60 Minutes S2024E18 - The Science of Murder

On 60 Minutes this Sunday, Nick McKenzie reports on new scientific evidence raises serious questions in the case of Robert Farquharson.

The Science of Murder
What are we to do when science reveals information we don't really want to know? Block our ears and look away, or confront it? This is the challenge in the case of Robert Farquharson, one of Australia's most despised criminals. On Father's Day 2005, supposedly in an act of revenge against his ex-wife, he drowned their three young sons. The little boys, aged 10, seven and two, were passengers in their father's car when he drove it into a dam. At two trials, Farquharson was convicted of murder for his crimes and sentenced to life in prison. But now, as Nick McKenzie reports, new scientific evidence raises serious questions about what really happened. This joint 60 Minutes, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald investigation however does not advocate for Farquharson's freedom, rather it presents fresh expert analysis of facts that weren't adequately canvassed at Farquharson's trials, and asks if the new information is sufficiently important to consider further judicial review of the case.
Reporter: Nick McKenzie
Producers: Natalie Clancy, Michael Bachelard, Nichola Younger