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”.
Flowers lined the footpath outside the Lundy home as police and forensic scientists were working at the murder scene inside. Photo / Mark Mitchell
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.
Mark Lundy in the dock during his trial in March 2015. Photo / Mark Mitchell
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
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