A Moment In Crime Podcast: The Lundy murders, 20 years on

Christine, Mark and Amber Lundy. Photo / supplied

The murders of Christine Lundy and her young daughter Amber in their own home in 2000 is still a case that New Zealanders find shocking.

And it's a case everyone has an opinion on - even more so after two decades of hearing the facts in various trials, appeals and other court settings.

This is because Christine's husband - the father of her only child - was charged with the grisly murders.

Mark Lundy was convicted of killing his wife and daughter in 2002 and then again in 2015 after a retrial ordered by the Privy Council.

He is currently serving a life sentence but still maintains his innocence.

Lundy has exhausted all of his appeal options and will remain a convicted double murderer - as found by two juries and supported by the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

Did Lundy do it?

Was it someone else?

Mark Lundy being supported after the funeral of his wife Christine and daughter Amber in 2000. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Senior journalist Kurt Bayer delved into the horrendous murders of Amber and Christine - and their killer - for a feature to make the 20th anniversary of the crime.

And senior crime and justice reporter Anna Leask revisits the crime and how the case has played out before various courts over the last two decades in her monthly podcast A Moment In Crime.

Episode 10 is available on the Herald website today - and you can listen on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.

Christine was hacked to death in her own bed and Amber in the doorway of the bedroom - presumably after seeing the killer and as she ran away.

Mark Lundy was in Petone on business that night but police convinced a jury that he had made the trip back to Palmerston North to kill his family before returning to his motel and booking a prostitute.

DNA found on Lundy's shirt matched Christine's brain tissue.

However that evidence was highly contested and controversial at both of his trials.

A Moment In Crime is written, hosted and produce by Anna Leask, senior crime reporter for the Herald.

Mark Lundy in the dock during his second trial. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Leask has been covering crime and justice for the Herald for more than a decade and has reported on most of the major incidents and events over that time.

"Each month I'll take you inside some of our most infamous incidents, notorious offenders and behind the scenes of high profile trials and events to show you what's really happening in your backyard," she said.

"Heroes and villains battle for justice to be done, and it seems no matter how horrifying the story, we always want to know more.

"If you want to know more about the cases that have shocked and shaped our nation - from murders and massacres to violent villains and the utterly unbelievable - join me for A Moment In Crime."

In our first episode, we looked back at the Christchurch terror attack - what unfolded on March 15 and how it changed New Zealand.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO EPISODE 1 OF A MOMENT IN CRIME

The podcast has also delved into the death of West Auckland toddler Aisling Symes, the cold case murder of Kayo Matsuzawa, the murder of Feilding farmer Scott Guy, the cold case of schoolgirl Alicia O'Reilly and double killer Jason Somerville, infamous for the Christchurch House of Horrors.

In 2017, Leask wrote and hosted Chasing Ghosts - a six-part podcast series on the Amber-Lee Cruickshank case.

The South Island toddler disappeared almost 27 years ago from a small town on the shore of Lake Wakatipu.

READ MORE AND LISTEN TO CHASING GHOSTS HERE

Despite exhaustive and repeated searches, there has never been any sign of the little girl.

To mark the 25th anniversary of Amber-Lee's disappearance, Leask investigated the famous cold case in a bid to generate some answers for the toddler's family.

It was the Herald's first true-crime podcast.

To subscribe to A Moment In Crime visit iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.

We want to hear from you

If there's a case you want us to consider covering, email

anna.leask@nzme.co.nz

or visit

Anna Leask - Journalist

on Facebook.