More to say about Parker-Hulme murder

More to say about Parker-Hulme murder

Dunedin, 25 February 2013 – It may be decades since the murder of Honorah Parker, but interest in the case is far from over.

Peter Graham has written a book, So Brilliantly Clever, which explores the background of the Christchurch murder of Honorah Parker, at the hands of her teenage daughter, Pauline and her daughter’s close friend, Juliet Hulme, on 22 June 1954. Mr Graham will talk about his book at the Dunedin City Library on Tuesday 5 March.

Despite the murder taking place almost 60 years ago, the event has continued to intrigue writers and film-makers across the globe, including Peter Jackson, whose film, Heavenly Creatures (1994) was based on the case. Mr Graham, a New Zealand-born barrister and true crime writer, has shared this fascination ever since the early years of his professional career as a junior lawyer in Christchurch.

Matricide is an incredibly rare occurrence, and “So Brilliantly Clever” is one of the many delusional descriptions that Pauline Parker used to describe herself and Juliet Hulme in her diary; which was to become a key piece of evidence leading to their conviction. The diary has been closely guarded ever since, and Mr Graham was fortunate to be granted access to aid his research, alongside police interview notes and court records for the two girls.

Mr Graham combines meticulous research and his professional legal experience with modern insights in psychology to unravel the circumstances that drove the two teenage girls to murder. He also explores their fate, after their youth spared them the gallows and they were given a five-year prison sentence instead. (Hulme is now a best-selling crime fiction writer in the UK).

Audience members will gain invaluable insight into this gruesome marker in Christchurch’s history. Book sales will be available and people are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment.

Author Talk: So Brilliantly Clever
A true story of love and murder that inspired Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures.
Crime writer Peter Graham sheds new light on convicted teenage killers from Christchurch, Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme.
Tuesday 5 March, 6.00pm – 7.30pm
4th Floor, City Library
FREE
Bookings essential: 03 474 3690 or library@dcc.govt.nz

ENDS

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