Sensing Murder is a television show in which three psychics are asked to act as psychic detectives to help provide evidence that might be useful in solving famous unsolved murder cases by communicating with the deceased victims. The program format was developed in 2002 by Nordisk Film TV in Denmark[1] and has been sold to many countries including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Hungary, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the US. In 2004, Granada Entertainment bought the US rights.[2] The New Zealand (TVNZ 2) series first aired in 2006 and was hosted by Rebecca Gibney. On 17 January 2017, it was announced that Amanda Billing would be the new host for the Australia/New Zealand version.
Format (Australia/New Zealand)
Medium Sue Nicholson in 2013
Each episode included detailed reenactments of the events leading up to the murder and the murder itself. Sections of these reenactments are then shown throughout the episode to refresh the viewer's memory of the events.
The producers state that the psychics are given no information about the case other than a photo, which some psychics prefer to keep face-down (The idea being that the less information they have, the better their supernormal abilities function). Other psychics choose to look at the photograph. To demonstrate their abilities, the psychics relay their impressions about the case/person which may match details in the case file. The psychics are then asked to provide any extra information they can using their psychic abilities. The show's private detective hosts the next section, in which he is asked to try to investigate any new leads suggested by the psychics and sometimes talk to the families of the deceased.
The show's producers claimed that before each series they tested 70-75 psychics and mediums in New Zealand and Australia with a case that had already been solved. (As claimed during each aired episode.) The most accurate psychics were then shortlisted from which the producers chose two or three of them to attempt to contact the spirits of the murder victims and to get impressions helpful to describe the victim, their circumstances around the murder, and the details of their death (as stated by the featured psychics during each episode). The three that were most often chosen (for all the episodes to date) are Deb Webber (Australian) and Sue Nicholson and Kelvin Cruickshank (New Zealanders).
Producer David Baldock has rejected a paranormal challenge on behalf of the psychics, but does propose possible further tests of the psychics if the Sensing Murder show airs a third series in New Zealand.[3]
The Australian series of Sensing Murder also suffered numerous setbacks including a budget overrun which threatened to bankrupt the producer Rhonda Byrne.[4]
In 1976, thirteen-year-old schoolgirl Tracey Ann Patient was plucked off Auckland's Great North Road. The following morning, her body was found dumped 16 km away in the Waitākere Ranges, having been strangled with a pantyhose tourniquet. Deb Webber and Sue Nicholson investigate.
In 1970, eighteen-year-old Olive Walker disappeared as she walked across Rotorua to babysit her nieces and nephews. Her semi-naked body was found hours later in a rest area south of the city, having been bashed to death so fiercely that her skull had been smashed into seven pieces. Deb Webber and Adelle Dishcombe investigate.
In 1985, 25-year-old Luana 'La Verne' Williams disappeared from her Tauranga home. Eight years later her disappearance was upgraded to a murder enquiry. Her body has never been found. Sue Nicholson, Scott Russell Hill, and Kelvin Cruickshank investigate.
In Auckland, on 15 August 1980, 6-year-old Alicia O'Reilly was raped and murdered in her bed, while her 8-year-old sister slept less than a metre away and her mother was sleeping across the hallway. Kelvin Cruickshank and Deb Webber investigate.
In 1974, Lorraine Wilson and Wendy Evans set out from Brisbane to hitchhike to Goondiwindi. Their remains were found 2 years later in bush at Murphy's Creek, near the foothills of the Toowoomba Ranges.
In 1995, Angela Blackmore, a twenty-one-year-old mother with a two-year-old son, was murdered in the kitchen of her home, being stabbed thirty-nine times. The child was not harmed and the killer has never been identified.
In 1986, Elizabeth Barnard was found dead at her parents' property at Phillip Island. The alleged killer Vivienne Cameron disappeared without a trace on the same night and her deserted car was found near the San Remo Bridge on the island. After an extensive three-day land and sea search, Vivienne's body was never found.
In 1979, a 94-year-old man named George Engelbrecht, was brutally beaten to death in his home in Lower Hutt. Kelvin Cruickshank and Deb Webber investigate.
In 1990, 23-year-old Sarah MacDiarmid caught a train from Richmond to Kananook station. She got off the train about 10.20pm and has not been seen since. The psychics investigate to find out what happened.
This episode deals with the case of Elmer Crawford. He appeared to be an average family man, but then in 1970, he murdered his pregnant wife and three children, with no apparent motive. Psychics Deb Webber and Barbara Neilson are able to shed some light on this incident.
This episode deals with the case of Catherine Headland a victim in the Tynong North and Frankston Murders. The 14-year-old disappeared in the early 1980s along with five other women, whose bodies were eventually found in the Country Victoria. Police believe the offender is a lone serial killer but despite their best efforts, their killer has never been found and brought to justice. Psychics Deb Webber and Scott Russell Hill are asked to shed some light on this incident.
Season 2 (2007)
#
Title
Original air date
01
"Insight"
4 September 2007 (2007-09-04)
Shows the behind the scenes of the show.
02
"In Too Deep"
11 September 2007 (2007-09-11)
Covers the 1999 death of two engineers on a ship in the Persian gulf.[18]
1980 Auckland death of photographer Simon Buis.[20]
05
"Lost For Words"
2 October 2007 (2007-10-02)
Unsolved May 1993 disappearance of 17-year-old prostitute Jayne Furlong. On 20 June 2012, police confirmed that the remains of a body found at Port Waikato were Furlong's.[21][22]
Disappearance of 2-year-old Amber-Lee Cruickshank.[24]
08
"Long Way Home"
23 October 2007 (2007-10-23)
Unsolved disappearance of 25-year-old Judy Yorke.[25]
09
"Out of Aces"
30 October 2007 (2007-10-30)
Death of conman Garth Doull in Wellington in September 1989.
10
"Into Thin Air"
6 November 2007 (2007-11-06)
Disappearance of Jim Donnelly in June 2004.
11
"Psychics Revealed"
13 November 2007 (2007-11-13)
Special about the lives of psychics Deb Webber, Kelvin Cruickshank, Sue Nicholson and Scott Russell Hill.
Season 3 (2008)
#
Title
Original air date
01
"Where There's Smoke..."
8 July 2008 (2008-07-08)
Covers the death of Blake Stott (19) who died in a car fire.
02
"Now You See Me..."
15 July 2008 (2008-07-15)
When Alexa Cullen (26) disappeared from her Manaia home in 1995, police initially treated it as a missing persons case. However, three years later, her sister heard rumours that a family member had something to do with the deaf woman's disappearance. Was Cullen murdered or did she just vanish?
03
"Vanishing Point"
22 July 2008 (2008-07-22)
In 2003, Sara Niethe vanished from the Hauraki Plains.
Unsolved June 2007 hit and run death of 18-year-old Regan O'Donoghue. Notably, a police detective sat in on the psychics readings.
05
"When The Trail Goes Cold"
1 August 2008 (2008-08-01)
62-year-old Kaye Stewart disappeared in June 2005. Notably, the psychics' readings were conducted by the head of the Lower Hutt CIB.
Season 4 (2010)
#
Title
Original air date
01
"Looking For Justice"
11 February 2010 (2010-02-11)
Covers the 1977 murder of Lesley Calvert (33), wife of farmer Lindsay Calvert who was a suspect in her death.[27] Notably, it was the first time a lead suspect in a case asked for the case to be looked at.
02
"Stone Cold"
18 February 2010 (2010-02-18)
2004 hypothermia death of Brendan Percy in Oamaru.[28]
03
"Seeking Siegfried"
25 February 2010 (2010-02-25)
Siegfried Newman, a Katikati man who supposedly died in a fall while in bushland area in 2008.[29] Notably, the episode aired exactly two years after he went missing.
04
"Lie Of The Land"
4 March 2010 (2010-03-04)
About the 2002 drowning death of Waikato man Jason Dark.
05
"Where's Granddad?"
11 March 2010 (2010-03-11)
Allan Woodford (65) left his home in Mossburn on foot on 20 April 1985.[30]
Season 5 (2017)
#
Title
Original air date
01
"Stolen Dreams - Part 1"
2 March 2017 (2017-03-02)
Murder of New Zealander Joan-Marie Wech (19) in Sydney, Australia in 1971.[31]
02
"Stolen Dreams - Part 2"
9 March 2017 (2017-03-09)
Part 2.
03
"Taken Out - Part 1"
16 March 2017 (2017-03-16)
Reidy's body was found on the outskirts of Ngāruawāhia in 1995, at first thought to be the victim of a hit and run.[32]
04
"Taken Out - Part 2"
23 March 2017 (2017-03-23)
Part 2.
05
"Little Boy Lost - Part 1"
30 March 2017 (2017-03-30)
The case of a 9–year–old New Zealand boy, Peter Boland, who disappeared in 1957.[33]
06
"Little Boy Lost - Part 2"
6 April 2017 (2017-04-06)
Part 2.
07
"Out of the Dark - Part 1"
20 April 2017 (2017-04-20)
2008 murder of a 46-year-old Napier grandmother.[34]
08
"Out of the Dark - Part 2"
27 April 2017 (2017-04-27)
Part 2.
Season 6 (2018)
#
Title
Original air date
01
"Paula Brown (part 1)"
19 July 2018 (2018-07-19)
About Paula Brown, a hairdresser who disappeared from Sydney's downtown after a night out with friends.
02
"Paula Brown (part 2)"
26 July 2018 (2018-07-26)
Part 2.
03
"John Reynolds (part 1)"
2 August 2018 (2018-08-02)
About murdered Christchurch scrap-metal dealer, John Reynolds.[35]
04
"John Reynolds (part 2)"
9 August 2018 (2018-08-09)
Part 2.
05
"Cynthia Greenwood-Smith (part 1)"
16 August 2018 (2018-08-16)
About Cynthia Greenwood-Smith (53) and her disappearance from her Gold Coast home.[36]
06
"Cynthia Greenwood-Smith (part 2)"
23 August 2018 (2018-08-23)
Part 2.
Awards and nominations
2006 Qantas Media Awards
WINNER:Best Director, Non-Drama
WINNER:Best Reality Format
2008 Qantas Television and Film Awards
WINNER:Best Format-Reality Series
Books
Sensing Murder (released in 2008)
Walking in Light, autobiography of Kelvin Cruickshank (released in March 2009)
Case developments
The murder of George Engelbrecht was profiled in Season 1, the episode concluding with a shot of Engelbrecht's unmarked grave. The story caused a big public response, and the local community, Glover Memorial and JR Croft Funeral Directors together decided to organize a tribute. On 5 July 2006 there was a public unveiling of a headstone for Engelbrecht.[37]
It was reported during the first episode of Season 2 (entitled, Sensing Murder: Insight) that after the episode about Luana Williams screened, Sue Nicholson received a threatening phonecall from an unknown male claiming to know where Luana's missing remains are located. The psychics identified McLaren Falls as Williams' burial site in the show. Afterwards police received a report of a skull at the falls.[38] However, this skull was several kilometres from the site identified by the psychics, and was part of a historical burial of three people, not the remains of Williams.[38] Williams' disappearance remains unsolved.[39]
The Australian series was filmed between 2003–2004, and all the cases are still unsolved. Recent episodes in New Zealand have generated unsubstantiated leads, however, the episode that screened on 16 Oct 2007 on TV2 in New Zealand claims to have identified the particular killer and the case has since been reopened by Police.
Criticisms
Sensing Murder was based on a Danish television programme Fornemmelse for mord which is on record as having failed to produce any results.
[40]
Australian police dismissed the show and said that they "only deal in factual evidence not psychic"
[41]
A source within New Zealand police has said "spiritual communications were not considered a creditable foundation for investigation"
[42]
The findings of recent episodes are disputed by skeptics and police, who do not officially believe in psychic detection and are in most cases not willing to follow up investigations conducted by private investigators on behalf of the show's producers.[43]
The show was exposed on a 2007 episode of Eating Media Lunch, in a section called "Sensing Bullshit", which showed footage from the Australian TV show Caught on Hidden Camera where Deb Webber answered questions about a presenter's fictional sister.[44] It was further satirized in the season finale, where host Jeremy Wells humorously highlighted the fact that not a single case had been solved.[45]
Television New Zealand was criticized after the network used their Breakfast show to cross-promote the show, with vague claims about the whereabouts of missing toddler Aisling Symes.[46]
On 20 June 2012, the New Zealand Police confirmed that a recent discovery of a body at a beach in Port Waikato (90 km (56 mi) from Auckland), was that of Jayne Furlong. Furlong's case had previously been featured during the second season of the Sensing Murder series in 2007.[21] The New Zealand Skeptics claim that it is evidence that the TV psychics were incorrect about the location of Furlong's body, since they had claimed in the episode that she was located either in the Auckland Domain or on a demolition site in Auckland.[47]
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