It was around dusk on the 24th of May, 2014, in Birkdale, Auckland, New Zealand. Blessie Gotingco had just finished up her shift at a local insurance company, and had planned on getting the bus home. The walk from the bus stop to Blessie’s home was something that she feared; the streets were not well lit and walking alone could be quite daunting. As it transpired, Blessie had every reason to fear. She never made it home that night, and an interview with a neighbour would uncover that they had heard something very ominous…
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Audio Sources:
“Gotingco family devastated by Robertson report: RNZ Checkpoint”
“Example 51b – RNZ – Blessie Gotingco trial”
“Blessie Gotingco killer Tony Robertson loses appeal bid”
Sources:
The New Zealand Herald, 26 May, 2014 – “Screams – Raise Fears for Mother”
NZ Newswire, 26 May, 2014 – “Police Find Body in Birkdale Cemetery”
Bay of Plenty Times, 27 May, 2014 – “Police Baffled as Mum Disappears Near Home”
New Zealand Herald, 27 May, 2014 – “Search for Blessie”
Bay of Plenty Times, 28 May, 2014 – “Murder Accused Known to Authorities”
The New Zealand Herald, 28 May, 2014 – “Colleagues at Tower in Sombre Mood”
The New Zealand Herald, 28 May, 2014 – “Family Gather to Share Grief”
The Dominion Post, 28 May, 2014 – “Car Seized as Murder Charge Laid”
The Southland Times, 28 May, 2014 – “Murder Charge Follows Grisly Find”
Agence France-Presse, 29 May, 2014 – “Broken-Hearted’ Family Mourne Filipina Murdered in NZ”
Bay of Plenty Times, 29 May, 2014 – “Suppression Order for Murder Accused”
The Dominion Post, 29 May, 2014 – “Family in Darkness, Says Slain Woman’s Widower”
The New Zealand Herald, 29 May, 2014 – “I Still Believe NZ is Safe”
The New Zealand Herald, 30 May, 2014 – “Requiem for Murder Victim”
NZ Newswire, 31 May, 2014 – “Thousands March for Blessie”
Herald on Sunday, 1 June, 2014 – “Vigil for Slain Woman”
Sunday Star Times, 1 June, 2014 – “Community Mourns Blessie”
The New Zealand Herald, 3 June, 2014 – “Private Time Before Public Vigil”
Bay of Plenty Times, 6 June, 2014 – “Blessie was Simply the Best”
The New Zealand Herald, 6 June, 2014 – “Huge Crowd Farewells Blessie”
NZ Newswire, 17 June, 2014 – “Outburst from Blessie Murder Accused”
The New Zealand Herald, 19 June, 2014 – “Family Hope Good Can Come of Loss”
NZ Newswire, 16 December, 2014 – “Blessie Murder Accused Faces Sex Charge”
NZ Newswire, 28 April, 2015 – “Blessie Ran Over Before Murder”
Bay of Plenty Times, 29 April, 2015 – “Victim Was Run Over – Stabbed”
The Dominion Post, 29 April, 2015 – “Death was Violent and Awful”
The New Zealand Herald, 29 April, 2015 – “Court Told GPS Led to Body”
NZ Newswire, 29 April, 2015 – “Blessie Murder Accused Panicked”
Bay of Plenty Times, 30 April, 2015 – “Glazier Saw Blood on Accused’s Car”
The Dominion Post, 30 April, 2015 – “I Did Not Mean to Hit Gotingco”
Taranaki Daily News, 30 April, 2015 – “Police Officers Met with Scream”
Bay of Plenty Times, 1 May, 2015 – “Body Dragged Through – Bush, Blessie Trial Told”
The Dominion Post, 1 May, 2015 – “Blessie Trial Told of Car Damage”
The New Zealand Herald, 1 May, 2015 – “Defendant Challenges Police Expert”
NZ Newswire, 1 May, 2015 – “Blessie Resisted Strangling”
NZ Newswire, 1 May, 2015 – “Blessie Alived when Strangled, Throat Cut”
The Daily Post, 2 May, 2015 – “Blessie’s Horrific Final Moments”
The Southland Times, 2 May, 2015 – “Blessie’s Injuries Severe”
NZ Newswire, 4 May, 2015 – “GPS Data on Blessie Murder Accused”
NZ Newswire, 4 May, 2015 – “Knife in Blessie Murder – Accused’s Kitchen”
NZ Newswire, 7 May, 2015 – Detective Denies Tampering in Blessie Case”
NZ Newswire, 8 May, 2015 – “Blood Spread Across Blessie Accused’s Home”
The Dominion Post, 9 May, 2015 – “Woman Attacked in Back of Car”
NZ Newswire, 10 May, 2015 – “Sperm Evidence Challenged in Blessie Trial”
NZ Newswire, 11 May, 2015 – “Semen Evidence Doubt in Blessie Trial”
The Dominion Post, 12 May, 2015 – “DNA Support”
Taranaki Daily News, 15 May, 2015 – “Court Told of High DNA Odds”
NZ Newswire, 18 May, 2015 – “I Stabbed Mrs. Gotinco”
Bay of Plenty Times, 20 May, 2015 – “I was High, Murder Accused Tells Court”
The Manawatu Standard, 20 May, 2015 – “Accused Claims he was Looking Away While Stabbing Gotingco”
NZ Newswire, 21 May, 2015 – “Rape Motive for Blessie Killing”
NZ Newswire, 22 May, 2015 – “Man Guilty of Blessie Gotingco’s Murder”
NZ Newswire, 28 July, 2015 – “Blessie’s Killer Under Strict Conditions”
NZ Newswire, 28 July, 2015 – “Blessie’s Killer: A Timeline”
Bay of Plenty Times, 29 July, 2015 – “Killer Was High Risk Offender”
Bay of Plenty Times, 29 July, 2015 – “Murderer Also a Child Sex Offender”
Bay of Plenty Times, 29 June, 2015 – “Top Detective Had Serious Concerns”
The Dominion Post, 29 July, 2015 – “Gotingco Killers Evil History Disclosed”
The Dominion Post, 29 July, 2015 – “The Making of a Killer”
NZ Newswire, 29 July, 2015 – “Review Ordered into Blessie’s Killer”
NZ Newswire, 5 August, 2015 – “Blessie’s Killer Gets Preventive Detention”
NZ Newswire, 2 February, 2016 – “I Was Framed by Police”
The Dominion Post, 4 February, 2016 – “Death Fabricated as Murder”
NZ Newswire, 17 May, 2016 – “Blessie’s Family are Disappointed by Report”
NZ Newswire, 17 May, 2016 – “Robertson Corrections Report”
