STORY: Susan Neill-Fraser: Australia; "Who was on board the boat? New twist in society heiress Susan Neill-Fraser’s murder of her lover": Locked away for 8 years: New clues in society heiress murder case," by reporter Candace Sutton, published by "news.com (au)" on July 15, 2017.
SUB-HEADING: "Locked away for 8 years: New clues in society heiress murder case."
GIST: New clues have emerged in the murder case against society heiress Susan Blyth Neill-Fraser who is serving a 23 year prison sentence for killing her scientist lover on their luxury yacht.
Neill-Fraser, a talented equestrian and descendant of an old pioneer family, has been desperate to overturn her murder conviction from behind bars. The wealthy and cultured 63-year-old swapped her pearls and silk dresses for life in a blue tracksuit among the female criminals behind the razor wire at Hobart’s notorious Risdon prison. Just a 20-minute drive from where lover Bob Chappell vanished from on board her luxury yacht nine years ago, Neill-Fraser has been working to clear her name. Last month, her legal team’s instructing solicitor Barbara Etter stepped away from a special hearing later this month to present “fresh and compelling evidence”. However now Channel 7’s Sunday Night has interviewed Neill-Fraser about the twist in her case that she hopes will free her from the real possibility of dying behind bars. In failing health, the grandmother is basing her hopes of proving that there were other people aboard the yacht Four Winds when Bob Chappell disappeared. Two other people’s DNA were found on the yacht, one belonging to a homeless girl; the other sample has yet to be identified. “No body, no murder weapon and not witnesses” is the catch cry of Seven’s examination of the Neill-Fraser case.........Police bugged her house and began listening to hours of conversations and phone calls. On August 20, 2009, detectives arrested and charged Neill-Fraser with the murder of Mr Chappell. She was taken to Risdon Prison which she has only left since to appear in the Tasmanian Supreme Court. Her three-week murder trial in late 2010 ended in her conviction. She was sentenced to a maximum of 26 years, which was later reduced on appeal to 23 years. The case gripped the Tasmanian public, with Neill-Fraser always protesting her innocence and her daughters leading a campaign for her freedom. However, police and prosecutors said the weight of her lies was her downfall. Apart from the evidence of the DNA on the yacht, Neill-Fraser’s team argues that she did not have the strength to use the yacht’s winch to dispose of Mr Chappell’s body. Nor did she have the skill to then scuttle the vessel. Neill-Fraser’s daughters have campaigned tirelessly to overturn her conviction and will appear on ‘Miscarriage of Justice’: Is this grandmother really a cold-blooded killer? on Sunday Night, Channel 7 at 7pm."
The entire stor can be found at:
http://www.news.com.au/national/crime/who-was-on-board-the-boat-new-twist-in-society-heiress-susan-neillfrasers-murder-of-her-lover/news-story/7f6c6dd7a88eef8aad05fd8bced7ffd0PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/c
