Harvey and Jeanette Crewe
Encyclopedia
David Harvey Crewe known as Harvey, and Jeannette Lenore Crewe (born February 1940 - c. 17 June 1970) were a New Zealand
farming couple who died in a double murder
, or possibly a murder–suicide, around 17 June 1970. A local farmer Arthur Allan Thomas
(born 1938) was twice convicted of their murders but later given a Royal Pardon.
, Lower Waikato
, and their bodies were dumped in the Waikato River
. Jeannette's body was found in the river at a place known as "Devil's Elbow" on 16 August and her husband's body upriver on 16 September. An axle which had apparently been used to weigh down Harvey's body was also found.
The police collected and test-fired barely 3% of similar rifles belonging to residents in the Pukekawa district. Of those tested, all but two rifles were eliminated as possible murder weapons. One of these two rifles belonged to Arthur Thomas and he became a suspect. On 27 October, the garden at the Crewe house was searched for a third time and a cartridge case was found. The case carried marks which showed it had been fired from Thomas's rifle. In November, Thomas was arrested and was found guilty of their murder in a jury trial in 1971. On appeal, a new trial was ordered and a second jury found him guilty in 1973.
, attempted to overturn his conviction. The campaign alleged that police evidence against Thomas was fabricated. Forensic work by Dr Jim Sprott showed that the cartridge case had been planted at the scene. A Royal Commission of Inquiry was formed to review the case and reported to the Governor-General
in November 1980. The Commissioners found that the cartridge case relied on to convict Thomas, Exhibit 350, had been created by firing bullets taken from the Thomas farm using his seized gun and the cartridge planted by Detective Inspector Bruce Hutton and Detective Sergeant Lenrick Johnston outside the Crewe house. The Inquiry found there was misconduct by Hutton and Johnston in the prosecution of Thomas and that the arrest and prosecution of Thomas was unjustified. Thomas was pardoned in 1979 by Robert Muldoon
after serving nine years in prison and was paid NZ$950,000 compensation for his time in jail and loss of the use of the farm. Hutton has never been prosecuted for his conduct. (Johnston died in 1978.)
David Yallop
wrote the book Beyond Reasonable Doubt about the case. The case was made into the docu-drama feature film Beyond Reasonable Doubt
in 1980.
In 2010 Ian Wishart
published the book Arthur Allan Thomas, the first thorough reexamination of the case since Yallop in 1978. Wishart agrees with Birt in rejecting the murder-suicide theory. But contrary to Booth, Yallop and Birt he does not believe Jeannette’s father Len Demler had anything to do with the murders or removing the bodies after their deaths. Instead Wishart proposes two new suspects: the son of a prominent New Zealand family who worked in the area (Wishart does not directly name him); or one of the policemen who planted evidence to convict Thomas.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
farming couple who died in a double murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, or possibly a murder–suicide, around 17 June 1970. A local farmer Arthur Allan Thomas
Arthur Allan Thomas
Arthur Allan Thomas was convicted in 1971 of the Harvey and Jeannette Crewe murders in June 1970 in Pukekawa , south of Auckland, New Zealand. Thomas, who farmed a property in the same district as the Crewes, was twice convicted of their murders but later given a Royal Pardon...
(born 1938) was twice convicted of their murders but later given a Royal Pardon.
Crime
Husband and wife Harvey and Jeannette Crewe were shot and killed around 17 June 1970 in their farmhouse at PukekawaPukekawa
Pukekawa is a small rural community located in the Lower Waikato area of Franklin District, New Zealand. It is about an hour's drive south of Auckland. Pukekawa, an extinct volcano, is one of the oldest volcanic cones in the Auckland region. The area's fertile soils are used to grow a range of...
, Lower Waikato
Waikato Plains
The Waikato Plains are a large area of low-lying land in the northwest of the North Island of New Zealand. They are the floodplains of the Waikato River, the country's longest river....
, and their bodies were dumped in the Waikato River
Waikato River
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand. In the North Island, it runs for 425 kilometres from the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and emptying into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. It drains Taupo at the lake's northeastern edge, creates the...
. Jeannette's body was found in the river at a place known as "Devil's Elbow" on 16 August and her husband's body upriver on 16 September. An axle which had apparently been used to weigh down Harvey's body was also found.
Investigation and trials
The Crewes' disappearance was reported to the police by Jeannette's father, Lenard W. Demler (died November 1992), and his neighbour on 22 June. The Crewes' 18-month-old daughter Rochelle was alive in the house and it was suspected that an unknown woman had fed her between the 17th and 22nd. Len Demler became the leading suspect in the police inquiry.The police collected and test-fired barely 3% of similar rifles belonging to residents in the Pukekawa district. Of those tested, all but two rifles were eliminated as possible murder weapons. One of these two rifles belonged to Arthur Thomas and he became a suspect. On 27 October, the garden at the Crewe house was searched for a third time and a cartridge case was found. The case carried marks which showed it had been fired from Thomas's rifle. In November, Thomas was arrested and was found guilty of their murder in a jury trial in 1971. On appeal, a new trial was ordered and a second jury found him guilty in 1973.
Campaigns
A campaign, led in part by Pat Booth of the Auckland StarAuckland Star
The Auckland Star was an evening daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, from 24 March 1870 to 20 August 1991. Survived by its Sunday edition, the Sunday Star, part of its name endures in The Sunday Star-Times, created in the 1994 merger of the Dominion Sunday Times and the Sunday...
, attempted to overturn his conviction. The campaign alleged that police evidence against Thomas was fabricated. Forensic work by Dr Jim Sprott showed that the cartridge case had been planted at the scene. A Royal Commission of Inquiry was formed to review the case and reported to the Governor-General
Governor-General of New Zealand
The Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state....
in November 1980. The Commissioners found that the cartridge case relied on to convict Thomas, Exhibit 350, had been created by firing bullets taken from the Thomas farm using his seized gun and the cartridge planted by Detective Inspector Bruce Hutton and Detective Sergeant Lenrick Johnston outside the Crewe house. The Inquiry found there was misconduct by Hutton and Johnston in the prosecution of Thomas and that the arrest and prosecution of Thomas was unjustified. Thomas was pardoned in 1979 by Robert Muldoon
Robert Muldoon
Sir Robert David "Rob" Muldoon, GCMG, CH served as the 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984, as leader of the governing National Party. Muldoon had been a prominent member of the National party and MP for the Tamaki electorate for some years prior to becoming leader of the party...
after serving nine years in prison and was paid NZ$950,000 compensation for his time in jail and loss of the use of the farm. Hutton has never been prosecuted for his conduct. (Johnston died in 1978.)
David Yallop
David Yallop
David Anthony Yallop is an agnostic British author who writes chiefly about unsolved crimes. In the 1970s he also contributed scripts for a number of BBC comedy shows...
wrote the book Beyond Reasonable Doubt about the case. The case was made into the docu-drama feature film Beyond Reasonable Doubt
Beyond Reasonable Doubt (film)
Beyond Reasonable Doubt is a 1980 New Zealand docu-drama feature film about the conviction of Arthur Allan Thomas, later pardoned, for the murder of Harvey and Jeanette Crewe in 1970....
in 1980.
Status of case and alternate theories
No one else has been arrested for killing the Crewes and the case remains unsolved. A number of theories have been put forward. Pat Booth has speculated that Harvey Crewe assaulted his wife who then shot him, dumped his body with help from her father and several days later shot herself, with her father also disposing of her body. Another theory is that Demler killed both the victims. Chris Birt covered this extensively in his book, The Final Chapter, in 2001. Arthur Thomas's brother Des Thomas believes that yet another local man was the murderer.In 2010 Ian Wishart
Ian Wishart
Ian Wishart is a New Zealand journalist, author, an opponent to the hypothesis of anthropogenic climate change, and the editor of Investigate magazine...
published the book Arthur Allan Thomas, the first thorough reexamination of the case since Yallop in 1978. Wishart agrees with Birt in rejecting the murder-suicide theory. But contrary to Booth, Yallop and Birt he does not believe Jeannette’s father Len Demler had anything to do with the murders or removing the bodies after their deaths. Instead Wishart proposes two new suspects: the son of a prominent New Zealand family who worked in the area (Wishart does not directly name him); or one of the policemen who planted evidence to convict Thomas.