The Crewe Murders - 214

The Generation Why Podcast

The Crewe Murders. June, 1970. Pukekawa, New Zealand. A successful farming couple have been married for four years and have an 18 month-old daughter. Things are going quite well for them save for some troubling occurrences. A burglary at their farmhouse is followed by arson fires at their home and their barn. Is someone out to get them? Harvey and Jeannette would go missing in June of 1970. Jeannette's father, Len Demler, would visit the home and find young Rochelle in her cot, but no sign of her parents other than bloodstains and signs that furniture had been moved. The Crewe's bound bodies would later be found in the Waikato River which helped authorities focus on a suspect. Evidence would mount and a conviction would twice be secured before Arthur Allan Thomas was pardoned. Thomas maintained his innocence while police would be forced to admit evidence may have been planted against him. Much like the Steven Avery case, questionable evidence and suggestions that an innocent man was framed popped up. Why was justice not done in this case? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.