The Lundy family (from left), Christine, Mark and Amber, who was 7 when she died. Photo / Supplied
By Jimmy Ellingham of RNZ
Convicted double murderer Mark Lundy has been granted parole and will be released from prison next month.
The now-66-year-old was twice found guilty of killing his wife Christine and daughter Amber in their Palmerston North home in August 2000. He maintains his innocence.
Here’s a timeline of how events unfolded.
August 30, 2000: Christine and Amber Lundy’s bodies are found in their Palmerston North home by Christine’s brother Glenn Weggery.
September 2000: Christine and Amber’s funeral is held in Palmerston North.
November 2000: Police say they know who killed the pair and they had “one main suspect”.
February 2001: Mark Lundy is arrested for the murders.
March 2001: He is denied bail at a court appearance.
February 2002: His trial begins in the High Court at Palmerston North.
March 2002: Lundy is found guilty of the murders. The jury returns its verdict in less than six hours. A crowd outside the courthouse cheers the news.
April 2002: He’s sentenced to life in jail, with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years.
August 2002: The Court of Appeal rejects Lundy’s appeal against his convictions, but partially accepts a Crown appeal against the non-parole sentence, raising it to 20 years.
November 2012: Lundy’s legal team, then led by high-profile London lawyer David Hislop, KC, files an appeal with the Privy Council in London.
February 2013: The Privy Council agrees to hear the case.
June 2013: The appeal is held in London.
October 2013: The Privy Council quashes Lundy’s convictions and orders a retrial. After a hearing in the High Court, Lundy is released on bail to a location that is suppressed.
February 2015: Lundy’s retrial begins in Wellington.
April 2015: He is again found guilty after 16 hours of jury deliberations. His life sentence with a minimum term of 20 years is reimposed.
October 2017: The Court of Appeal hears Lundy’s appeal against his convictions.
October 2018: That appeal is dismissed.
August 2019: The Supreme Court then hears Lundy’s case.
December 2019: It too dismisses Lundy’s appeal.
2021: Lundy files with the Criminal Cases Review Commission.
August 2022: Lundy is eligible for parole, but is denied a release from prison by the Parole Board.
May 2023: The Parole Board again rejects Lundy’s application for release.
April 2025: Lundy is granted parole and will be released from jail next month.
- RNZ
He failed to convince a judge that the stash was to feed his own addiction.