North Epping is a quiet, family-oriented and leafy suburb located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It’s the kind of area that’s perfect for blossoming families who want to be a bit further away from city life. In 2009, however, residents awoke to the grim news that an extremely brutal crime had taken place overnight in their tight-knit community, a crime so heinous that the responding officers would need counselling in the aftermath.
Sponsors:
Phocus: Thank you to Phocus for sponsoring this episode! Phocus is a delicious, health conscious and thoughtfully caffeinated sparkling water. Use code “MORBID” for 20% off your order: https://drinkphocus.com/
Podcorn: Thank you to Podcorn for sponsoring this episode! Podcorn is revolutionizing podcast sponsorship. Start browsing sponsorship opportunities today: https://podcorn.com/
BetterHelp: Thank you to BetterHelp for sponsoring this episode! Is there is something that interferes with your happiness or is preventing you from achieving your goals? BetterHelp online counseling is there for you. Get matched with a counsellor today: https://betterhelp.com/morbidology
Talkspace: Thank you to Talkspace for sponsoring this episode! Mental health is extremely important and Talkspace offer licensed therapists online from the comfort of your own home. Use code “Morbidology” for $100 off your first month at: https://www.talkspace.com/
Incipio: Thank you to Incipio for sponsoring this episode! With up to 12 feet drop protection and integrated MagSafe technology, these phone cases ensure that your phone will always be fully charged and protected. Now available to purchase at your local Verizon or online at: https://www.verizon.com/onesearch/search?q=incipio&src=wireless
Audio Sources:
“Sole survivor: Brenda Lin’s harrowing story of betrayal and murder | 7NEWS Spotlight”
“Sister_and_brother_in_law.flv”
“Brenda Lin 60 Minutes Oznewsroom.com”
“Brenda message to family Oznewsroom.com”
Source:
The Sunday Herald, 19 June, 2009 – “Five Die in Family Horror”
The Sunday Telegraph, 19 July, 2009 – “Five Dead in Horror House”
The Advertiser, 20 July, 2009 – “Family Tragedy as Five Bludgeoned to Death”
The Age, 20 July, 2009 – “Murder Family Were ‘Targeted’”
Agence France-Presse, 20 July, 2009 – “Australian Police Seek Motive for Mass Family Murder”
The Sunday Telegraph, 20 July, 2009 – “Evil Destroys Happy Family”
The Daily Telegraph, 20 July, 2009 – “Killer Walked in Front Door”
The Australian, 21 July, 2009 – “Fears for Daughter in Family Kill Case”
The Courier Mail, 21 July, 2009 – “Rage of Family Killer Points to Close Links”
The Australian, 22 July, 2009 – “Work History Emerges in Family Murder Hunt”
The Daily Telegraph, 22 July, 2009 – “No Detail too Small as Police Seek Help”
MX, 22 July, 2009 – “Police Widen Net”
Northern District Times, 22 July, 2009 – “Customers Pay Tribute”
Northern District Times, 22 July, 2009 – “Mystery Motive in Lin Family Horror”
The Daily Telegraph, 23 July, 2009 – “Murder Hunt Widens”
NT News, 23 July, 2009 – “Police Seeking Aunt’s Friends”
The Australian, 24 July, 2009 – “New Focus in Murder Probe”
The Daily Telegraph, 24 July, 2009 – “Fence Stain Focus for Murder Inquiry”
The Daily Telegraph, 25 July, 2009 – “Awful Silence of an Unspeakable Crime”
The Daily Telegraph, 25 July, 2009 – “Spiritual Farewell”
Sunday Mail, 26 July, 2009 – “Grandparents’ Plea on Brutal Murders”
The Daily Telegraph, 26 June, 2009 – “Tragedy Ended an Immigrant Success Story”
The Australian, 28 July, 2009 – “DNA Tests in Family Murder Probe”
Northern District Times, 29 July, 2009 – “Looking for Practical Ways to Help Orphaned Brenda”
The Australian, 30 July, 2009 – “Lins’ Relatives Appeal for Public’s Help on Murder”
The Australian, 31 July, 2009 – “Help for Girl Left Orphaned by Killings”
The Daily Telegraph, 1 August, 2009 – “Truth Drowned in Blood”
The Sun Herald, 2 August, 2009 – “Henry and Terry to be Buried with their Treasures”
The Daily Telegraph, 2 August, 2009 – “I Miss Them so Much”
The Daily Telegraph, 3 August, 2009 – “Family Members Cleared in Lin Murder Investigation”
Northern District Times, 5 August, 2009 – “Hold Up Link the Only Explanation”
The Daily Telegraph, 8 August, 2009 – “Six Strangers Rally to Aid of Family in Pain”
The Sun Herald, 9 August, 2009 – “Tearful Farewell as Family Left Asking: Why?”
Sunday Mail, 9 August, 2009 – “Why Did You Leave Me?”
Northern District Times, 12 August, 2009 – “Lin Newsagency Opens its Doors”
Newcastle Herald, 19 August, 2009 – “Two People in Frame”
Northern District Times, 19 August, 2009 – “Brenda Has no Clues to Killer’s Identity”
The Daily Telegraph, 20 August, 2009 – “Murder he Wrote”
The Australian, 21 August, 2009 – “Letter Naming Lin Killers Written by a Psycho”
The Sydney Morning Herald, 10 November, 2009 – “Police Investigate Smuggling Link in Lin Murders”
The Daily Telegraph, 14 March, 2010 – “Police Know Killer”
The Daily Telegraph, 13 June, 2010 – “Five Day Search of In-Laws’ House”
The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 July, 2010 – “Uncle Did Not Kill my Family”
The Daily Telegraph, 5 September, 2010 – “Murder Victims Conned in Scam”
Agence France-Presses, 5 May, 2011 – “Man Charged with Killing Chinese-Australian Family”
The Daily Telegraph, 6 May, 2011 – “Brothers Woken by Slayings”
The Daily Telegraph, 8 May, 2011 – “Police Feared for Lin Teen”
The Australian, 23 December, 2011 – “Motive Lacking for Lin Murders”
The Daily Telegraph, 23 December, 2011 – “Lin Family Fought Back”
The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 December, 2011 – “Intensive Investigation Led Detectives to Suspect in Lin Case”
Northern District Times, 1 February, 2012 – “Emergency Calls Reveal Reaction”
The Australian, 30 March, 2012 – “No DNA Linking Man to Family Massacre Site”
The Daily Telegraph, 11 July, 2012 – “Accused Line Family Killer’s Wife Considered an Accessory”
Northern Daily Leader, 22 August, 2012 – “The Wife of Man Accused of Killing Five”
Parramatta Sun, 27 August, 2012 – “Lin Killings”
The Courier Mail, 29 August, 2012 – “Accused killer Fell Out With In-Laws”
The Australian, 10 May, 2012 – “Man Used Hammer to Kill Family”
The Canberra Times, 10 May, 2014 – “Bitterness Motivated Murders”
The Canberra Times, 14 May, 2014 – “Witnesses Recall Couple Outside Family Murder Scene”
Illawarra Mercury, 14 May, 2014 – “Boy’s Last Hours Revealed”
The Advocate, 15 May, 2014 – “Family Tension Over Business”
The Canberra Times, 15 May, 2014 – “Accused Lin Family Murderer Robert Xie Mentored his Slain Nephew”
The Courier Mail, 16 May, 2014 – “Police Describe Horrific State of Murdered Lins”
The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 May, 2014 – “Police Tell of Finding Lin Family”
The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 May, 2014 – “Lin Killings”
The Daily Telegraph, 21 May, 2014 – “Just Hours Before Family Butchered, In-Laws Insulted Accused Killer”
Northern District Times, 21 May, 2014 – “Fatal Beating Annihilated Victim’s Face”
Northern District Times, 21 May, 2014 – “Witness A Tells of Affair”
The Sydney Morning Herald, 21 May, 2014 – “Patriarch Tells of Heartbreak at Losing Five of his Family”
The Daily Telegraph, 22 May, 2014 – “Diary Held Affair Clue”
The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 May, 2014 – “Court Told Accused Fought Victim’s Father”
The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 May, 2014 – “Daughter in Law Having Affair”
The Australian, 7 August, 2014 – “Loss of Face, Sex Abuse”
The Sydney Morning Herald, 11 September, 2014 – “Accused Lin Family Killer Abused Relative”
The Canberra Times, 21 July, 2014 – “Inmate Tells of Xie Confessions”
The Australian, 9 December, 2015 – “Xie Freed After Three Trials”
The Age, 13 January, 2017 – “Xie Guilty of Slaughtering Five”
The Sydney Morning Herald, 1 February, 2017 – “Xie Must Get Five Life Sentences”
Northern District Times, 15 February, 2017 – “Haunted by Nightmares”
The Daily Telegraph, 19 February, 2017 – “Tiny Camera That Caught a Predator”
