logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2021
1h 5m

Episode 1 - Sugar Town

THE AUSTRALIAN
About this episode

Shandee Blackburn is a popular, outgoing young woman who lives with her mother Vicki in a Queensland town renowned for its sugar, Mackay. Shandee walks home at night from her coffee shop job sometimes and she’s filmed by CCTV cameras - along with her killer who runs to launch a frenzied and savage knife attack. Shandee’s murder stuns the community and triggers ongoing trauma and investigations into her relationships including with a former boyfriend.

Subscribers to The Australian have exclusive first access to episodes of Shandee's Story via The Australian app. Subscribe to The Australian here.

You can download on The Australian's app in Apple's store here.

Also get it on Google Play here.

To contact Hedley Thomas anonymously with any information on Shandee's Story email here - Shandee@theaustralian.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Oct 2023
From The Front: Queensland's DNA lab is back under the microscope
The Queensland government will reopen an inquiry into its troubled DNA lab after new evidence of flawed automated testing processes emerged. Find out more about The Front podcast here and subscribe in your podcast app. You can read about this story and more on The Australian's we ... Show More
13m 49s
Sep 2023
Shandee’s Legacy Episode 11: What Linzi Left Out
A cloud has been cast over the new chief of the lab following revelations that a DNA extraction method may have failed across thousands of samples in criminal cases for nine years. Professor Linzi Wilson-Wilde reviewed the automated method for retired judge Walter Sofronoff’s inq ... Show More
1h 26m
Sep 2023
Shandee's Legacy Episode 10: Project 13
Dr Kirsty Wright is the remarkable scientist who exposed the worst forensics disaster in Australia’s history, and now she’s identified the ‘smoking gun’ in the Queensland DNA lab disaster. It’s a catastrophe called ‘Project 13’ which has been hiding in plain view -- but Dr Wright ... Show More
1h 17m
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2020
Episode 1 - Sisters
Janine Vaughan was a young woman with many friends, a loving family and a good job. She lived in a country town famous for one of the world's great annual car races. She stepped into a red car in front of friends 19 years ago - and disappeared without a trace. Her sister Kylie ha ... Show More
1h 4m
Aug 2024
A Cop Cover-Up Or A Killer Girlfriend: Is Karen Read Being Framed?
Ever since the mysterious death of Boston Policeman John O’Keefe, during a snowy night in 2022, the small town where he died has been divided. There are two very distinct camps. Was John killed by those at a house party, inside a house full of police and law enforcement, who then ... Show More
48m 10s
Apr 4
NEW PODCAST: Dear Rachelle
A killer is on the loose in an Australian country town. Excited for the June long weekend, bubbly 23-year-old Rachelle Childs leaves work, calls her sister, and is dead within hours. Her burning, partially naked body is found nine hours later in bushland on a lonely coastal road. ... Show More
3m 27s
Apr 4
NEW PODCAST: Dear Rachelle
A killer is on the loose in an Australian country town. Excited for the June long weekend, bubbly 23-year-old Rachelle Childs leaves work, calls her sister, and is dead within hours. Her burning, partially naked body is found nine hours later in bushland on a lonely coastal road. ... Show More
3m 27s
Jun 2024
Swiping Right in Auckland: The Murder of Grace Millane
In December 2018, Grace Millane, a 22-year-old British backpacker, was tragically murdered while traveling in New Zealand. Her disappearance on the night of her birthday prompted an intense police investigation that led to the arrest of Jesse Kempson, who she had met on a dating ... Show More
31m 39s
Oct 2021
Chapter 1: Chris is Dead
In September 2017, Nikki Addimando, a young mom of two, shot her partner of nine years, Chris Grover. Nikki was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for murder but she claims she was acting in self-defense. In this first episode, journalist Justine van der Leun takes us on a j ... Show More
47m 27s
Apr 15
The Jog
When a 21-year-old woman’s lifeless body is found in a popular Toronto neighborhood park, authorities are hard-pressed to find her killer. A mysterious shoeprint becomes a key clue for investigators, but somehow the suspect eludes their grasp.If you know anything about the murder ... Show More
35m 22s
Apr 28
INFAMOUS: The Westside Park Murders
In September of 1985, two teenagers drove into Westside Park but, tragically, never left the park alive. The police have spent decades trying to hunt down their killer.If you know anything about the murders of Ethan Dixon and Kimberly Dowell, please contact the Muncie police depa ... Show More
47m 15s
Oct 2020
Episode 9 - Love You, Sis
In the search for Janine’s murderer, her sister Kylie who devotes much of her life to this case is taken to the brink of what she believes is a breakthrough, only to have her hopes dashed. Every time there’s a discovery of bones near Bathurst it hits Kylie and the rest of Janine’ ... Show More
1h 26m