In 2011, A young indigenous man by the name of Zak Grieve was sentenced to life in prison for a murder he didn't commit.

 

The murder of Ray Niceforo was commissioned by his former partner Bronwyn Malyschko, and carried out by her son Chris Malyschko and accomplice Darren Halfpenny.

 

Grieve was originally supposed to be an accomplice to the murder too, but changed his mind on the night.

 

Despite this, due to Northern Territory's mandatory minimum sentencing laws, Grieve was sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 20 years (eventually reduced to 12 years following a mercy plea).

 

Journalist Dan Box has been reporting on crime for decades and was unexpectedly drawn into this story and family on a very personal level.

 

He joins us to tell us about his new book "The Man Who Wasn't There" and the extraordinary man who emerged in Zak Grieve.

 

Dan Box's "The Man Who Wasn't There" is available to purchase now.

 

For Support: 

 

Lifeline  on 13 11 14

 

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

 

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

 

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram 

Guest: Dan Box

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

This episode contains audio grabs from the documentary, "The Queen and Zak Grieve"

 

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