On a winter evening in July, 2018, West Pennant Hills sounded different. Usually quiet, the Thursday evening was polluted by blasting police sirens, all headed towards Hull Rd. When emergency personnel arrived, they came across a scene they wouldn’t ever forget. 

An hour later, 36-year-old Olga Edwards arrived home from work to find her house surrounded by police and paramedics. When she was told what had happened inside, she collapsed from “severe shock”.

Her children, 15-year-old Jack Edwards, and 13-year-old Jennifer Edwards, had been murdered. 

The family murder which took place in West Pennant Hills shook Australia. And six months later, the story became ever more tragic. 

We speak to Crime Reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald, Sally Rawsthorne, who covered the case as it unfolded. 

Please contact Lifeline is the contents of this episode bring up any issues for you on 13 11 14 https://www.lifeline.org.au/

GUEST: Sally Rawsthorne https://twitter.com/sallyrawsthorne 
HOST: Jessie Stephens
PRODUCER: Elise Cooper

RESEARCH

• “Killer John Edwards’ Secret Family”, Sally Rawsthorne and Angus Thompson for Sydney Morning Herald https://bit.ly/35SdrIK 
• “How A Father Planned The Execution Of His Two Children” Lucy Cormack and Sally Rawsthorne for Sydney Morning Herald https://bit.ly/2YcQ5Lj 
• 7 News Sydney “West Pennant Hills father John Edwards shot dead his children Jack and Jennifer in July before taking his own life” 7 Network https://bit.ly/2OLX3DJ
• “When John Edwards murdered his children, schoolmates couldn’t believe it — but his sister could” Jane Fife-Yeomans & Danielle Gusmaroli for The Daily Telegraph https://bit.ly/34PpBSG 
• 9 News Sydney “The shooting murder of two West Pennant Hills teenagers by their father has brought the issue of gun control firmly to the table.” Channel 9 https://bit.ly/2DOsruZ 

INTERNATIONAL COUNSELLING AND SUPPORT SERVICES

USA - https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ 
UK - https://www.supportline.org.uk/ 
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In late Spring, 1987, 17-year-old Ursula Barwick, stepped off the platform, and boarded a train from Tuggerah on the Central Coast, bound for Sydney.

The journey would take a little more than two hours and land her in Kings Cross. She’d told her parents she had work and accommodation lined up, and would call them as soon as she arrived.

Her father, Peter, planned to come down that weekend to help get her settled in. It would be her first time living properly out of home.

But that phone call from Ursula, saying she’d arrived safe and sound, never arrived.

And it would be 30 years before they would finally learn why.

An episode of Australian Story titled ‘Forever Young’, which aired on November 25, 2019, explores the case of Ursula Barwick.

We speak to the producer of Australian Story, award-winning journalist Winsome Denyer, about what happened to Ursula back in October, 1987.

GUEST: Winsome Denyer https://www.abc.net.au/news/winsome-denyer/7991864 

HOST: Jessie Stephens

PRODUCER: Elise Cooper

RESEARCH

‘Forever Young’ for Australian Story, ABC https://www.abc.net.au/austory/forever-young/11724732 

Lost Then Found: The disappearance of Ursula Barwick, Winsome Denyer for abc.net.au https://ab.co/2OrTId6 

'For 30 years, Ursula's family thought she was missing. She had been buried under the wrong name' Jessica Staveley for Mamamia https://www.mamamia.com.au/ursula-barwick/

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It was mid-October, 1976, when Suzanne Armstrong, 27, and Susan Bartlett, 28 moved in to number 147, Easey St. The three-bedroom house was perfect for the two of them, as well as Armstrong’s 16-month-old son, Gregory. 

Then, in early 1977, neighbours would watch emergency workers and police swarm the property, after the bodies of the two women were found three days after they’d been killed.  

Helen Thomas is a journalist and author who was a cub reporter at Melbourne newspaper The Age at the time of the double homicide. 

She has since researched the case and profiled it in her book ‘Murder On Easey Street: Melbourne’s Most Notorious Cold Case.’ Jessie sits down with Helen to walk us through the case, and find out if there’s any potential for justice for the families of Suzanne Armstrong and Susan Bartlett.

If this episode brings up any issues for you please reach out to the National Sexual Assault and Family Violence Hotline on 1800 RESPECT, that’s 1800 737 732.

GUEST: Helen Thomas

HOST: Jessie Stephens

PRODUCER: Elise Cooper

RESEARCH
‘Murder On Easey Street: Melbourne’s Most Notorious Cold Case’ book by Helen Thomas https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/murder-easey-street 

‘Original Easey St murders article that triggered call from possible murderer’ from Independent Australia https://bit.ly/2CUcDXt 

 

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Anne Hamilton-Byrne is a name that Australians won’t soon forget. What started out as a series of yoga teachings by the woman who believed she was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, would end up becoming one of our country’s most sinister cults. 

The Family, as it would come to be known, included a number of children with dyed blonde hair, who believed Anne Hamilton-Byrne was their mother. For all but one of them, she was not. 

Jessie Stephens sits down with journalist and author Jo Thornely to take a look into the mind of Anne Hamilton-Byrne, the founder of ‘The Family’, who kidnapped children and drugged her followers.

If this episode brings up any issues for you please reach out to the National Sexual Assault and Family Violence Hotline on 1800 RESPECT, that’s 1800 737 732.

GUEST: Jo Thornely

HOST: Jessie Stephens

PRODUCER: Elise Cooper

RESEARCH

‘Zealot’ by Jo Thornely https://www.hachette.com.au/jo-thornely/zealot-a-book-about-cults  

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It was May 20, 2005, when a retiree named Jerry Jackson cast his fishing line from a bridge over the Grand Marais Canal, located on the fringe of Jennings, Louisiana.

The temperature was rising when Jackson noticed something below him, floating in the canal. Jackson had discovered the body of a 28-year-old woman named Loretta Lynn Lewis Chaisson. She would be the first of what would come to be known as the Jeff Davis eight. 

In this bonus episode of True Crime Conversations Jessie talks to the executive producer of Murder In The Bayou; the 5 part docu-drama looking into the unsolved murders of eight women in and around the town of Jennings in Louisiana, USA.

Portions of this bonus episode may be a little hard to understand due to audio quality and so we have made the episode transcript available here https://bit.ly/34R3Wsy .

You can watch Murder In The Bayou on Stan in Australia and via Showcase in other regions.

GUEST: Matthew Galkin

HOST: Jessie Stephens

PRODUCER: Elise Cooper

RESEARCH

Murder In The Bayou TV Docu-drama available on Stan https://www.stan.com.au/watch/murder-in-the-bayou 

Murder In The Bayou book Ethan Brown https://bit.ly/34MNDwV 

'Murder in the Bayou’: A docuseries about eight unsolved murders aims to expose police corruption Deanna Paul for the Washington Post https://wapo.st/34YahCX 

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True Crime Conversations is a podcast by Mamamia. Find more shows here https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts

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On Friday March 9, 2011, a suitcase was found in a canal next to Meadowbank Park, located about 30 minutes from Sydney’s central business district.

Inside it, was the body of Tosha Thakkar, a 24-year-old student, who had been living in a boarding house in Croydon for six months. 

Her boyfriend, Ali Syed had reported her missing two days prior, after she failed to meet him for lunch. When he went to her Elvin St address, her room was in disarray, and he noticed that her nightdress was missing. 

Author and Associate Editor of the Good Weekend, Greg Callaghan, talks us through the day Tosha Thakkar lost her life at the hands of the man who lived beside her; Daniel Stani-Reginald. His feature ‘My Neighbour My Killer’ was published in 2014 in the Good Weekend as well as The Sydney Morning Herald. 

If this episode brings up any issues for you please reach out to the National Sexual Assault and Family Violence Hotline on 1800 RESPECT, that’s 1800 737 732.

GUEST: Greg Callaghan

HOST: Jessie Stephens

PRODUCER: Elise Cooper

RESEARCH

'My Neighbour My Killer', Greg Callaghan for Fairfax Press https://bit.ly/2Cn6bIc 

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11-year-old Gerard Ross went missing in October 1997 while on a family holiday in the WA town of Rockingham. Two weeks later a horse trainer was out exercising his horses when he discovered Gerard’s body dumped in a pine plantation 20 kms from town.

While police have always had suspects in the case, no one has ever been convicted of the 11-year-old’s abduction and murder.

Award winning investigative journalist Kristin Shorten has spent her career covering the case. Ahead of a new documentary series for The West Australian, Kristin speaks to host Jessie Stephens about what we know about the boy in the blue cap, and how confident she is that his killer will be brought to justice.

You can watch The Boy In The Blue Cap: The Gerard Ross Story on The West Australian website.

If this episode brings up any issues for you please reach out to the National Sexual Assault and Family Violence Hotline on 1800 RESPECT, that’s 1800 737 732

GUEST: Kristin Shorten

HOST: Jessie Stephens

PRODUCER: Elise Cooper

RESEARCH

The Boy In The Blue Cap: The Gerard Ross Story, The West Australian

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Leonard Fraser was the very embodiment of a monster.

He was sentenced to life on the 7th of September 2000 for the abduction rape and murder of 9-year-old Keyra Steinhardt in the Queensland town of Rockhampton. Prior to that Fraser had spent almost two decades behind bars for the rape of other women, including his defacto partner who was terminally ill with cancer.

Fraser kept trophies from his victims. Police found the ponytails of three different women in Fraser’s flat but were not able to link them to any of the rapists known victims.

Journalist and author Paula Doneman covered the case as Fraser’s crimes were brought before the courts. She profiled him extensively in her reporting for The Courier Mail and subsequently compiled a book covering his extensive and heinous crimes, titled Things A Killer Would Know: The True Story Of Leonard Fraser. Is He Australia’s Worst Serial Killer?

Jessie speaks with Paula to walk through the case and crimes of Leonard Fraser, his utterly heinous acts of violence upon both “random” victims and those he lured into his orbit.

For pictures and maps from today’s episode on Leonard Fraser,, visit the Mamamia website, right here.  https://www.mamamia.com.au/the-rockhampton-rapist/ 

If this episode brings up any issues for you please reach out to the National Sexual Assault and Family Violence Hotline on 1800 RESPECT, that’s 1800 737 732

GUEST: Paula Doneman
HOST: Jessie Stephens
PRODUCER: Elise Cooper

RESEARCH

Things A Killer Would Know: The True Story Of Leonard Fraser. Is He Australia’s Worst Serial Killer? By Paula Doneman

The Predator: Leonard John Fraser, Crime Investigation Australia,  Channel 7 

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It was a warm spring day when two young boys were playing at Mandurama reserve in the Sydney suburb of Ambarvale. It was a place where families and friends could have a picnic, or cycle on bike paths.

As the boys rode their bikes, something caught their eye. It looked like a suitcase, floating near the edge of a nearby duck pond. What they discovered was the body of two-year-old Dean Shillingsworth.

Dr Xanthe Mallett is a forensic anthropologist and criminologist at the University of Newcastle, Australia, who is internationally renowned for her work. She has written about and researched the case of Dean’s mother, Rachel Pfitzner, who pled guilty to the manslaughter of her son. She profiled the story for her book and TV series, Mothers Who Murder. 

Xanthe speaks to Jessie about the case, how the public bodies responsible for ensuring Dean’s safety were scrutinised during the trial, and how something so utterly tragic could ever have happened.

For photos, maps and further detail on the case you can join our closed Facebook group dedicated to the podcast. Just search for True Crime Conversations on Facebook.

GUEST: Dr Xanthe Mallett

HOST: Jessie Stephens

PRODUCER: Elise Cooper

RESEARCH

• Mothers Who Murder the book by Xanthe Mallett
• Mothers Who Murder, Channel 10, hosted by Xanthe Mallett

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True Crime Conversations is a podcast by Mamamia. Find more shows here https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts

 

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The case of the Somerton Man is one of the most baffling cases in modern criminal history.

In 1948 the body of a man was found on Somerton Park Beach just south of Adelaide in South Australia. Despite a global effort to identify the remains, we still do not know who the man was, why he was there, and how he died.

Fiona Ellis-Jones is a reporter and producer for the ABC. She speaks to Jessie Stephens about the case which is currently explored on her podcast, The Somerton Man Mystery and will be the subject of Monday’s episode of Australian Story. 

For photos, maps and further detail on the case you can join our closed Facebook group dedicated to the podcast. Just search for True Crime Conversations on Facebook.

GUEST: Fiona Ellis-Jones

HOST: Jessie Stephens

PRODUCER: Elise Cooper

RESEARCH

• The Somerton Man - Australian Story ABC air date Monday 14th October 2019
• The Somerton Man Mystery - ABC Radio National https://ab.co/313IJcC 
• Inside Story "The Somerton Beach Mystery" for ABC August 1978 https://bit.ly/2orZa5i 

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True Crime Conversations is a podcast by Mamamia. Find more shows here https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts

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