Editing Bain family murders

The '''Bain family murders''' was a multiple homicide in New Zealand that resulted in the deaths by gunshot of Robin and Margaret Bain and three of their four children&nbsp;– Arawa, Laniet and Stephen&nbsp;– in their family home at Andersons Bay, Dunedin, on 20 June 1994. The only suspects were David Cullen Bain, the eldest son and only survivor, and Robin Bain, the late father.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/bain-father-and-son-were-suspects|access-date=2 April 2017|title=Bain father and son were suspects|date=26 March 2009|work=Otago Daily Times}}</ref> David, then aged 22, was charged with five counts of murder. In May 1995, he was convicted on each of the five counts and sentenced to mandatory life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of sixteen years.<ref name="newshub">{{Cite news|url=http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/david-bain-timeline-of-events-2013062614|title=David Bain timeline of events|date=26 June 2013|newspaper=3 News online|access-date=22 October 2016}}</ref>

Bain's case was taken up by businessman and former rugby player Joe Karam. In 2007, Bain's legal team, guided by Karam, successfully appealed to the Privy Council, which declared there had been a 'substantial miscarriage of justice'.<ref name="PrivyCouncil">{{cite web|url=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0705/S00225.htm|title=David Bain v The Queen|date=11 May 2007|publisher=Committee of the Privy Council|access-date=22 October 2016}}</ref> Bain was released on bail in May 2007. The retrial in June 2009 ended with his acquittal on all charges.<ref name="David Bain found not guilty">{{cite news|url=http://www.3news.co.nz/David-Bain-found-not-guilty/tabid/423/articleID/107389/Default.aspx|work=3 News NZ|title=David Bain found not guilty|date=5 June 2009}}</ref>

Speculation about the case continued long after Bain was acquitted, including whether or not he should receive compensation for the years he spent in prison. Ian Binnie, a retired justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, was appointed in November 2011 to review the circumstances and advise the government on whether compensation should be paid. Binnie concluded that the Dunedin police made 'egregious errors' and that the 'extraordinary circumstances' in the case justified the payment of compensation. This report was rejected by the Minister of Justice, on advice from High Court Judge Robert Fisher.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.beehive.govt.nz/sites/all/files/Summary%20of%20key%20findings%20Hon%20Dr%20Robert%20Fisher%20QC.pdf|title=Summary of key findings Hon Dr Robert Fisher QC|website=govt.nz|publisher=New Zealand Government|access-date=15 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519052434/https://www.beehive.govt.nz/sites/all/files/Summary%20of%20key%20findings%20Hon%20Dr%20Robert%20Fisher%20QC.pdf|archive-date=19 May 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In March 2015, the government appointed Ian Callinan, a retired justice of the High Court of Australia, to conduct a second review of Bain's compensation claim.<ref name="Retiredjudge">{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11420515 |title=David Bain: Retired judge to head compensation claim |date=20 March 2015 |newspaper=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=17 January 2016}}</ref> Callinan's review concluded that Bain was not innocent on the balance of probabilities, but the government made an ex gratia payment to Bain of $925,000 in order to settle the matter.<ref name="Ex gratia">{{cite news|work=New Zealand Herald|url=http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11685735|title=No compensation for David Bain; $925,000 ex gratia payment|date=2 August 2016|access-date=22 October 2016}}</ref>
==Family background==
Robin Irving Bain (November 25, 1935 - June 20, 1994) and Margaret Arawa Cullen (October 11, 1943 - June 20, 1994) met at a Presbyterian Church in Dunedin, New Zealand. The couple got married in 1968 when Robin was 33 and Margaret was 25. When Robin was younger, he had worked as a Christian missionary and remained passionate about this vocation. He trained as a teacher and together with Margaret, also a teacher, they decided to move to Papua New Guinea to work as educators and missionaries. Their son David Cullen Bain (born March 27, 1972) was two years old when they left New Zealand in 1974. The Cullen Bain family lived in Gaulim, New Britain, an island off the main island of Papua New Guinea.

While Robin worked at the Teacher’s Training College, Margaret studied anthropology. She immersed herself into the culture, customs and beliefs of the native people of Papua New Guinea. While living in Gaulim, the couple had two daughters. Their first daughter Arawa Mary Bain (June 26, 1974 - June 20, 1994) was born in 1974 and their second daughter Laniet Margaret Bain (March 19, 1976 - June 20, 1994) was born in 1976. The family embraced the local lifestyle, and the Bain kids grew up in a home that was full of traditional artefacts and elements. After living in the rural Gaulim for six years, they relocated to the capital city of Port Moresby. Robin worked at a school within a compound, offering short, refresher courses for adults. The family also lived inside the compound. Their home was always known to be chaotic, and the family lived a free-spirited lifestyle. Neighbours and friends from this time described Margaret as friendly and fun, always laughing. Robin was earnest and slightly more reserved than his wife. The family was considered to be odd, as the mother didn’t lift a finger around the house, and the kids habitually ran around naked.

The youngest son, Stephen Robin Bain (January 1, 1980 - June 20, 1994), was born in Port Moresby in 1980.<ref name="mystery">{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/2478273/The-Bain-mystery|title=The Bain mystery|first=Martin|last=Van Beynen|publisher=stuff.co.nz|date=6 June 2009|access-date=25 January 2016}}</ref> Robin and Margaret had a tradition of incorporating a parent's name into the names of their children, with Stephen's second name being Robin, after their father, Awara's first name after the middle name of their mother Margaret,  Laniet's middle name after Margaret, while David's original middle name was Cullen, after his mother's maiden name. It was common knowledge within the family that Robin had wanted another child, not Margaret. Either way, family life carried on in the usual, feral fashion. It reached a point that Margaret was concerned about the well-being of her family, as more and more comments were made about the way they lived. She approached a psychologist who assessed each member of the family. About the eldest son, David, she said: “He looked at you in an odd way without expression.” And about the father, Robin, her report said: “There wasn’t an ounce of emotion in him. He was completely disempowered.” People who knew the family felt that, even though she was a couple of years younger than her husband, Margaret was the dominant partner in the marriage. Robin was dedicated to his family and often went along with whatever made his wife happy.

In 1988, after living the life of missionaries for 15 years, the Bain family decided it was time to return to their native New Zealand. They returned to 65 Every Street, Andersons Bay, Dunedin, a home they owned that had fallen into disrepair over the years.<ref name="PrivyCouncil" /> But after many years in a developing country, it didn’t bother them much, they made do with what they had. It was an adjustment to settle back into life in New Zealand, as their teenage kids were not used to the schooling system and approach to education. As a family, they were always involved in theatre and music, so eventually, by taking part in these activities, they did settle in.

Robin struggled to find a regular job back in Dunedin. He decided to take the only job on offer to him, that of principal at Taieri Mouth Primary School. It was a small country school, with only two teachers, including Robin. It was a step down for Robin, who had worked in larger, foreign schools, and had trained teachers and adults. Margaret perpetuated the chaotic home environment they had created while living abroad. She loved going to garage sales and bringing home all sorts of worthless things. Robin was a hoarder too, which meant the house, already full with the family of six, was always untidy and looked like it was bursting at the seams. Margaret was also an obsessive fruit bottler and stacked bottles of peaches, pears and apricots throughout the house. The four children were expected to work around the house and in the garden. They spent most of their school holidays working through lists of chores given to them by their mother. Yet somehow, the house was always in disarray. During her time in Papua New Guinea, Margaret became interested in new age spiritualism. She believed in channelling spirits and felt her family needed protection from Belial, the Hebrew word for ‘the wicked or worthless’ personified in Jewish and Christian texts as the devil. Margaret believed that Robin was the devil incarnate. In fact, she was known to call her husband "a son of Belial – one of the four crown princes of hell." She kept a diary, in which she ranked her family in terms of how possessed by the devil they were. David was always the least ‘possessed’, Robin the most, with Laniet a close second.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Black Hands: A family mass murder |url=https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/blackhands/the-devil-and-mrs-bain/ |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=interactives.stuff.co.nz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Black Hands: A family mass murder |url=https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/blackhands/the-devil-and-mrs-bain/ |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=interactives.stuff.co.nz}}</ref><ref name="PrivyCouncil" />

Margaret clocked out of her home duties and banished herself to the caravan in the garden for a while. She obsessively updated her diary during this time, in which she documented all her feelings towards her husband. When it came to her children, it was clear that she favoured David, as he never gave her any problems. Arawa also tended to side with her mother, whereas Laniet stuck up for Robin when he wasn’t around to defend himself. Robin was concerned about his wife and reached out to an old friend who had been close to the family when they lived in Papua New Guinea. She visited Margaret and shared Robin’s concern. Margaret was convinced that she had a connection to Winston Churchill in a previous incarnation. She also believed her friend was of profound relevance to her, she was perhaps a sister or even a mother in Margaret’s previous life. The friend felt that Margaret had lost her mind and felt out of her depth. Margaret was a forceful personality who liked to speak and speak, never listening to what the other person had to say.

From her diary, it is clear that she felt she had lost a grip on her family. In an attempt to gain control again, she had concocted an elaborate plan of building a new house. The idea was to tear down the over-crowded house at 65 Every Street and build a large retreat, a place where they could speak to God, and strangers could come and enjoy the space with them. David was instrumental in the planning, he supported her and helped her with drawings and such. He also prepared the garden, as the idea was to imitate what they had in Papa New Guiana. The house was set a way back from the road, and plants surrounded the home to block out the outside world. Robin was not included in this vision. In fact, during this time, Robin and Margaret were estranged, and he was banished from the family home. He stayed in Taieri three days a week. At first, Robin slept in his van, but later on, he spent his nights inside the old schoolhouse. When he headed home for the weekends and Monday nights, he slept in the garden caravan. His salary still went into the joint account he shared with Margaret, to support his family.

David always loved music, so he had joined a men’s choir. After struggling at school when his family moved to New Zealand, David worked hard to get his academics back on track. He managed to get himself into Otago University to study Zoology, so he could become a veterinarian. However, this didn’t last. David dropped out of school soon after enrolling and took a job at Opera Alive. After some time he decided to go back to university and set out to study classical music. He also received professional voice training, hoping to become an opera singer. His fellow students enjoyed his sense of humour and always felt he was the type of person who took a joke well. David lived at the family home and received welfare money, which he contributed to the household. For pocket money, he delivered newspapers.

Arawa intended to follow in her parents’ footsteps and was studying to be a teacher, attending teachers' training college (formerly Otago Teachers' College, later Otago University, School of Education). She studied in Dunedin and lived in the family home of 65 Every Street. Arawa was head girl of her high school and had many friends and acquaintances. She alluded to her friends that her older brother David was very controlling and that he kept tabs on all of her movements. Because of this, she avoided making plans with friends, as David often invited himself along, playing the role of a chaperone. Arawa also mentioned that she was uneasy about David owning a gun and told a friend that he sometimes threatened his family members, saying he’d shoot them.

Laniet was the only Bain child who did not reside at the family home of 65 Every Street. She worked as an escort part-time, something she did not want her parents to know. She lived in a flat in Russel Street, and at times, lived with her father in the schoolhouse at Taieri. In June 1994, Laniet also worked at the Museum Café and was hoping to straighten her life out. She alleged a fellow prostitute she had been sexually abused by her father in Papua New Guinea, and also alleged to have a baby that was his.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sinclair |first=Kay |date=2009-05-14 |title=Robin father of Laniet's baby: witness |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/robin-father-laniets-baby-witness |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=Otago Daily Times Online News |language=en}}</ref>

Stephen was still at school and did not seem to be overly involved in either of the two camps that had formed in his family. Because he was the youngest, Margaret kept him close to her. He craved approval from his father, but Robin had been sidelined by Margaret. David stepped in as a father figure to all the children, but this only caused more friction in the family.

The Bain family home reflected the state of affairs, as Margaret and Robin kept adding to the clutter by bringing home useless stuff. Heaps of collectables and rubbish littered the inside of the home and flowed out onto the entire property. Items were strewn along the path to where the caravan was. School friends of all the Bain kids said that the Bain family was a pretty strange bunch. It wasn’t a happy and welcoming home, but rather an erratic and chaotic place.

On Saturday 18 June 1994, Robin, David and Stephen were seen on the side of the house, doing repairs. A neighbour said there didn’t seem to be too much conversation going back and forth, but other than that, everything appeared to be as expected. The next day, Robin and his sons went to St Kilda beach to take part in the ‘polar plunge’ – an annual winter swimming event. After the polar plunge, David went to a theatre rehearsal, Robin attended a seminar about genealogy and Stephen went home. Laniet came home for the Sunday night, and the Bain family were all under one roof again. Laniet had told friends that they were having a family meeting and that she wanted to set things straight with her family. Margaret cooked fish in the microwave, and David and Laniet went to a take-out spot close-by to buy some fries. They watched a nature program together, but then Margaret and Robin wanted to change it to a thriller. David told his dad he wanted to use the chainsaw in the garden the following day, and Robin said no. It was typical for them to clash over things like that. David worked in the garden, then Robin would interfere. It was a power struggle between a father and his grown son, that didn’t need much provocation. Leaving his parents and siblings to watch the thriller on TV, David decided to turn in early. He went to his room around 8:30, as he had an early start the next day. Laniet lived away from home, but had returned to the family residence on the Sunday evening of 19 June to attend a family meeting. A friend of Laniet’s recalled her saying that David had called a family meeting on the Sunday night before the shootings.<ref>{{cite web |last=Van Beynen |first=Martin |date=22 April 2009 |title=Laniet scared of brother David, witnesses say |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/2352898/Laniet-scared-of-brother-David-witnesses-say |access-date=15 April 2016 |work=press.co.nz}}</ref>

Mark Buckley, a friend of David’s, came forward and said that David had once told him that he liked the girl who lived across the road from the Bain family, who went on morning runs at the same time David did his paper runs. David said that he had worked out a plan, in which he’d be able to rape her and get away with it. In David’s plan, he would use his paper round as his alibi, as he could deliver some papers earlier before anyone was awake, and others, as people were leaving, seeing him deliver the newspapers at the usual time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=BEYNEN |first=By MARTIN VAN |date=2009-09-10 |title=Plan to 'rape' jogger revealed |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/2493809/Plan-to-rape-jogger-revealed |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=Stuff |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Porteous |first=Debbie |date=2009-06-12 |title=Bain paper round suggested as 'alibi for rape' |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/bain-paper-round-suggested-alibi-rape |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=Otago Daily Times Online News |language=en}}</ref> This planned fantasy is eerily close to actual events that occurred on the Monday morning of the family murders. A week before the shootings, Margaret told a friend that she was concerned about David because he was having hallucinations and dark premonitions. Margaret also told her sister that she was going to talk to David about how he was treating his siblings. She felt it wasn’t his place to tell them what to do, as he was not their father and needed to know his place.

Friends and fellow students told police that David displayed odd behaviour in the time leading up to the murders. At the beginning of June, during choir practise, he became restless, climbed to the top, clambering over his choir mates and left. He went to a backroom, sat alone, in a distressed state, rocking himself back and forth. His girlfriend also recalled a strange incident when they attended a Symphonia concert. In the second half, David had taken off his glasses and had become very quiet. At the end of the performance, during applause, he was still in this state. His girlfriend elbowed him, then poked him, trying to get him out of his frozen state. When he snapped out of it, he said that he didn’t know what had happened, and had experienced a black-out of sorts.
==Family murders==
On the morning of 20 June 1994, in an undetermined order, all five members of the Bain family were killed; Robin (58), his wife Margaret (50), their daughters Arawa (19) and Laniet (18), and their son Stephen (14), the latter of whom tried to fight off his attacker.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beynen |first=Martin van |date=2016-07-23 |title=Faces of Innocents: Stephen Bain was gutsy victim of NZ's most notorious murder case |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/81499657/faces-of-innocents-stephen-bain-was-gutsy-victim-of-nzs-most-notorious-murder-case |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=Stuff |language=en}}</ref> According to the sole survivor David (22), who was delivering newspapers during the morning of the killings, he arrived home to find the family dead shortly after 6.40am on the morning of the murders, and then called the 111 emergency number at 7:09 am. In a distressed state, David told the operator: "They're all dead. My family: they're all dead."<ref>{{Cite news|title = David Bain could not explain 111 'they're all dead' call, court told|url = http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10562109|newspaper = The New Zealand Herald|date = 17 March 2009|access-date =26 January 2016|issn = 1170-0777|first = Edward|last = Gay}}</ref>

When the police arrived they found five members of the Bain family dead, having all suffered gunshot wounds. Stephen's body also showed signs of strangulation from the fight between him and his attacker.<ref name="PrivyCouncil" /> A cryptic message was found typed on a computer that said "sorry, you are the only one who deserved to stay", referring to David.<ref name="McNeish">{{cite book|last1=McNeish|first1=James|title=Mask of Sanity|date=1997|publisher= David Ling Publishing|location= Auckland, NZ|isbn=0-908990-46-4}}</ref>
==Aftermath==
In the wake of shock and confusion after the deaths, the extended Bain and Cullen families came to Dunedin to support David and help him with arrangements for the five funerals.

David stayed with Margaret’s sister and her husband in the days following the murders. His aunt tried to make sense of what had happened and had many conversations with David during this time, asking him if he knew what could have led to such a catastrophic event. During one conversation, David had a breakdown of sorts, speaking incoherently, saying: ''“''Black Hands, black hands… Dying… Everyone dying… Black hands, I can’t stop them. They came to take them away… It’s just like Schindler’s List... Black Hands... Dying all around, dying everywhere...”<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sinclair |first=Kay |date=2009-05-06 |title=Bain in ‘trance-like' state talking about ‘black hands' |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/bain-%E2%80%98trance-state-talking-about-%E2%80%98black-hands |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=Otago Daily Times Online News |language=en}}</ref>
===Funeral arrangements===
As the family finalised funeral arrangements, David was insistent that he wanted to be the one to make the final decisions;
*David insisted that Robin and Margaret were to be cremated and the three children buried, with a fourth plot left empty for him to occupy later, as he wanted to be buried with his siblings. He even stipulated the positioning of each body within the grave, Arawa with Stephen, him with Laniet.
*David requested the caskets should be made from oak, with brass handles. He described in detail what form the service should take, where it should be held, who should conduct it, that the Quakers should be involved, and who should speak for each member of the family.&nbsp;He did not want to invite any extended family member nor sisters and brothers of Margaret and Robin.
*David described what music should be played for each family member and wanted a period of silence and reflection 2 minutes for each.&nbsp;For Margret he had chosen the Gabriel Fauré composition "Faure's Requiem", and for Laniet he had selected the Queen song "Who Wants to Live Forever", the latter of which Margaret's sister Valerie Boyd called "completely inappropriate."<ref>{{Cite web |last=BEYNEN |first=BY MARTIN VAN |date=2009-05-07 |title=Bain 'micro-managed' family's funerals |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/2376845/Bain-micro-managed-familys-funerals |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=Stuff |language=en}}</ref> He also described in detail all the items of clothing he wanted the family to be dressed for burial in, including items of jewellery and underwear
*David said he wanted to sing at the funeral and he wanted the Male Voice Choir to sing for Robin.
Due to his arrest and imprisonment, David was not able to attend the funeral, but some of his requests were honoured. A gravestone memorial to the Bain family was made in Mosgiel, listing the names of the five murdered family members in birth order.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Price |first=Mark |date=2010-06-21 |title=Bain 'gathering' attracts lone person |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/bain-gathering-attracts-lone-person |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=Otago Daily Times Online News |language=en}}</ref>
===House burned down===
On the 5th of July 1994, two weeks after the murders, on the instruction of the trustees of the Bain family trust (and with the consent of David Bain and the other surviving relatives), the home at 65 Every Street was burnt down by the New Zealand Fire Service. The decision to burn down the home was later met with some criticism, as it potentially destroyed further evidence that could have been used in both of David's trials.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Taonga |first=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu |title=Burning the Bain home |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/21863/burning-the-bain-home |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=teara.govt.nz |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sinclair |first=Kay |date=2009-04-30 |title=Bain agreed to razing family home, court told |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/bain-agreed-razing-family-home-court-told |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=Otago Daily Times Online News |language=en}}</ref>
===Suspects===
The only suspects were Robin, the late father who died during the murders, and David, the eldest son and sole survivor. Investigators found no evidence of a third party committing the murders.
====Robin Bain====
The Bain family murders were originally thought to have been a murder-suicide, that Robin had murdered the family while David was out on his paper run, and then killed himself.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-03-26 |title=Bain father and son were suspects |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/bain-father-and-son-were-suspects |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=Otago Daily Times Online News |language=en}}</ref> Laniet's allegations of sexual assault and incest against him were viewed as a possible motive for Robin to commit the murders, along with the speculation by school colleagues regarding his apparently erratic and deeply troubling state of mind.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-03-13 |title=Robin Bain had motive, trial told |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/2011391/Robin-Bain-had-motive-trial-told |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=Stuff |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-05-11 |title=Defence witnesses say Robin Bain was depressed |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/13548/defence-witnesses-say-robin-bain-was-depressed |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=BEYNEN |first=By MARTIN VAN |date=2009-05-15 |title=Bain: Laniet 'abused by father' |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2403969/Bain-Laniet-abused-by-father |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=Stuff |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sinclair |first=Kay |date=2009-05-13 |title=Laniet Bain told of sex with father |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/laniet-bain-told-sex-father |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=Otago Daily Times Online News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Laniet Bain wanted to 'blow the whistle' over incest, court told |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/laniet-bain-wanted-to-blow-the-whistle-over-incest-court-told/N5FIEQZFFN7TKVPS3AKFFHGP4M/ |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=NZ Herald |language=en-NZ}}</ref> However, several contradictions to this theory led investigators to come to the conclusion that there was very little evidence to prove that Robin was guilty, and he was ruled out as a suspect.
===David Bain===
Robin being ruled out as a suspect led investigators to turn their attention towards David, the sole survivor of the murders. As investigators processed statements and evidence, more and more things pointed them towards David being the more likely killer. David’s account of his movements that morning was closely analysed. He said that when he went to his mother’s room, he saw her lying on her bed, deceased, with her eyes open. Yet, when police officers found her body, her eyes were closed. Investigators also found evidence at the scene of the crime which tied David to the murders;
*Four of David’s fingerprints were found on the murder weapon. There was also a palm print made by Stephen on the silencer, as he probably tried to push the gun away.
*When David was found by police, he had no blood on his hands. There was also blood on the phone he used to call emergency services. By his own admission, he had washed his hands in the laundry. But it wasn’t only black ink from the newspapers on his hands. In the laundry, there were blood smears on the washing machine, as well as the laundry detergent box. A small drop of blood was found in the washing basin.
*A green sweater that was washed by David that morning matched fibres found under Stephen’s nails. At first, David said the sweater was Arawa’s, but later changed his story and said it was Robin’s. The same sweater, rubbed up against door frames in the house, making blood smears.
*David had injuries on his forehead and a scrape on his knee. His knuckles were reddened, and he had scrape marks on his chest. David could not explain these injuries. Police concluded that it was most likely from the struggle with Stephen.<ref>{{Cite web |title=David had injuries consistent with a fight with Stephen {{!}} davidbain: CounterSpin |url=https://davidbain.counterspin.co.nz/evidence/david-had-injuries-consistent-with-a-fight-with-stephen |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=davidbain.counterspin.co.nz}}</ref> What strengthened this theory was that, on the clothes David was wearing when police arrived, they found specs of Stephen’s blood. David’s bloodied opera gloves, as well as a lens from eyeglasses, were found in Stephen’s room. In David’s bedroom was a pair of glasses, missing one lens. Droplets of blood were also found on the top of David’s socks. Five bloodied sock footprints were found in Margaret’s room, then the track led into Laniet’s room and backed out again.
Another strange inconsistency was picked up by investigators. In his first statement, David said that he discovered his mother’s body, then he called for his dad, as he was scared. He went to go and look for his dad, but then found his body in the living room. He did not go around the house looking for his siblings. Yet, when he called 111, he clearly said: "my family, they're all dead."
==Legal proceedings==
===Arrest of David Bain===
Four days after the family shooting, police arrested David. During the first days in custody – he had various fits and black-outs which police felt were faked.<ref name="newshub" /> When an officer who knew David, as he was friends with his son, told him to cut it out, the fits stopped. David was charged with five counts of murder, but maintained his innocence. During his trial, David wore sweaters knitted by his mother to court, which became a symbol of the Bain case.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/2383437/Bain-jersey-his-own-design|title=Bain jersey 'his own design'|work=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]]|first=Martin |last=Van Beynen|date=4 May 2009|access-date=15 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203164236/http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/2383437/Bain-jersey-his-own-design|archive-date=3 February 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
===First trial===
Bain's first trial lasted three weeks and took place at the Dunedin High Court in May 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10425725|title=Bain takes his case to the law lords|work=The New Zealand Herald|date=25 February 2007|access-date=19 January 2016}}</ref>

The Crown put forward that Bain shot to death his mother, two sisters and brother in undetermined order before going on his morning paper run.<ref name="PrivyCouncil" />

Bain testified that after his morning paper run he entered the house without turning on the lights, and went downstairs to the bathroom where he washed his hands, which were covered with black newsprint, and put some clothes in the washing machine.

In his closing address, Crown Prosecutor W J Wright said that Bain murdered his family to gain his inheritance, which the parents had put aside for the new house.<ref>{{cite book|last1=McNeish|first1=James|title=Mask of Sanity|date=1997|publisher=David Ling Publishing|location=Auckland|isbn=0908990464|page=244}}</ref> In summing up, Justice Neil Williamson told the jury that the Crown had said "... that these events were so bizarre and abnormal that it was impossible for the human mind to conceive of any logical or reasonable explanation".<ref>{{cite book|last1=McNeish|first1=James|title=Mask of Sanity|date=1997|publisher=David Ling Publishing|location=Auckland|isbn=0908990464|page=264}}</ref>

Little in the way of motive was presented for Robin. Dean Cottle, a witness who was expected to testify about Laniet's alleged sexual relationship with her father, failed to show up at court when called,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0705/S00225.htm|title=David Bain V The Queen&nbsp;– Privy Council Judgment, para 10, 11|access-date=15 March 2019}}</ref> and when he did turn up, Justice Williamson found him unreliable as a witness and ruled against admission of his testimony.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0705/S00225.htm|title=David Bain V The Queen&nbsp;– Privy Council Judgment, para 46}}</ref>

At the conclusion of the trial, Bain was convicted by the jury on five counts of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a sixteen-year non-parole period.<ref name="NZ_Herald_10576476">{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10576476 |title=David Bain trial: Three possible outcomes |date=4 June 2009 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=13 October 2011}}</ref>
===Appeals===
====Support of Joe Karam====
Former All Black rugby player Joe Karam felt "something was wrong" with the case and spearheaded a lengthy campaign to have Bain's convictions overturned.<ref name="aid">{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/2486812/Karam-gets-330-000-in-legal-aid|title=Karam gets $330,000 in legal aid|work=stuff.co.nz|date=10 June 2009|first=Martin|last=Van Beynen}}</ref> He visited Bain in prison over 200 times<ref name="aid" /> and wrote four books about the case. Karam stated in his books that "[David's] innocence is the only possible conclusion"<ref>David and Goliath: the Bain family murders, (Auckland: Reed, 1997), p. 223.</ref> and that he was "totally innocent".<ref>''Trial By Ambush'', p. 409.</ref> Karam was subsequently described in some media as a 'freedom fighter' and his support helped bring about a retrial in 2009.<ref name="Joe Karam: Freedom fighter">{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10482433|title=Joe Karam: Freedom fighter|newspaper=The New Zealand Herald|date=15 December 2007|first=Geoff|last=Cumming|access-date=15 April 2016}}</ref>

The first application was made to the New Zealand Court of Appeal in 1995, principally on whether the trial judge had erred in refusing to admit Cottle's testimony. The Court refused to hear the appeal on the grounds that the "Crown case appeared very strong and the defence theory not at all plausible."<ref name="PrivyCouncil" />

In June 1998, Bain petitioned the Governor-General for a pardon, which was then passed on to the Ministry of Justice. In 2000, Justice Minister Phil Goff said the investigation had shown that "a number of errors" may have occurred in the Crown's case against Bain.<ref>[http://beehive.govt.nz/release/bain-matters-referred-court-appeal Bain Matters Referred To Court Of Appeal], press release by Phil Goff, 19 December 2000.</ref>
====Privy Council====
In March 2007, Bain's legal team, including Karam, travelled to London to lay out nine arguments before the Privy Council as to why his convictions should be quashed.<ref name="PrivyCouncil" /> Two of the nine points concerned Robin's mental state and possible motive.<ref name="Bain could be out of jail next week">[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10439079 Bain could be out of jail next week], ''New Zealand Herald'', 11 May 2007.</ref> The other seven points concerned questions about particular pieces of evidence.<ref name="PrivyCouncil" /> The Privy Council said there was considerable doubt that Bain would have been convicted if evidence discovered post-trial had been put to the jury.<ref name="Bain could be out of jail next week" />

The Privy Council concluded that: "In the opinion of the board, the fresh evidence adduced in relation to the nine points ... taken together, compels the conclusion that a substantial miscarriage of justice has actually occurred in this case."<ref name="PrivyCouncil" /> The Privy Council quashed Bain's convictions and ordered a retrial, but noted that he should remain in custody in the meantime.<ref name="PrivyCouncil" />

On 15 May 2007, Bain was granted bail by the High Court in Christchurch. Justice Fogarty said that under New Zealand law, there was no reason for continued detention and he was bailed to the home of his longtime supporter Karam. Altogether, he served almost thirteen years of a life sentence with a minimum sixteen-year non-parole period.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/david-bain-timeline-of-events-2013062614|title=David Bain timeline of events|newspaper=Newshub|access-date=22 October 2016}}</ref>
===Retrial===
The retrial took place at the Christchurch High Court,<ref name="baintrial">{{Cite news|title=Bain trial: 'That ladies and gentlemen is the evidence in this trial'|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10574829|newspaper=The New Zealand Herald|date=27 May 2009|access-date=2 January 2016|issn=1170-0777|first=Edward|last=Gay}}</ref> with the jury sworn in on 6 March 2009, and Bain pleaded not guilty to the five murder charges. The defence argued that Robin committed the murders and then committed suicide. The trial lasted about three months and the jury took less than a day to find Bain not guilty on all five charges.<ref name="David Bain found not guilty" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10576700|work=The New Zealand Herald|title= David Bain trial: Reasons to acquit|date=6 June 2009|first=Jarrod|last=Booker|access-date=15 April 2016}}</ref>

Some commentators questioned the behaviour of jurors who hugged Bain and attended a "victory party" after the verdict. Chris Gallavin, a senior law lecturer at Canterbury University, said, "While this is unusual behaviour, the whole case is an unusual case."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/2480624/Jurors-behaviour-questioned|title=Jurors' behaviour questioned|work=Stuff.co.nz|date=8 June 2009|access-date=15 April 2016}}</ref>

After the retrial, New Zealand's Chief Coroner consulted with the local coroner and others to decide whether to conduct inquests into the deaths, as the verdict implied the death certificates may not be accurate. However no inquests were held; a Law Society spokesman pointed out that even if the coroner's findings disagreed with the retrial verdict, this could not lead to any further legal action against Bain.<ref name="NZ_Herald_10577141">{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/david-bain-case/news/article.cfm?c_id=1500919&objectid=10577141|title=Coroner's verdict could not spark action against Bain&nbsp;– Law Society|date=8 June 2009|agency=[[NZPA]]|work= [[The New Zealand Herald]]|access-date=13 October 2011}}</ref>
==Compensation==
In March 2010, Bain lodged an application for compensation for wrongful imprisonment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10854137|title=Dunne: Bain should be compensated|work=The New Zealand Herald|date=14 December 2012|first=Kate|last=Shuttleworth|access-date=15 April 2016}}</ref> His case fell outside Cabinet rules on compensation, meaning the government was not obliged to pay him anything, but may do so if he was able to establish his innocence on "the balance of probabilities" and was also considered to be the "victim of exceptional circumstances".<ref name="stuff.co.nz">{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8030337/Collins-seeks-second-opinion-on-Bain |title=Collins seeks second opinion on Bain|work=The Press|date=4 December 2012|access-date=15 April 2016|first=Andrea|last=Vance}}</ref>
===Ian Binnie's report===
Because of the high-profile nature of the case, Justice Minister Simon Power chose an overseas judge&nbsp;– retired Canadian Supreme Court Justice Ian Binnie&nbsp;– to examine Bain's application for compensation.<ref name="Herald12">{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10832947|title=Bain innocent and deserves payout, judge tells Cabinet|work=The New Zealand Herald|date=10 September 2012|first=Audrey|last=Young}}</ref> After a year-long investigation, Binnie concluded in September 2012<ref name="BinnieReport">{{cite web|url=http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/document/pdf/201250/01Justice%20Binnies%20report.pdf|title=Report for the Minister of Justice on Compensation Claim By David Cullen Bain By Hon Ian Binnie QC|first=Ian|last=Binnie|date=30 August 2012|work=The New Zealand Herald}}</ref> that "on the balance of probabilities" Bain was innocent of the murders in 1994 and should be paid compensation for wrongful conviction and imprisonment".<ref name="Herald12" /> By the time Binnie's report was completed, Simon Power had retired from Parliament.

Judith Collins, the new Justice Minister, disagreed with Binnie's conclusions and sought feedback from the police, the Solicitor-General and former High Court judge Robert Fisher. Fisher concluded that Binnie had made significant errors of principle<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/justice-binnies-report-markedly-generous-to-bain-2012121314|title=Justice Binnies report markedly generous to Bain|newspaper=Newshub|date=13 December 2012|access-date=15 March 2019}}</ref> and recommended that a new report be undertaken. He acknowledged that a new report could still reach the same conclusion as Binnie.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/document/pdf/201250/Robert%20Fisher%20Repor1.pdf|title=Interim Report for Minister of Justice on Compensation Claim by David Bain|last=Fisher|first=Robert|date=13 December 2012|work=The New Zealand Herald}}</ref> Collins agreed and said another report into Bain's compensation claim would have to be commissioned.<sup>[[Bain family murders#cite note-Bain breaks his silence-56|[55]]]</sup> Binnie took exception to the criticisms of his report, arguing that he had weighed up the totality of the evidence both for and against Bain. He said the government was clearly "shopping around" for a report that would allow it to dodge paying compensation.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/david-bain-case/news/article.cfm?c_id=1500919&objectid=11406156|title=Government not dodging Bain compo&nbsp;– PM|work=The New Zealand Herald|date=23 February 2015|access-date=15 April 2016|first1=Claire|last1=Trevett|first2=Patrice|last2=Dougan}}</ref>

In January 2013, Bain filed a claim in the High Court seeking a review of Collins' actions, alleging Collins had breached natural justice and the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10862368|title=Bain takes High Court action against Collins|work=The New Zealand Herald|date=30 January 2013|access-date=15 April 2016|first=Rebecca|last=Quilliam}}</ref> In August 2014, Collins resigned and Amy Adams was appointed as the new Justice Minister. The judicial review proceedings against Collins were discontinued in January 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11390466|title=Cabinet to look at David Bain compensation|work=The New Zealand Herald|date=23 January 2015|first1=Patrice|last1=Dougan|first2=Kurt|last2=Bayer|access-date=15 April 2016}}</ref>
===Ian Callinan's report===
Another report was commissioned and retired Australian judge Ian Callinan was given the responsibility to draft it.<ref name="Retiredjudge" /> On 2 August 2016, Adams formally announced that Callinan had found that Bain was not innocent "on the balance of probabilities". However, due to Bain's legal team indicating they intended to challenge the decision, the government decided to make an ex gratia payment to Bain of $925,000 in order to settle the matter.<ref name="Ex gratia" />
===Public opinion===
The majority of respondents to opinion polls conducted in 2012, 2013 and 2015 thought Bain should receive compensation for the time he spent in prison.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10856318|title= Poll: Give Bain compo|work= The New Zealand Herald|date=28 December 2012|access-date=15 April 2016|first=David|last=Fisher}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8331225/Majority-favour-compo-for-Bain|title=Majority favour compo for Bain|work=The Press|date=21 February 2013|access-date=15 April 2016|first=Andrea|last=Vance}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.3news.co.nz/politics/poll-shows-support-for-bain-compensation-2013031317#ixzz3nvjpfZQY|title=Poll shows support for Bain compensation|work=TV3|date=13 March 2013|access-date=15 April 2016|first=Patrick|last=Gower}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/poll-backs-compensation-for-david-bain-6310623.html|title=Poll backs compensation for David Bain|work=TVOne|date=10 May 2015|access-date=15 April 2016}}</ref>
===Cost to the taxpayer===
The total cost to the taxpayer of the Bain case was nearly $7 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/82752673/the-7m-bill-for-david-bains-innocence-campaign|title=The $7m bill for David Bain's innocence campaign|date=2 August 2016 |access-date=20 November 2016}}</ref> The 2009 retrial cost more than $4 million, making it the most expensive trial in New Zealand history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/2580643/Bains-retrial-cost-police-476-000|title=Bain's retrial cost police $476,000|date=10 July 2009|access-date=20 November 2016|via=Stuff.co.nz}}</ref>
==Bain's life after acquittal==
Following his acquittal, Bain undertook a three-month European holiday paid for by his supporters. Ten months later, he was struggling to find work and had no money. Auckland defence lawyer Peter Williams QC said Bain would be suffering from the stigma experienced by ex-prisoners re-entering the workplace.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3594686/Free-Bain-struggles-to-find-employment |title=Free Bain struggles to find employment|work=Stuff.co.nz|date=18 April 2010|first=Tim|last=Hume|access-date=15 April 2016}}</ref>

In March 2012, Bain was working for an engineering firm in Auckland.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/david-bain-moving-on-with-life-2012030507|title=David Bain moving on with life|newspaper=Newshub|date=5 March 2012|access-date=22 October 2016|last1=Taylor |first1=Adrien }}</ref> In September 2012, he became engaged to his girlfriend Liz Davies, a Christchurch primary school teacher,<ref name="David Bain gets engaged">{{cite news|url=http://www.3news.co.nz/David-Bain-and-Christchurch-teacher-engaged-to-wed/tabid/423/articleID/268852/Default.aspx|work=3 News NZ|title= David Bain gets engaged|date=11 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10833243|title=Family 'delighted' by Bain engagement|work=The New Zealand Herald|date=11 September 2012|access-date=15 April 2016|first=Kurt|last=Bayer}}</ref> and they were married on 10 January 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9595893/David-Bain-to-tie-the-knot-today|title=David Bain to tie the knot today|date=10 January 2014|access-date=15 March 2019|website=stuff.co.nz|publisher=Fairfax Media|last=Ensor|first=Blair}}</ref> Bain was working for a Christchurch engineering firm at the time his wife gave birth to a baby boy on 3 December 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11369766|title=Baby happiness for David Bain|publisher=Nzherald.co.nz|date=6 December 2014|access-date=22 October 2016}}</ref>

In May 2017, he changed his name from David Cullen Bain to William David Cullen Davies, taking his wife Liz's surname.<ref>{{cite web|title=David Bain changes name to William Davies|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11863976|website=The New Zealand Herald|access-date=26 May 2017|date=26 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-07-25 |title='Why I believe David Bain's guilty' |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/why-i-believe-david-bains-guilty |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=Otago Daily Times Online News |language=en}}</ref> That year, they had a daughter, whom was named Sophie Arawa Carolyn Davies, in honour of Bain's late sister Arawa.<ref>{{Cite web |title=David Bain names new daughter after murdered sister |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/david-bain-names-new-daughter-after-murdered-sister/LR45D5VJ3LWEO6AQRYGK7UQBRI/ |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=NZ Herald |language=en-NZ}}</ref>

In June 2017, the Crown began disposing of exhibits used in the trials. Crown Law decided it had no legal grounds on which to retain items belonging to Bain, and his .22-caliber Winchester Model 490 semi-automatic rifle<ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1306/S00696/gamechanger-evidence-in-the-bain-murder-case-revealed.htm|access-date=6 February 2019|title='Gamechanger' Evidence in the Bain Murder Case Revealed|date=27 June 2013|publisher=Scoop.co.nz}}</ref> and items of clothing would be returned to him through Karam.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/94073397/murder-rifle-going-back-to-the-bain-camp|access-date=26 June 2017|title=Murder rifle going back to the Bain camp|date=26 June 2017|publisher=Stuff.co.nz}}</ref>
==In popular culture==
The jumpers worn by Bain during the original trial, knitted by Margaret Bain to David's own designs, became a symbol of the Bain case.<ref name=":0" /> During the retrial, T-shirts inspired by the jumpers were sold online.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/2271534/Jumpers-on-the-Bain-bandwagon |title=Jumpers on the Bain bandwagon |work=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |date=16 April 2009 |access-date=10 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203173256/http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/2271534/Jumpers-on-the-Bain-bandwagon|archive-date=3 February 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

Reflecting the high level of public interest in his case, in 2009, David Bain was found by the Internet search engine Google to be the most-searched-for New Zealander of the past year.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.3news.co.nz/Top-NZ-Google-searches-for-2009-revealed-/tabid/423/articleID/132209/Default.aspx|work=[[Newshub|3 News NZ]] |title= Top NZ Google searches for 2009 revealed | date=2 December 2009}}</ref>

''The December Brother'', a 2010 play produced by Tim Spite<ref>{{cite news|url = http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=26163|title = Downstage: Tim Spite directing new work|date=28 July 2010|work=[[Scoop (website)|Wellington Scoop]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304203510/http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=26163|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> for Wellington's Downstage Theatre, depicts re-enactments of the Bain family killings. The play was based on the theories put forward by the legal teams for the defence and prosecution during the trials.<ref name="Stuff.co.nz_4010780">{{cite news |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/national-news/4010780/Plays-Bain-theories-survive-lawyers |title=Play's Bain theories survive lawyers |author=Cardy, Tom |date=11 August 2010 |work=[[Manawatu Standard]] |publisher=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]]|access-date=13 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103045922/http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/4010780/Plays-Bain-theories-survive-lawyers|archive-date=3 November 2020}}</ref>

''Black Hands'', a 10-episode podcast covering the case, by Christchurch journalist Martin van Beynen, was launched on 20 July 2017.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Dudding|first1=Adam|title=Martin van Beynen: Why the David Bain story needed to be told one more time|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/93827727/martin-van-beynen-why-the-david-bain-story-needed-to-be-told-one-more-time|work=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]]|date=22 July 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190316183155/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/93827727/martin-van-beynen-why-the-david-bain-story-needed-to-be-told-one-more-time|archive-date=16 March 2019}}</ref> A one–episode sequel podcast, also written and narrated by van Beynen and in response to a radio interview of former judge Ian Binnie,<ref>{{cite news|title=Justice Ian Binnie - Compensating David Bain|url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/201853679/justice-ian-binnie-compensating-david-bain|access-date=15 March 2019|work=[[Radio New Zealand]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630140319/https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/201853679/justice-ian-binnie-compensating-david-bain|archive-date=30 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> was released on 17 September 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/96350003/black-hands-the-journalist-and-the-judge|access-date=15 March 2019|title=Black Hands: The journalist and the judge|date=18 September 2017|work=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109104756/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/96350003/black-hands-the-journalist-and-the-judge|archive-date=9 November 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

The story was retold by TVNZ in the 2020 television drama series ''Black Hands'', which premiered on 31st October. Producers made the show against the wishes of the surviving family, with the programme focusing on the family's lives and conflicts prior to the murder.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McConnell |first1=Glenn |title=Bain family warned Black Hands producers the TV series would make them 'grieve all over again' |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/300141205/bain-family-warned-black-hands-producers-the-tv-series-would-make-them-grieve-all-over-again |access-date=3 November 2020 |work=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |date=31 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101052731/https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/300141205/bain-family-warned-black-hands-producers-the-tv-series-would-make-them-grieve-all-over-again |archive-date=1 November 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> The series also aired in the United Kingdom in 2022 on Channel 4, under the title ''The Bain Family Murders.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Bain Family Murders - All 4 |url=https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-bain-family-murders |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=www.channel4.com}}</ref>
[[Category:Murderer]]
[[Category:Grey Zone]]