to officers in charge of the investigation the possibility that Michaels body lay
00:42:57
undiscovered in the water was incredibly slim and he was officially declared a missing
00:43:03
person while Dida Fenig was in custody for the abduction and assault committed against the thirteen-year-old boy taken
00:43:11
from porn no longer a witness reported that Finney could been at her house around the time of Michael blacks
00:43:17
disappearance when a story about the missing boy aired on the news veni grimmer he had been at stir reserve on
00:43:25
the day Michael was last seen and he had helped the young boy with his fishing rod police interviewed fennecs wife who
00:43:34
confirmed her husband had been away from home during the time of Michael blacks disappearance leaving for a 3-day trip
00:43:40
in his combi van to study physics in preparation for an upcoming teaching job according to Phoenix daughter her father
00:43:48
said he lent Michael a knife to help him scale a fish and asked the young boy to
00:43:53
return the knife to his van once he was done in addition multiple witnesses confirmed having seen a white combi
00:44:01
speeding away from tiri reserve on the day Michael vanished police identified many similarities between Michael's
00:44:09
unsolved case and Dida Phoenix recent crimes against the thirteen-year-old boy they suspected fennec made efforts to
00:44:17
mislead police by setting up michael's bicycle to appear as though the child had drowned just like he had done when
00:44:24
committing the following abduction eleven months later subsequently fennec was charged with the murder of Michael
00:44:31
black given the location of his home in hackin West he also became a person of interest in another high-profile
00:44:39
unsolved case the disappearance of Louise Belle there were multiple factors pinpointing
00:44:49
data Fenig as a suspect for Louisa's of belgian firstly the ten-year-old had attended school and played on the same
00:44:57
basketball team as one of fennecs daughters and two the two were familiar with one another
00:45:02
Fenny was also known to frequent the ANCA / Inga river in his canoe a key location of interest in Louise's
00:45:10
abduction due to the algae and soil samples found on her pajamas additionally Fenig was an insomniac
00:45:17
known by family members and neighbors to walk the streets late at night he lived
00:45:23
on Holi rise a street just seven minutes walk away from the bell property on meadow way with the two homes connected
00:45:30
by a series of quiet Lane ways that would have provided ample opportunity for him to transport the young girl
00:45:36
without being seen however Fenig provided police with an alibi for the night of Louise's
00:45:43
disappearance he had been on holiday with his family visiting relatives in Swan Hill a Riverside town in a
00:45:50
neighboring state of Victoria his wife and daughters had been staying in one Caravan while fennec had been staying in
00:45:58
a separate rental caravan on his own investigators tracked down the caravan rental company and discovered a deed
00:46:06
Afeni had actually returned his Caravan on january 4 putting him back in adelaide during the night of Louise's
00:46:13
abduction while his family remained in Swan Hill this was confirmed by a former neighbor
00:46:19
who had been instructed to water the pfennigs garden while the family was in Victoria in the days following Louise's
00:46:27
disappearance the neighbor noticed the deed of fennec had returned home early so we went over to notify him about the
00:46:33
events of the previous few days when Fenig opened to the door he was noticeably disheveled and was alleged to
00:46:41
have remarked there goes my alibi in February 1991 a thorough search for the remains of Michel black into Louise Bell
00:46:52
was conducted at Finney's property on Holly rise floorboards in two bedrooms were pulled up and a section of the
00:46:59
backyard and area shed were excavated but no human remains physical evidence or anything else of interest was
00:47:06
uncovered for the kidnapping and sexual assault committed against the thirteen-year-old boy from porn no
00:47:13
longer deed Afeni pleaded guilty but professed his innocence for any other crimes with the strong circumstantial
00:47:21
evidence against him he stood trial for the murder of Michael black entering a plea of not guilty in a highly
00:47:30
controversial move the judge allowed propensity evidence otherwise known as similar fact evidence to be presented at
00:47:37
trial this meant pfennigs other related convictions were permitted to be referenced during his current trial and
00:47:44
used as evidence against him permitting similar fact evidence is rarely a lay out due to concerns the defendant may be
00:47:52
unfairly judged but the presiding judge for the Michael black murder trial felt it essential the jury be made aware of
00:47:59
pfennigs prior criminal history involving children based on circumstantial evidence and statements
00:48:06
from over 100 witnesses dead of Fenig was convicted of Michael blacks murder and sentenced to 38 years in prison he
00:48:15
remained a person of interest in the ways bells disappearance but police had no concrete evidence to link him to the
00:48:21
crime and to the case eventually went cold during the earlier years of the Louise
00:48:29
Bell investigation the suspect pool included a convicted killer couple Val made back into Barry Watts the couple's
00:48:37
known crimes are covered in case 101 of case file but investigators nationwide believed it back into watts might have
00:48:44
been responsible for the unsolved disappearance of a number of young women in Australia
00:48:49
throughout the 1980s prior to her death in 2008 Velma Beck was interrogated at length
00:48:56
about Louise bail but she failed to reveal any information that solidified her role Barry Watts were involved in
00:49:03
the crime passing away without the deathbed confession many had hoped for by mid-2009 26 years had passed since
00:49:14
Louise vanished in the middle of the night from her own bedroom and her cold case was reopened with the hopes that
00:49:20
advances in forensic technology could lead to new opportunities in the investigation the team of investigators
00:49:27
were assigned to undertake a comprehensive review of the case and re-examine all available evidence
00:49:34
efforts proved fruitful with forensic experts identifying and extracting several previously undiscovered traces
00:49:41
of DNA evidence on the pajama top Louise had been wearing on the night of her abduction the technology wasn't quite
00:49:49
advanced enough to link the DNA to a suspect but in 2012 Louise's pajama top was sent to a
00:49:56
leading forensic institution in the Netherlands allowing for a new DNA testing technique known as the low copy
00:50:02
method to be used this was a significantly more advanced technique than the testing method available in
00:50:09
Australia at the time allowing for a DNA profile to be extracted from sweat or just a few skin cells the testing of the
00:50:19
unidentified DNA found on the Weezer's pajama table resulted in a match it belonged to a prisoner currently
00:50:26
serving time in the Port Lincoln prison on the air Peninsula of South Australia at a likelihood ratio of higher than a
00:50:33
billion to one the prisoner was not unknown to the investigation he had been considered a
00:50:40
strong person of interest in the wazers disappearance since 1989 the failure to uncover concrete evidence at the time
00:50:47
withheld an arrest the DNA on the Weezer's clothing belonged to Hakam West local and convicted child killer data
00:50:57
Fenig back in 1991 pfennigs former Hakam West property was searched for clues regarding the Lois Bell investigation
00:51:09
but efforts resulted in no worthwhile discoveries 21 years later in 2012 police returned to the address prepared
00:51:18
to conduct a more extensive excavation of the yard in the hopes of finally uncovering Louisa's remains with
00:51:27
assistance from the Australian Federal Police state-of-the-art radar equipment was used to detect abnormalities
00:51:33
underground with special attention paid to three distinct concrete slopes at the
00:51:38
rear of the property concrete cutters were used to remove the slabs with police then using sifting pans and
00:51:46
trails and shovels to dig around and examine the soil underneath four days of extensive searching ensued overseen by a
00:51:56
heavy media presence as the community anticipated answers to the decades-long mystery as to what happened to Louise
00:52:03
Bell small fragments of bone were found but were later determined to have belonged to animals overall the dig
00:52:13
uncovered nothing of significance [Music] police continued with their inquiries following up on over 550 statements
00:52:26
taken from family members witnesses and other members of the public throughout the original investigation in similar
00:52:34
circumstances to the wrongful conviction of Raymond drone gazing two separate inmates who had served time with data
00:52:41
Fenig during his 38 year sentence for the murder of Michael black came forward declaring that the former teacher had
00:52:49
confessed to Louise's murder Fenig was allegedly drinking bootleg alcohol and smoking cannabis with a fellow inmate
00:52:57
during an in-house Christmas celebration when he started sobbing and confessed for killing Michael black he said he
00:53:05
couldn't tell authorities where Marco's body was located because quote there is a chica there when the prisoner asked
00:53:13
what chick fennec replied bail he allegedly admitted that he took the young girl and killed her by accident
00:53:22
leaving the pajama top on the front lawn of the underbanked grove resident because he felt guilty for what he had
00:53:28
done using a prison computer Fenig brought up a map of hakkon west and showed the inmate how close the distance
00:53:37
was between his former home and the bail property he claimed that Louise exited to her house via the bedroom window and
00:53:45
went with him willingly an ordained about this minister serving time for fraud also alleged fennec had confessed
00:53:53
to Louise's murder while seeking his spiritual guidance the minister claimed pfennigs whole body
00:53:59
shook when he started talking about the crime saying he hated the name bill because it reminded him quote of
00:54:07
something that's eating at my heart every day Fenig allegedly told the minister he wasn't concerned about the
00:54:15
crimes he was in jail for but rather for the things that hadn't yet come to light
00:54:20
claiming he knew everything about Louise Bell including the location of her body
00:54:26
he said he had picked her up carried her away and only decided to kill her when she wouldn't calm down or cooperate the
00:54:35
Minister encouraged defending to confess the police but he refused saying oh no I'm not going to make it out of prison
00:54:43
why should I bother he later showed the same inmate a manuscript he had been writing which told the story of a
00:54:52
warrior attempting to rescue a young girl the girl refused to believe the warrior genuinely wanted to help her and
00:54:59
for her lack of trust she ends up dying police were able to recover copies of the manuscript from Fenig so on November
00:55:12
18 2013 65 year-old Adina Finney was arrested for the murder of Louise Bell Deputy
00:55:20
Police Commissioner grant Stevens addressed the media quote clearly this particular matter has had a massive
00:55:28
impact on the family they are devastated by this crime and the fact that we have
00:55:33
conducted this arrest today will in some respects provide a degree of closure it's good news but it's changed with
00:55:41
that degree of sadness that the family are now going through another episode of this particularly gruesome story
00:55:48
given pfennigs prior convictions and a known reputation as a child killer officials were concerned that he may not
00:55:56
receive a fair trial it was argued a jury would find it impossible to overlook his well known and established
00:56:02
the praised character impacting their verdict regardless of the evidence presented the wrongful conviction of
00:56:11
raymond de jonge casing for the same crime three decades earlier stemming from false confessions provided by
00:56:17
inmates ensured the courts and prosecution were treading extra carefully this time around to avoid the
00:56:24
risk of an unfair trial it was decided that fennec would face court in front of a judge alone with no jury present
00:56:32
celebrated criminal barrister and Supreme Court Judge justice Michael David who was well versed in the
00:56:39
intricacies of the case and other trials that resulted in a miscarriage of justice temporarily came out of
00:56:45
retirement to oversee the trial which commenced in September 2015 two years after pfennigs arrest
00:56:55
prosecutor sandy McDonald opened her arguments by saying there was no doubt that Louise was no longer alive quote in
00:57:04
the early days there was still hope over three decades later Louise Bell is not coming home Louise
00:57:13
Bell is dead she was murdered she was taken from her bedroom in the middle of the night in the most brazen
00:57:19
and audacious way MacDonald said the biggest mystery in the case was how Louise got out of her bedroom given the
00:57:29
difficulties of shifting a 30 to 40 kilogram child from their bed without waking her sister in the same room or
00:57:36
parents in the adjoining room MacDonald said it was far more likely than the waist wasn't tossed from her room but
00:57:42
someone she knew and recognized rather than a stranger during the trial witness accounts were heard from the inmates who
00:57:51
fennec allegedly confessed to as well as former neighbors colleagues and family members who said the accused to
00:57:59
an unusual interest in the crime one former colleague alleged Finnick encouraged him to join in on nightly
00:58:07
runs saying it's amazing what you can see through windows during a conversation with another former
00:58:15
colleague Phenix co-worker expressed her disbelief that the schoolgirl had been taken from her bedroom without anybody
00:58:21
seeing or hearing a thing Feniger calmly replied that he believed it was very possible as he often walked the streets
00:58:29
at night and to never saw another living soul yet another colleague claimed Fenig
00:58:36
he told them he was a suspect in the case which prosecutor sandy McDonald labeled an important piece of evidence
00:58:43
quote why on earth would a father teacher a family man be telling his colleague and friend that he was a
00:58:51
suspect in the abduction and murder of a little girl when he's not it makes no sense unless he's getting some sort of
00:58:59
perverse pleasure drawing attention to himself continuing to talk about it one of pfennigs daughters who had been a
00:59:08
classmate of Louise's testified against her father saying he had a habit of changing the subject whenever she
00:59:15
questioned him about Louise her father always claimed to have been interstate with the family during the critical time
00:59:22
period over Louise's abduction when she knew he had returned home alone from the
00:59:27
holiday early pfennigs ex-wife also gave evidence against him confirming her former husband had indeed returned to
00:59:36
Adelaide early in January 1983 while the family continued on with their interstate holiday without him when they
00:59:44
returned home Fenny cooked them dinner which she described as exceptionally unusual quote
00:59:52
Dido never made anything he wouldn't even make me a cup of tea one of the ways as classmates provided a
01:00:01
statement via videolink saying she had seen the ways walking home with fennec and his daughter up to six times in the
01:00:08
year leading up to her abduction Louise's youngest sister Rachel testified that she saw Penny's combi van
01:00:15
parked on their street in front of a neighbor's house in the years following her sister's disappearance in addition
01:00:23
the underbanked grove resident who had received a phone call from the abductor that led to the discovery of Louise's
01:00:29
earrings claimed a german-born pfennigs voice matched the european accent of the
01:00:34
unknown caller a taxi driver also testified that a man with a slightly European accent asked him to take him
01:00:42
for a bizarre drive-by of the Belle home in the days following the 10 year olds disappearance halfway through the trial
01:00:51
Fenig suffered a heart attack in prison and was rushed to hospital where he underwent surgery and was placed in an
01:00:57
induced coma the future of the trial looked questionable until he made a full recovery and was cleared to return to
01:01:05
court three weeks later although the witness statements and jailhouse confessions provided strong
01:01:15
circumstantial evidence pfennigs DNA on the Weezer's pajama top provided a compelling piece of physical evidence
01:01:23
defense lawyer Paul Charmin argued that this evidence wasn't foolproof as there had been inconsistencies and
01:01:29
contradictions in the results of testing conducted by different labs techniques and software initial testing of DNA
01:01:38
found on Louise's pajama shirt in an adelaide laboratory had revealed a likelihood ratio that the DNA belonged
01:01:45
to the data Fenig was 64 hundred to one a stark contrast to the billion to one ratio determined by the lab in the
01:01:53
Netherlands despite the court receiving an in-depth explanation of how the Dutch forensic
01:01:59
team achieved the precise results of their low copied DNA profiling charmin argued while scientists say they can
01:02:08
justify the varied results from a scientific point of view that doesn't mean your honor can accept they prove
01:02:14
the DNA case beyond a reasonable doubt he asked the court to be mindful that fennecs DNA was not found on Louise's
01:02:23
windowsill or anywhere else at the crime scene the defense team clung to this argument throughout most of the trial
01:02:30
before presenting another theory to explain how pfennigs DNA appeared on Louise's pajamas in November 1982 less
01:02:39
than two months before Louise's abduction she attended a pool party at the home of her basketball coach as part
01:02:46
of the team's end-of-season breakup in attendance was another of Louise's teammates date of pfennig daughter the
01:02:56
defense argued the defendants DNA could have been passed on till aways and subsequently on to her pajamas via
01:03:02
contact with his daughter during the pool party school or basketball games in a process known as secondary transfer
01:03:11
but the prosecution destroyed this theory when it was confirmed Louise had received the pajama top as a Christmas
01:03:18
present a month after the pool party Louise had had no physical contact with pfennigs daughter
01:03:24
the clothing the shirt had also been machine washed prior to the school girls abduction which would have removed any
01:03:31
DNA passed on via secondary transfer the defense attempted to discredit the inmates who fennec had allegedly
01:03:40
confessed to asking one of them if they were lying to receive attention the inmate who had been diagnosed by a
01:03:48
psychiatrist is having an antisocial personality with a history of manipulative behavior responded to the
01:03:54
accusation in a hostile manner introducing concerns about his reliability yet the same psychiatrist
01:04:02
agreed that this disorder would not impact the inmates ability to provide a reliable witness statement the
01:04:09
prosecution pointed out that the two confessions were provided entirely separate of one another
01:04:14
with no opportunity for collusion between the two inmates in addition both had gone to police with information
01:04:21
about the confessions prior to pfennigs DNA match being found on Louise's pajamas the unique nature of the judge
01:04:31
only trial allowed for multiple adjournments and various sittings resulting in a trial that lasted for
01:04:37
close to a year ending in July 2016 although justice Michael David could not determine the exact circumstances of how
01:04:47
Louise left her home the night she disappeared he believed the forceful abduction would have almost certainly
01:04:53
woken another family member therefore he found it more likely Louise was enticed a out the window by someone
01:05:00
she was familiar with thirty three years after ten year old Louise Bell went missing
01:05:07
justice David delivered his verdict to the packed courtroom finding dead a fennec guilty for her abduction and
01:05:14
murder in an unusual move just as David implored the accused to lead authorities
01:05:21
to the bodies of both children he had been found guilty of killing Louise Bell and Michael black saying his sentencing
01:05:29
may or may not be affected by pfennigs cooperation in fulfilling this request after the verdict was delivered and
01:05:37
media release provided by the Bell family was ready outside the court by a detective who had worked on the case
01:05:43
quote today's verdict - leaves us feeling relieved and while it is a significant outcome it is not the end of
01:05:52
this difficult journey our beloved ten-year-old daughter was taken from her own bedroom a place where
01:05:59
she should be safe and has never come home words cannot describe the impact this has had on our lives today is the
01:06:09
culmination of our struggles to find answers for Louise that is what makes today's decision so important it is a
01:06:16
small victory for Louise we would like to thank everyone for their persistence and efforts in trying to return the
01:06:23
waste to us and in prosecuting this matter while today is a significant milestone we want our daughter back so I
01:06:32
would appeal to anyone with information that might assist us in finding Louise to come forward now all this afternoon's
01:06:40
outcome is significant it is only part of this terrible event we still want to be able to lay the ways to rest the Bell
01:06:51
family made it clear this would be the only statement that would be providing to the public they also appealed for
01:06:57
their victim impact statements to be suppressed from the media at finish sentencing amidst concerns the
01:07:03
publication of their feelings would cause unnecessary hardship to appease their request the court agreed the Bell
01:07:11
family did not have to provide a victim impact statements they have not spoken publicly about the case since South
01:07:21
Australian police confirmed that despite the guilty verdict the case would not be
01:07:25
closed until the wheezes remains were recovered detective Superintendent Dez Bray quote
01:07:33
I would appeal for anyone with information that might assist us to find her to search your conscience and to
01:07:39
come forward now it is time to do the right thing by the day of his sentencing on December 6 2016 fennec had not
01:07:51
accepted the judge's invitation to reveal the location of Luiz or Michaels bodies upon delivering his sentence
01:07:59
justice Michael David clarified he was not punishing Fenig for failing to fulfill this request but for committing
01:08:07
the most evil of crimes quote the shock and anxiety that your offense caused for
01:08:14
the South Australian community cannot be compared to the distress that must have
01:08:18
been suffered by the parents and family of Louise Bell the effect of my sentence
01:08:23
will be that you most certainly spend at the rest of your days in jail Dida Fenig
01:08:30
was sentenced to 35 years in prison without parole for the murder of Louise Bell in addition to the sentence he was
01:08:38
already serving in relation to the murder of Michael black this broad is non-parole jail time to 60 years in May
01:08:47
2000 18 Fenig appealed his conviction reverting to the argument that his DNA could have been accidentally transferred
01:08:55
to Louise's pajama top via contact with his daughter his lawyer Paul Sherman argued there was no evidence to confirm
01:09:02
how the DNA was placed on the victims clothing and called the guilty verdict against his client legally unsafe and
01:09:10
unsatisfactory charleen requested the DNA be tested against convicted kidnapper roman horns
01:09:18
who had recently been sentenced to 22 years in jail for abducting brutalizing and sexually assaulting two foreign
01:09:25
backpackers in Salt Creek in February 2016 like Fenig Pines also had a German ancestry and had lived in proximity to
01:09:35
the Belle residence in the 1980s the appeal was denied and fennecs a life sentence was upheld news of Finny's
01:09:45
convictions barked shockwaves across South Australia as residents reflected on the impact the case had on society
01:09:52
over the past three decades one of the ways his cousin spoke to the media about how the tragedy had impacted his life
01:10:00
despite being just six years old when his cousin went missing he explained I grew up in the shadow of it I'm
01:10:08
overprotective with my children I've always had roller shutters I've always owned a dog you always just thought how
01:10:17
could someone do this how could someone get away with murder and you'd wonder if someone would come
01:10:23
to take you as well his sentiment was shared by countless others who grew up under the blanket of fear and paranoia
01:10:31
created by Louise's 1983 disappearance which has been described as a turning point in which families became more
01:10:39
conscious of locking their doors and windows and taking more stringent precautions to protect their children
01:10:45
even within their own homes Deputy Police Commissioner grant Stevens explained when a child is taken we look
01:10:56
at our own families and we wonder just how safe our own kids are and we hope that something like this never affects
01:11:02
our family or people we are close to it cuts to the core of those basic principles that a man's home is his
01:11:09
castle and you have a right to feel safe there dr. Alan Perry a criminology lecturer
01:11:18
within the law faculty at the University of Adelaide spoke to winter state newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald in
01:11:24
1984 and described the cultural shift he noticed in Adelaide residents following
01:11:29
the spate of crimes committed against children and teens that occurred throughout the state dr. Perry quote
01:11:37
Adelaide was a relaxed open city in 1973 people left their cars unlocked on the street and would leave their front doors
01:11:45
unlocked at night it really was just a big country town in ten years there has been a considerable deterioration in the
01:11:55
quality of life people have become fearful defensive suspicious I don't know anyone who goes to bed with the
01:12:03
front door unlocked now it's a change in attitude rather than a change in the place that is the saddest aspect
01:12:11
Adelaide has changed it has lost thus innocence and once you lose it it's lost forever
01:12:21
the pajama top intentionally placed by data fennec on the front lawn at underbanked Grove remains the only piece
01:12:28
of DNA evidence directly connecting him to the murder of Louise Bell during a channel 9 television series titled a
01:12:36
city of evil Nigel hunt an investigative reporter for Adelaide newspaper the advertiser said quote irony can be a
01:12:46
wonderful thing the fact that it was fennec himself that gave police such a vital piece of evidence way back in 1983
01:12:53
his extraordinary as of early 2019 Louise Bell and Michael black have never been found the search for their remains
01:13:07
continues [Music] [Music] you