This post share the errors of assumption and lack of understanding that sets these authors efforts into an “also-ran” category for me. As an author and publisher myself some of my customers have sought my comments on this recent addition to the mix. There’s nothing really new in this book except maybe Ross Meurant and Jim McClay’s comments but they are highly measured and have not answered any real question the public have asked for 50 years. In I Fed The Baby, I did exactly that!
I found this recently published book quite disappointing really, mainly quite a shallow take on these events over the 50 years since. Having written three books on this subject, I have previously revealed the identity of one of the women who “fed the baby” – (BTW she is still alive and living in Orakei, East Auckland); shown that the Crewe’s were killed with a .22 ‘Pepperbox’ pistol (not a rifle) and I have explained how and why the brains behind these murders did what he did, because he had Autism. Len Demler arranged for his preferred daughter to ‘get the goods’ and for him to control oodles and oodles of family wealth.
The biggest error I see though is one of assumption. These authors assume that “the Police” did not know who did it and that it is a Cold Case. It’s not. It has been pretty much been solved now. For sure many did think that and some still do too, although their knowledge would have grown over time! Most still do not want to deal with the truth and thy sell a lot more books that way don’t they?
So What Really Happened?
In June 1970 a farmer (Harvey Crewe) and his wife (Jeannette Crewe) were shot outside and inside their Pukekawa farmhouse. They lived next door to Len Demler, the daughter’s father, who used to dine with them daily (not weekly) since his wife had gotten hospitalised and died. Harvey was shot outside once (or maybe twice) by the male assailant (who was known to him) while going to get firewood. Jeannette was subdued by at least two women also known to her and then lost the battle when she was executed inside moments later. They dragged Harvey’s body inside using the wheelbarrow to move him to the chair where he bled out and the bodies were later taken to the Crewe’s woolshed. Karl Lobb (who is still alive BTW) drove the International flatdeck truck to transport them up to the Crewe’s run-off land up at the River Waikato.
I do not know much about the Thomas family but:
- All references to Arthur Allan Thomas, and his matters are pure distraction and are best ignored, as I believe he was innocent and framed;
- There is never agreement between all within large families, and especially when money is involved;
- Having one person pardoned for a crime does not always mean that the rest are automatically innocent of everything else;
- I strongly suggest that some of Thomas’ families knowledge and/or involvement in the later river disposal, as with Karl’s knowledge of those events; and
- John Ingley did report dishonesty by the Thomases in their treatment of him.
I do know that many people have their suspicions and the researcher I did the most work for took his suspicions to the grave with his death. In I Fed The Baby we shared one of John’s Ingley’s best guesses at who pulled the trigger, but my personal thoughts are that it was probably Bob Souter. I know that he has been discounted by many over years but he and Heather were treated as special people by those with a vested interest to escape retribution of the law. How did you hear that Bob was overseas at the time? Did this information really stack up or was it planted? Maisie wasn’t stupid and didn’t approve of Heather’s choice of partner for a very good reason. Bob was a nasty dude who really had the capability to do it too.
A lot of the activities of those involved tend to point towards attempting a later than actual death, trying to buy Bob time for Bob to get back to the USA.
At the end of the day though it is clear that Heather and Len benefited massively – we are talking here of millions (yes that’s a plural) in 1970 money!
Shallowness
I use this concept as a description, not so much a criticism. These authors have done a great job of taking an old topic and rehashing it. There’s nothing really new in this book but if they take their own advice given quoting Joe Rogan to keep an open mind, they really have ignored important facts and gotten nowhere in the process because of their narrow minds.
The Police first logged calls before 2.30pm. The scene photographer took photos right away. Hutton arrive on scene at 5.10pm. The cow cover Karl used to cover the bodies in transport was in the scene photos but went missing after 5.10pm. Umm hello?
The first four months of investigating Hutton’s ‘drinking partner’ disappeared to the amazement of all as AAT came on their radar and land actually changed hands between Demler and Hutton during October 1970. Umm hello?
Why is everyone happy to blame Len Demler and go, “tut, tut” but never to explain what ASD is or how it affects us.
Who were the three Americans reportedly at the Tuakau pub . . . oh never mind. It’s a waste.
As I mention elsewhere sin is multifacted but if you believe everything you’re been told you will end up with shallow living.
Timing
We all gain knowledge as we gain life experience and most of us with flexible minds learn more and deeper as we mature.
At what point did Hutton know that his ‘drinking mate’ Len was involved? I can tell you that he would have known that something was up on or even before his arrival. He either removed or had someone remove the cow cover, very early on the investigation but how much else did he know and when? Was it sometime in the first few weeks or when he did the land deal with Len in October of 1970 that he worked out that Len was a lot smarter than Hutton was and that it was in Hutton’s best interest for AAT to suddenly become the target.
Ditto when one of the first things that Andy Lovelock did was to take his boys down to the Mangere Historical Society and remove all photos of the pub that Hutton and Demler were known to drink at. Ask Andy when he did this and why. He will not answer that one honestly, I’ll tell ya! Then ask him why he took them, undocumented, without any return date/time or process; then has ‘lost’ them and failed to report this fact! Oh it has never been documented at all? Really? Hmmm!
The reason matters not whether the Cow Cover was a parka; whether it was yellow or white or what happened to it, as I have said before, the missing cookie from the cookie jar shows that there is a cookie thief in the house! It matters not what Andy Lovelock and his team say about what they ‘think’ happened way back when, the point is that the Police Review was (as the Thomas family claimed at the time) a cover up!
Why were these early indications of Police impropriety not concerning to investigators? The significance of this early timing is that when we understand human nature we can see how a “Cold Case” this is not!
And tell me please, why was it that Karl Lobb was asked to lie by a corrupt ‘porno’ judge and was a secret witness in the ongoing sea of madness? Is this why Karl’s apparent murder of another south Auckland farmer (Murray Christensen) was never properly investigated – because the cops were scared that Karl might say a little too much?
I know that good people can do bad things (and visa versa), but when a leader within the Police is corrupt by nature, (Hutton most certainly was that) anything coming thereafter has to be corrupted. Missing evidence and faulty Police, Legal, Judicial, Political Media conduct galore! Many thinking people, journalists and policemen I have spoken to have told me, “Dennis, you’ve gotten it so right! It is such a cesspool of BS that goes so deep!”
Sadly yes, and then you have the shallow people like these author’s look at it all. Yeah, Nah!
In order to understand the Crewe Murders you have to first understand the mind of the perp. Len had autism. If you understand ASD especially in regards to Len and his father then you have a good chance to understand.
Secondly, you have to understand that back in 1970 there were some cops who considered themselves to be above the law because they were the law. Hutton (and Johnstone) were two of these kind. Ian Wishart knew this only too well which is one of the reasons that he guessed [wrongly] at Johnstone’s guilt.
Thirdly, you have to engage brain applying your knowledge of human nature (particularly self-interest).
Do that and you will not need to buy this book!
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