Convicted Killer Mark Lundy To Be Released From Jail

Friday, 18 April 2025, 12:19 pm
Article: RNZ

Jimmy Ellingham, Checkpoint reporter

Convicted double murderer Mark Lundy will be released from prison next month.

"Thank you very much," the 66-year-old said to the Parole Board, after an hour-long hearing in Tongariro Prison.

But his release isn't the end of his fight to clear his name, as Lundy and his supporters wait for the Criminal Cases Review Commission to complete its investigation.

Lundy, twice found guilty of killing his wife Christine and daughter Amber in their Palmerston North home in August 2000, maintains his innocence.

One of his release conditions bans him from entering Manawatū, meaning he can't visit their graves.

Where he'll live, and who he'll live with, are suppressed.

Lundy was arrested in early 2001 and, apart from 18 months when he was on bail awaiting his retrial, has been in custody since.

Sentenced to a 20-year minimum term, Lundy was eligible for parole in 2022 and before yesterday had twice previously appeared before the board, but was ordered to remain in jail.

Serving a life term, he can be recalled to jail at any time.

The Parole Board will meet him again in October to monitor his progress.

Read more:

• Mark Lundy: A timeline of events
• Fight to clear convicted double murderer Mark Lundy's name continues, supporters say

Parole Board convenor Kathryn Snook said as well as the ban from Manawatū, Lundy can't enter Rangitīkei, Hastings or Nelson.

That and a curfew will be electronically monitored.

Lundy can't possess or use alcohol or drugs, and can be tested any time; can't contact registered victims or their families; and he has to tell his probation officer of any intimate relationship or any work he finds.

He's banned from social media, internet dating sites and accessing pornography, and must make available to probation internet-capable devices or passwords.

"Not a problem," said Lundy, as he sat in a hearing room flanked by two Corrections officers, with three supporters behind him. They can't be identified.

Lundy's also banned from giving media interviews.

Before the hearing ended, he asked if he could ask one more question: "I think the answer's going to be no. When I got out on bail our street was crawling with media. Is it possible to stop that this time?

Snook said it's not something the parole board could control. "I thought so," Lundy said.

"Go well, sir," Parole Board member Alistair Spierling told him as the hearing ended.

Move past denials

Lundy's lawyer Ella Burton began the hearing by asking the board to look past the "elephant in the room", his denial of the killings, saying it wasn't necessary to manage risk.

His psychological assessment found he was low risk, he was in full-time carpentry work in prison, and had no misconduct problems in jail or when he was on bail.

"His risk is already assessed as low in the context of denial and it doesn't get lower then low."

Burton said Lundy wasn't angry towards victims or combative with authority, as some people who denied offending were.

"Experts agree that he can be managed in the community through his safety plan, which has been reviewed by a psychologist," she said.

"There's nothing before the board to suggest his risk is more than low ... He's extremely trustworthy in prison."

Lundy was a mature person when he was taken into custody, having run his own business. He wasn't from a dysfunctional background and was capable of managing himself when released.

Corrections officers gave good reports of Lundy's behaviour and work ethic, but said they'd been unable to secure him employment in the "release to work" programme because they couldn't find a match for his skills.

Lundy: My biggest mistake

After admitting he was nervous, Lundy was questioned by Parole Board members, including about what he had learned from sessions with a private psychologist.

He said he had gained insights into his life, including mistakes.

"The biggest mistake I made was when I was on bail - I'll never forgive myself for it," he said.

"In prison you've got to hold a lot of stuff in so you don't make yourself vulnerable.

"When I got out I stayed in prison mode. All the stress I had in my life I bottled up. I was in a safe environment ... I should have opened up [to the people I was living with]."

Lundy had discussed the matter with those people and said it wouldn't happen again.

"That's one of biggest regrets of my life, to be honest."

He said he was preparing for a retrial, which he found stressful, and would isolate himself.

Before he was in prison, bottling up his feelings wasn't a problem, Lundy said.

"I had a good relationship with my wife and my parents, and discussed any and all problems."

Asked about his alcohol use, Lundy said he was insecure. He joined groups such as theatre and operative organisations, scouts and a rugby club, where alcohol was a part of life, and drank to fit in.

"It was not alcohol every night. I've never had that sort of relationship with alcohol, but when I did drink it quite often got out of hand in volume.

"That was a long time ago. I'm 66 years old. I'm just not interested in that any more."

When he drank to excess he would fall asleep, and doing so at social events was embarrassing, he said.

He said excess drinking and his use of sex workers were problematic issues in his relationship with his wife.

"That's close to the only secret I had with her."

Lundy said he was struck once when, during a discussion about a friend using sex workers, Christine said it was at least a business transaction and not an affair.

Lundy said his use of sex workers was "nothing more" than a business transaction, and only when he was away and alcohol was involved.

Lundy said one of his big failings was being a people pleaser, and putting others ahead of himself.

Instead, he needed to prioritise his needs.

"I will always help others, but I've got to learn to do it in my time rather than theirs."

Christine would take care of the couple's finances, but Lundy said there was no financial stress.

He said he would live within his means when released.

Lundy denied he always like to be in control, saying his relationship with Christine was a partnership.

'Drop dead, Lundy'

Lundy said he granted one interview with a journalist when he was on bail. Otherwise, when approached, he would tell reporters he wasn't able to comment.

Media flooded the street of where he was staying when he was released on bail.

At that property he also had a woman across the road yelling aggressively at him when he arrived, one of two "negative interactions in the community" he experienced.

"One day I was crossing a pedestrian crossing and I heard a comment behind me: 'Drop dead, Lundy.' I just ignored it and kept walking," he said.

"On the other side of the coin there must have been about 12 or 15 positive interactions in the community."

When asked how he'd feel if banned from social media, Lundy said he wasn't worried, as he'd never used it.

"I do know that the internet is dangerous. Anything I post on the internet is there forever and can be used and abused to my detriment. That scares the hell out of me."

He was asked about a visit to Manawatū when on bail.

"That was stupid," Lundy said.

He visited to help a friend prepare a house for sale, and also stopped in Palmerston North when travelling to court hearings in Wellington.

"As I look back on it there are people on the VNR [victim notification register] and the last thing they need is to see me walking out of a shop when they're walking in.

"That was a mistake and it was inconsiderate of me, but at the time I wasn't thinking along those lines."

Now, after working with his psychologist, Lundy said he would think of others more.

He would comply with the direction not to enter Manawatū, and said he had his memories of his wife and daughter so wouldn't be tempted to visit their graves.

Lundy hoped he'd be safe in the community.

"I do have some concerns.

"I have discussed those with my probation officer when I met him. He's more than willing to work around those."

'He'll behave himself'

One of the people Lundy will stay with on release told the board they'd known him for years, and they were prepared to offer him a home as long as it was needed - an "open-ended contract".

"We are more than happy to have him in our home. We will make sure he complies with any requirements the board put on him. He's not a risk to anyone," the person said.

"If anything he'll be more of a nuisance with actually complying with everything to the letter."

Some long-term neighbours knew Lundy could soon move in the area, while others would be advised.

Asked about the biggest challenge he would face when released, Lundy said simply living in society.

Much had changed between his arrest in 2001 and release on bail in 2013, and he expected a similar surprise this time.

When questioned about what would happen if he entered a relationship with another woman, Lundy said it wasn't something he was seeking.

But if it were to happen any prospective partner could read about him by doing a Google search, and he would also get them to talk to his probation officer and psychologist.

"When Christine and I started going out in 1981 she invited me out. I can't remember the last time I asked a girl or a woman out.

"It's not something I know how to do. It's not something Ill be looking for."

Twice guilty

Lundy was found guilty of the murders at a 2002 trial in Palmerston North and, after in 2013 the Privy Council quashed his convictions, at a retrial in Wellington in 2015.

Lundy's 2002 convictions were based on a Crown case that gave him slightly under three hours to return from a business trip in Wellington in rush hour traffic on 29 August 2000, kill Christine and Amber, and return to the capital by about 8.30pm.

The Crown argued Lundy had sex with a prostitute about midnight to create an alibi. It said Lundy was motivated so he could claim his wife's life insurance.

The Crown in 2002 fixed the early time of death on stomach-content analysis of Christine and Amber.

The 2015 retrial heard that the murders happened later in the night, after the encounter with the prostitute.

At both trials, Lundy was linked to the scene by specks of what the Crown said was brain tissue found on his polo shirt.

At the first trial, the Crown called as a witness Texan pathologist Dr Rodney Miller, who used a then-new technique called immunohistochemistry to identify the tissue as brain or spinal cord.

The Privy Council ruled there was reason to doubt the technique's accuracy.

At the retrial, the scientific evidence was based on analysis of messenger RNA, although the Court of Appeal later ruled this inadmissible.

The defence said the matter could be central nervous tissue from meat, as Lundy was the cook in the house.

The presence of Christine's DNA on the same area of shirt sealed Lundy's fate.

After the retrial, Lundy again appealed against his convictions, but in 2019 the Supreme Court ruled that they stood

© Scoop Media

RNZ

New Zealand's public broadcaster, providing comprehensive NZ news and current affairs, specialist audio features and documentaries.

Radio New Zealand is a Crown entity established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. Radio New Zealand News are vital elements in our programming, providing impartial news and information to New Zealanders every day. Radio New Zealand (RNZ) provides listeners with exciting and independent radio programmes in accordance with the Radio New Zealand Charter.

Contact RNZ

• Website - www.radionz.co.nz
• Twitter - @rnz_news
• Facebook
• Link - Contact RNZ