Sensing Murder
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| Sensing Murder | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Format | Supernatural Crime Solving Reality |
| Created by | David Baldock |
| Starring | Rebecca Gibney (host) |
| Country of origin | New Zealand / Australia / United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 90 min |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | TVNZ |
| Original run | 2003 (AU) 2005 (NZ) – present |
Sensing Murder is a television programme in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States, in which alleged psychics are asked to act as psychic detectives to help solve famous unsolved murder cases in each country. Unfortunately the psychics have not managed to solve any of the cases although they have uncovered facts that only police knew about. They have in some cases provided actual names of alleged perpetrators to police, names of persons confirmed by serving or ex-serving police officers to have existed and resided in close proximity to locations of crimes around the time they were committed.
To "solve" a crime may not be the same as to secure a conviction, the latter being out of the hands of the alleged psychics.
Contents |
[edit] Format
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 viewer's memory of the events.
The psychics are given no information about the case other than a photo, which they prefer to keep face-down (The idea being that the less information they have, the better their supernormal abilities function). To demonstrate their abilities, the psychics relay their impressions about the case/person that match details in the case file.
The psychics are then asked to provide any extra information they can using their psychic abilities.
The shows 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.
[edit] The psychics
The show's producers claimed that before each series they tested hundreds of psychics and mediums in New Zealand and Australia with a case that had already been solved. The most accurate psychics were then shortlisted from which the producers chose between two to three of them to attempt to solve the unsolved murder cases.
- Deb Webber
- Sue Nicholson
- Kelvin Cruickshank
Producer David Baldock has rejected a paranormal challenge on behalf of the psychics, but does propose further tests of the psychics if the Sensing Murder show airs a third series in New Zealand[1].
[edit] Cases
[edit] Season 1
- (January 10, 2006) Episode 1: Tracey Ann Patient[2]
- (January 17, 2006) Episode 2: Karmein Chan,Sharon Wills and Nicola Lynas[3]
- (January 24, 2006) Episode 3: Olive Walker[4]
- (January 31, 2006) Episode 4: Luana Williams[5]
There was a break during the screening of season 1.
- (April 4, 2006) Episode 5: Alicia O'Reilly[6]
- (April 11, 2006) Episode 6: Lorraine Wilson and Wendy Evans[7]
- (April 18, 2006) Episode 7: Angela Blackmoore[8]
- (April 25, 2006) Episode 8: Elizabeth Barnard[9]
- (May 2, 2006) Episode 9: George Engelbrecht[10]
- (May 9, 2006) Episode 10: Sarah MacDiarmid[11]
- (May 30, 2006) Episode 11: Elmer Crawford[12]
[edit] Season 2
- (September 4, 2007) Episode 12: Sensing Murder:Insight
- (September 11, 2007) Episode 13: Aaron Hopa[13]
- (September 18, 2007) Episode 14: Agnes Ali'iva'a[14]
- (September 25, 2007) Episode 15: Kevin O'Loughlin[15]
- (October 2, 2007) Episode 16: Simon Buis[16]
- (October 9, 2007 Episode 17: Jayne Furlong[17]
- (October 16, 2007) Episode 18: Amber-Lee Cruickshank[18]
- (October 23, 2007) Episode 19: Judy Yorke[19]
- (October 30, 2007) Episode 20: Garth Doull
- (November 6, 2007) Episode 21: Jim Donnelly
- (November 13, 2007) Episode 22: Sensing Murder:Psychics Revealed
From November 20, 2007 until December 12, 2007 5 episodes from season 1 were replayed.
[edit] Season 3
[edit] Production difficulties
The producer of the Australian series originally asked to be kept anonymous as she feared uncaught murderers killing her to stop the show exposing them.[20]
The Australian series of Sensing Murder also suffered numerous setbacks including being canceled after one episode on Channel Seven (although picked up later by Channel Ten), and a budget over-run which threatened to bankrupt the producer Rhonda Byrne. [21]
[edit] Criticism and developments
The Australian series was filmed between 2003-2004 and claimed vague and dubious results, and all the cases are still unsolved. Recent episodes in New Zealand have generated unsubstantiated leads. The biggest problem seems to be the inadmissibility of psychic evidence in court without actual evidence. The episode screened on 16 Oct 2007 on TV2 in New Zealand claims to have identified the killer and the case has been reopened by Police.
Sensing Murder was based on a Danish television programme "Förnimmelse av mord" which is on record as having failed to produce any results [22]
Australian police dismissed the show and said that they "only deal in factual evidence not psychic" [23]
A source within New Zealand police has said "spiritual communications were not considered a creditable foundation for investigation" [24]
The findings of recent episodes are disputed by sceptics 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. [25]
The show was exposed on a 2007 episode of Eating Media Lunch in a section called "Sensing Bullshit", which showed footage from Australian TV show Caught on Hidden Camera where Deb Webber answered questions about a presenters sister that never existed.[26] It was further satirized in the season finale, where host Jeremy Wells humorously highlighted the fact that not a single case had been solved.[27]
[edit] References
- ^ Sensing Murder Responds to $2 million Paranormal Challenge'. NZ Reality TV. Retrieved on 2007-10-05.
- ^ Sensing Murder: The Patient Killer - TV.com
- ^ Sensing Murder: Cruel Intent - TV.com
- ^ Sensing Murder: Olive Walker - TV.com
- ^ Sensing Murder: Lost Soul - TV.com
- ^ Sensing Murder: A Bump in the Night - TV.com
- ^ Sensing Murder: A Mother's Instinct - TV.com
- ^ Sensing Murder: Fallen Angel - TV.com
- ^ Sensing Murder: The Scarlet Letter - TV.com
- ^ Sensing Murder: Blood Money - TV.com
- ^ Sensing Murder: The Last Train Home - TV.com
- ^ Sensing Murder: Almost Perfect - TV.com
- ^ Sensing Murder: In Too Deep - TV.com
- ^ Sensing Murder: Girl in the Ditch - TV.com
- ^ Sensing Murder: Last Orders - TV.com
- ^ Sensing Murder: Taken for a Ride - TV.com
- ^ Sensing Murder: Lost For Words - TV.com
- ^ Sensing Murder: A Mother's Worst Nightmare - TV.com
- ^ Sensing Murder: Long Way Home - TV.com
- ^ Psychic sleuths stalk murderer. "The Age" newspaper. Retrieved on 2007-05-21.
- ^ Decoding 'The Secret'. Newsweek. Retrieved on 2007-05-21.
- ^ Aftonbladet report - Sensing Murder. SWIFT Newsletter. Retrieved on 2007-05-21.
- ^ Crawford, Carly. "Yard hunt for clues on Sarah", Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia), 2004-09-26. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
- ^ Police reject psychic advice. "Bay Of Plenty Times" (NZ newspaper). Retrieved on 2007-05-21.
- ^ Sensing Murder screened 17 Oct 2007
- ^ New Zealand Reality TV: Deb Webber Exposed on YouTube. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
- ^ EML Awards 2007 TV2 Series 7, Episode 9, 7 Dec 2007.
