The Murder of Leanne Holland

WARNING: This episode discusses violence against children.

12-year-old Leanne Holland went missing in September of 1991. When her horribly mutilated body was found in bushland three days later, suspicions immediately turned to one of the last people to see her alive: her older sister's boyfriend, 28-year-old Graham Stafford.

While Graham denied committing the brutal crime, the evidence seemed to be overwhelming. Blood matching Leanne's rare blood type was found in his vehicle, as was a long blonde curly hair. A hammer that Graham always had by his bedside was conveniently missing. And tire tracks that were a “perfect match” to his vehicle were found at the site where Leanne’s body was dumped. The forensic evidence was a slam dunk for the jury, and Graham was imprisoned for Leanne’s murder.

It was an open and shut case… until it was revealed that those perfect tire tracks weren’t so perfect, the hair ‘found’ in his car was actually contamination from the forensic lab, and Graham had an alibi for the time of the murder.

EPISODE NOTES:

Graham Stafford appealed his conviction, which was overturned in 2009. Leanne’s murder remains unsolved, and serious questions still remain about her death. If Graham wasn’t responsible, who on Earth else could it have been?

There is an ongoing push for a coronial inquiry into Leanne’s death, which you can read all about here https://whokilledleanneholland.com/

You can find more information about Graham’s quest for innocence here https://7news.com.au/news/crime/graham-stafford-a-step-closer-to-accessing-leanne-holland-forensic-review-c-516575

You can watch the Murder Uncovered episode about the case here https://7plus.com.au/murder-uncovered?episode-id=MUNC01-005&fbclid=IwAR1sSxC5SWWaeuw5TB-tcHCO_mozD5FtFs9-A4Buyl0x3_6o85XHIgQ7eQY

And you can find the Australian Story episode on the case for free on a certain video sharing site that we will not link due to illegality reasons!

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