Can families really find sense in Sensing Murder?
TV psychics dwell in a twilight zone between crime, grief and entertainment. By Tommy Livingston.
DOUG Blakie wants to know who killed his daughter.
In February 2000, Lisa Blakie was hitchhiking to the West Coast from Timaru when she caught a ride with Timothy Taylor. Four days later, her body was found under a boulder near Arthur’s Pass. She had been strangled and stabbed.
And although Taylor was convicted of her murder in 2002, Doug Blakie still maintains others were involved.
Like other families who whose loved ones have gone missing or were murdered, he has been approached by psychics since 2000.
‘‘We were first approached a week or two after Lisa’s murder and it went on for almost a year. Genuinely these people were trying to help and spread some light and information on the case.
‘‘Any family who are dealing with a loss would grasp at anything to get some sort of closure of finality.’’
Blakie says he’s a sceptic and he never took up the offers, but about six months ago he contacted the producers of TV show Sensing Murder in an effort to shed some light on the case. He was turned down because there was a risk the psychics may already know too much about the high-profile killing.
‘‘The reason I asked was to bring it again to the public’s attention and to try to get the truth. We are still pushing for answers and evidence.’’
Sensing Murder sets out to do just that – find answer by asking the dead.
The psychics, Sue Nicholson, Deb Webber and Kelvin Cruickshank, are currently filming another series of the popular show, set to screen on TVNZ next year.
With only a photo, or item of clothing, the trio attempt to piece together the final moments of a victim’s life. But are they spiritual swindlers, preying on grieving families, or gifted souls who can communicate with the spirits?
New Zealand Skeptics Society President Mathew Honneyboon says time and time again, evidence proves shows such as Sensing Murder, and those on it, are a con.
When he met psychic Sue Nicholson in 2013 he walked away believing she genuinely thought she is gifted but science proves she is mistaken.
‘‘They should look at themselves and ask if they are 100 percent confident they have these abilities. If they are not, then they shouldn’t do it,’’ he said.
He points out no police department has ever solved a crime due to the help of a psychic.
New Zealand police do not solicit the help of psychics but will review any new information when it comes to hand, and, in the past, have played ball with Sensing Murder.
One of the more notable moments of the show was when Cruickshank and Webber delved into disappearance of Kaye Stewart who vanished on June 13, 2005, after visiting Rimutaka Forest Park for a short walk.
No-one has been charged in relation following her disappearance, and the case remains open.
During the filming of the show, Webber uncannily gave police a name of a man who was a person of interest in the case.
Stewart’s daughter, Jane Galanakis, says though the psychics were able to paint a picture of what may have happened, they didn’t provide any fresh leads.
‘‘For us, ourMumwas gone. There was no sight of her, we had to try and do everything we possibly could. It was worth looking into on a practical, research level.’’ The desire for a fresh lead also prompted Judith
Furlong, the mother of murdered Auckland woman Jane Furlong, to allow the psychics to review the case in 2008.
Jane, a sex worker, went missing in 1993 along Auckland’s Karangahape Rd.
At the time Sensing Murder was filmed, her body remained missing and Webber was drawn to the Auckland Domain where she believed Furlong may have been killed.
However, in 2013, Furlong’s remains were recovered in the dunes of Sunset Beach at Port Waikato.
In 2008, Furlong dismissed the psychics’ findings as hogwash.
‘‘I am a bit like the police, I only deal in facts. But people do watch it. The police, well, they might pretend they don’t take any notice, but they do.’’
Furlong voiced her concerns earlier this year when TVNZ began re-screening old episodes without telling victims’ families.
‘‘What annoys me is the way it is portrayed as entertainment. It is not bloody entertainment, it is people’s lives. They made truckloads of dollars out that programme. I hate the way they put it as entertainment.’’
Grief specialist and Youthline chief executive Stephen Bell said coming to terms with the unthinkable was always tough, but accepting the finality of death was an important step.
‘‘I don’t think it is unusual for people to be reaching out to find some sense of support, or some sense of answering the unanswerable questions.
‘‘I get concerned for people being taken advantage of our desperation, loss and shock. It is very easy to turn to something which gives you a sense of hope.’’
Fantasy or fact, Judith Furlong says you can’t blame families for turning to the programme for clarity.
She may have washed her hands of psychics after their false findings, but she has no regrets trying.
‘‘I look up to the sky and see a big question mark when it comes to Jane. Ultimately, people just want answers.’’