On New Year’s Day 1998, Ben Smart and Olivia Hope disappeared from a Marlborough Sounds boat party and were never seen again. Scott Watson was convicted of their murders despite no bodies ever being found, and the case has remained deeply controversial. This episode revisits how the investigation unfolded, the key points of dispute over evidence and witness accounts, and the ongoing debate over whether justice was served.

Sources:

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/doubt-the-scott-watson-case

https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/doubt-the-scott-watson-case-2016

https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/murder-on-the-blade-2003

https://www.amazon.com/Ben-Olivia-What-Really-Happened-ebook/dp/B00MCYTOGI

https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Silent-evidence-Inside-police-search/dp/1869413865

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Marlborough_Mystery.html?id=TNkqAAAACAAJ

https://natlib.govt.nz/records/21724557

https://books.google.com/books/about/Trial_by_Trickery.html?id=jhCJtgAACAAJ

https://www.amazon.com/Elementary-Explosive-Watson-Disappearance-Olivia/dp/0994106467

https://www.amazon.com/Elementary-2-0-Unreleased-Police-Evidence/dp/0994106475

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/572644/scott-watson-loses-bid-to-quash-convictions-as-court-rules-he-had-a-fair-trial

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/519245/scott-watson-appeal-forensic-scientist-s-technique-personal-preferences-questioned

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/519697/decision-on-scott-watson-appeal-could-take-months-judge

https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/06/14/crown-says-watson-is-the-only-one-who-could-have-killed-pair/

https://tvnz-1-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/2024/06/13/scott-watson-appeal-photo-influenced-witness-lawyer-says/

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Credits: Love Murder is hosted by Jessie Pray and Andie Cassette, researched by Sarah Lynn Robinson and researched and written by Jessie Pray, produced by Nathaniel Whittemore and edited by Kyle Barbour-Hoffman

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