Owaka residents are in
shock following suggestions from psychics that two
inhabitants of the small Catlins town may have been involved
in the death of another local two years ago.
Blake Stott's death was the subject of TV2 programme Sensing
Murder on Tuesday night.
The 19-year-old contractor died when his parked car, in which
he was sleeping, went on fire in a lay-by 3km south of Owaka
on June 11, 2006.
Psychics on the programme said they believed the car may have
been set on fire, possibly as a practical joke that went
wrong, by two Owaka men whom Mr Stott knew.
Their findings were backed up by a former police detective
who had identified suspects in the case.
Dunedin and Clutha area police commander Inspector Dave
Campbell said yesterday police would investigate any new
evidence raised in the programme.
However, he was not aware any new evidence or information had
come to light since the programme was aired.
Mr Stott's mother, Adraian, said the family had viewed the
episode on Friday, but had known what the psychics had
suggested since the show was filmed in March.
"We've been sitting on it for a long time and it's been hard,
but now it's out there."
She and husband Martin were convinced their son's death was
not accidental.
The family was hopeful the programme would result in new
leads to help police solve the mystery of how the fire
started.
The family wanted to give police a chance and would wait and
see what the next few weeks brought.
"We are prepared to give them three weeks to rattle their
dags a little bit."
The family hired a private investigator and former detective,
Duncan Holland, after the release of the coroner's report to
find out how the car fire had started, she said.
Mr Holland suggested they approach Sensing Murder and, after
lengthy deliberation, the family had agreed.
Owaka residents spoken to yesterday said the town was in
shock following the show.
"Wow. Watching it was surreal because it was watching
ourselves.
"The whole programme was a shock. A few people came around
here for support.
"Everyone was silent until it was over," said one resident,
who knew Mr Stott through his involvement in the Owaka Rugby
Club.
People had speculated about what had happened after Mr
Stott's death and whether anyone else had been involved, but
talk had died off, she said.
Everything the psychics had said was "spot on", but the
biggest shock came at the end of the programme when it was
suggested two men from Owaka might have stopped at Mr Stott's
car that night and one of them might have set the car alight.
"Implying it was someone we know really well was a real turn
around."
Owaka people would not condemn one of their own until there
was some evidence from the police, she said.
"You can't fling accusations around in a small town like this
. . . martial law would take over."
Owaka residents believed the police had done all they could
on the case at the time, she said.
"It was a hard case and they took a long time about it.
"We don't think there was any more they could have done at
the time."
'Sensing Murder' edited for flow
Of course sensing murder is edited. It is edited to make it all flow together. If they showed us continual footage, it would take about 16hrs to watch. And of course the suspected murderer wasn't there to defend himself, because the psychics were only coming up with details of his identity for the first time. Who cares what is edited out of the programme, the fact is they were able to give details that coincided with the police findings - and they were able to name the men that may have been involved. Don't be surprised if the man who started the fire is caught in the near future. Instead of being so skeptical and worried about disrupting a town, think about the closure this might finally bring to a distraught family. They didn't name anyone on TV so what harm can it actually bring until they're brought to justice.
Open your mind.
To believe or not to believe?
I have been to one of Kelvins shows in Dunedin. From what I have experienced that night makes me a believer of the gift that he has.
I was sceptical when I first went that night - but gradually it changed.
Sensing murder is to help the family in their search for justice, peace of mind and closure.
Maybe it needs a show like this to get people talking again and bring those who are gulity for this murder, to be brought to justice and stop hiding behind people. Someone knows something!
How could people want to defend a guilty person in their community?
I do believe that someone had something to do with his death, what little evidence the police had, hinted at a second party being at the Crime Scene. Even if the guilty are not caught I am sure the guilt of taking this young man's life will eat away at them.
Karma wins in the end.
you are
you are absolutely right. Even if the guilty parties don't get caught, their guilt will eat away at them for years. Karma does win in the end, they will have traumatic lives.
Sensing Murder - being accountable
Tuesday night's programme ‘Sensing Murder' was expertly edited into an apparently seamless presentation that had many people around living-room TVs , staff rooms and smoko areas totally convinced that someone in Owaka was getting away with murder.
The carefully orchestrated clips did not include the exact questions and how they were worded, or any responses that were ‘off the mark'.
We do not know how much actual feeding was given to the ‘experts in the field' and it is unlikely that any of it was recorded.
Most of us do know that for every 30 seconds of aired television, several minutes of recording are scrapped for various reasons.
We trust that the editors are only eliminating bloopers, unnecessary repetition, or even the inane cough.
And of course all kinds of editing techniques are fair in fiction, after all we know what we are getting - a fictional story.
However Tuesday night's programme was deceptive. Questionable techniques maybe relatively harmless when ‘crossing over' to talk to someone's granny, but when you lead a community to believe that ‘one of its own' has got away with murder, you need to be totally accountable with your presentation.
The producers of "Sensing Murder" need to be challenged to make the whole recording of the interviews with both ‘experts' available for scrutiny.
It is a dangerous world where someone can be tagged as a suspected murderer because a purposefully edited television programme has manipulated its audience.
The effect is akin to having a trial where only the prosecution case is heard, all defence evidence being eliminated.