The third man: Unanswered questions in the Lisa Blakie murder

The third man: Unanswered questions in the Lisa Blakie murder

It's one of New Zealand's most intriguing cases – the murder of Lisa Blakie. One man was convicted of the killing, but now 3D has vital information that someone else was involved, and has gone looking for him.

It's nearly 16 years since Ms Blakie was murdered and still questions are being asked about the conviction of her killer.

She was just 20 years old when she was murdered, and ever since then her father, Doug, has publicly stood by the police version of events, that Timothy Taylor was her killer. It's only now he admits he's not so sure.

"I have always had niggling doubts and thought he had a part to play in Lisa's murder, but I have always had doubts that he was the one that actually killed Lisa."

What is not in dispute is the day Ms Blakie disappeared she was on the run from her former boyfriend – a member of the Devil's Henchmen gang.

It was February 2, 2000 when she decided to hitchhike to safety to the West Coast and was picked up by Taylor, at a service station.

He maintains he dropped her off at a layby. The police say he murdered her, even though no blood was ever found in his car.

Her body was found in a stream with a 104kg boulder on top of her. It took two officers to lift it off. How could have Taylor done this on his own?

Bridget McMenamin – a former police officer who worked on the Blakie case – has come forward, claiming the police ignored key evidence to make their theory fit that Taylor was the murderer.

"A lot of people on that case worked damn hard, but I think the people in charge of that case decided they wanted to get an arrest and Taylor was going to be the easiest person to arrest for the murder of Lisa Blakie."

Ms McMenamin is convinced there's one piece of evidence that holds the key – a white Bedford van seen by 10 people in the area.

It was owned by the Devil's Henchmen – the people she was on the run from that day. The defence never knew about that van during the trial and the van was never searched by police.

Taylor did know several members of the Devil's Henchmen. It's always been speculated he knew more than he told police and may have been covering up for the real killers, fearing his own safety.

Finally, after 14 years in prison, Taylor met Ms Blakie's father in prison and admitted he saw the white Bedford van that day and he named the three people inside.

"Two of the persons were well known to us, the police, when we were doing the operation," says Ms McMenamin. "They were a boyfriend she was trying to break up with and was very scared of, and his best friend."

Those two men were DNA tested and eliminated from the inquiry but the third person never was.

A pubic hair was found on Ms Blakie's body, and it was never identified.

"It happens to be of similar colouring to the man who was never DNA tested," says Taylor's lawyer, Pip Hall.

Mr Blakie handed the police the new suspect's name six months ago and they promised to request a DNA sample. That has not been done.

Police say that is because their enquiries are ongoing, but Ms Blakie's father says that is not good enough.

Watch the video for the full 3D report.

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