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The podcast Serials and Schemes discusses the case of David Baines, who is accused of shooting his entire family. The family background is explored, including the strained marriage of David's parents, Robin and Margaret. Margaret is described as controlling and unstable, while Robin is seen as worn down and disempowered. The family's reputation as eccentric and disorganized is also mentioned. Margaret's mental state deteriorates, with her obsession with demons becoming apparent. After 15 years in Papua New Guinea, the family returns to New Zealand. Welcome to Serials and Schemes. I'm Sam and I'm Sandy. This is a True Crime and Conspiracy Podcast. Our podcast is intended for mature audiences. Listener discretion is advised. Hi guys and welcome back. If you're new here, hi and welcome. I'm Sandy. And I'm Sam. Today we're picking up where we left off last week on our episode of David Baines. Yes, if you haven't listened to that yet, we highly recommend listening to that episode before this one so that you're caught up. Last week we left off with David's arrest. In a dramatic turn, 22-year-old David Colin Baines was this afternoon led into the district court. He's accused of shooting his entire family in cold blood. David Baines showed no emotion when he made a brief appearance in court late this afternoon. He entered no plea and was remanded in custody until July the 8th. Relatives leaving court tonight would not comment on the twist. When initially questioned by police, David Baines told them he discovered the bodies after returning from his morning newspaper round. Dead were his sisters, Arua and Leaniette, his brother, Stephen, and his parents, father, Robin Baines, and mother, Margaret Cullen. Since the shootings, he's believed to have been staying at this house with relatives. Police arrested him at 1 o'clock this afternoon. Tonight police issued a brief media statement on the case but would make no further comments. Police have kept their options open, but at one stage they told 3 National News they had ruled out David Baines as a suspect. Well, he was never a suspect, but we've got an open mind about the whole situation. We've been talking to him again this afternoon and the detectives that went to see him haven't arrived back yet, so I haven't spoken to them. But I understand that he is coping as well as one could expect under these very difficult circumstances. However, they were generally more cagey on who committed the killing. I'm not prepared to speculate on what's happened there until all that information is at hand. Detectives had intensified their search at the scene in recent days. They've beefed up staff numbers as they catalogued a vast number of exhibits. Public speculation has centred on murder-suicide, but tonight David Baines is in a Benetton cell charged with murdering all five members of his family. Richard Langston, 3 National News. Yeah, so before we can get into all of that, the whodunit of it all, Robin or David, we have to dive into a bit of the family history and try to get a feel for what could have led to this tragedy. All right, so the Baines story really kicks off in August of 1969 in New Zealand when 30-year-old Robin Irving Baines married 25-year-old Margaret Attawah-Cullen. The wedding took place at the First Church in the heart of Dunedin. Both of them came from strong Presbyterian backgrounds, and interestingly, they were each the oldest of four kids. Robin and Margaret met through church after Robin moved down to Dunedin from Northland, where he had been teaching in small rural schools. Margaret was also in education. She worked at Dunedin's Kindergarten Teachers' College. But here's the thing about Margaret. She had a bit of a reputation. She was known to be loud, sometimes a little mean with her words, and, well, people just remember her for having a really strong body odour. And let's be honest, being known for that is just brutal. So brutal. The fact that anyone has—oh, yeah, Margaret. Oh, yeah, she was on the McDonald's. Oh, wait, she died. Oh. Despite their differences, Robin and Margaret made a solid team. They ran a youth group at Anderson's Bay Presbyterian Church and were generally seen as a happy, good-natured couple. Though if you looked closer, they had very different personalities. Margaret was outgoing and boisterous, while Robin was quiet and serious. Then, on March 27th of 1973, Robin and Margaret welcomed their first child. David Cullen Bain. Robin had always been deeply drawn to missionary work, long before marrying Margaret, and he'd always spent time in Papua New Guinea. And this wasn't just some fleeting interest. He was absolutely committed to returning. So in early 1974, the Bain family uprooted their lives in Dunedin and set off for Gollum, a remote town near Robble, on the island of New Britain, where they would work with the Presbyterian Church. Robin took on the role of deputy principal at Gollum Teachers' College, and from all accounts, he was completely run off his feet. Friends and colleagues often said that he seemed overloaded, like he just never had a moment to breathe. Margaret gave birth to their second child, Adewa Mac Mary, on June 26th of 1974. She had studied anthropology at university in Papua New Guinea and really threw herself into the local culture, embracing traditional beliefs and even getting involved in indigenous healing practices. She became so immersed in this world that everything else started to fall by the wayside. She was a mess, dirty, unhygienic, but that didn't stop the family from growing. On March 19th of 1976, they welcomed another daughter, Lydie Margaret. A few years later, in January 1979, the Bains relocated to Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. Robin had landed a job as a senior lecturer at the Government's Teachers' College, and with that came a big colonial-style house inside a compound for expatriate staff. Not long after the move, on January 1st, 1980, their fourth child, Stephen, was born. Margaret had decided to homeschool the kids, but it didn't go particularly well. For years, David and Laniette struggled with basic reading skills. Eventually, when David turned 11, he was enrolled in an international school nearby. He had a talent for music, but school wasn't exactly a happy place for him. He was relentlessly bullied. It got so bad that in 1987, Margaret pulled him out altogether, and from then on, he mostly kept to himself in the compound. People who lived there described David as distant, introverted, and emotionally shut off, but let's be real, what teenager wouldn't be, especially after being bullied? That said, something that did stand out to neighbours was how unusually close he seemed to be with his mother. As a family, the Bains developed a bit of a reputation. They were seen as disorganised, eccentric, hippie types. They let their kids run around naked, which didn't sit well with the locals. And their house? It was an absolute disaster, filthy, chaotic, and honestly just gross. It was so bad that many visitors only made the mistake of going over once before vowing never to return. I can't imagine having that for a reputation, eh? That's clearly got a reputation running. And if Margaret is a stay-at-home mum running the house, well, we can see why. She had the reputation of a failure. 100%. As the kids got older, Margaret started to panic. She was terrified that they'd develop their own opinions, start questioning her authority, or pull away from her control. Desperate to keep a grip on them, she reached out to her family friend, who was a psychologist, hoping for some guidance. It's interesting that that was her worry. My hope is that my kids do question and make their own mind up and have independence. You don't want them stuck somewhere just because they have to be. Well, clearly, she does. She did. But interesting as a parent and as a teacher to have that sort of mentality that we can't ask questions, just do as you're told. Yeah, although this is what, like, the early 80s, I guess. Although, like, there was a lot of freedom, a lot more freedom around kids, right? Like, they were a bit more chilled and... I don't know. It just seems so, like, so controlling at the same. Yeah. Yeah. So the psychologist agreed to assess the family, sitting down with each member to get a better picture of what was really going on. But here's the thing. Margaret wasn't interested in listening. She just talked and talked and talked. Gal was a certified yapper. It was never any stream of words, as if she believed that if she kept speaking, no one else would get the chance to challenge her. Margaret and Robin had this bizarre belief that the outside world was corrupt and dangerous. I mean... I mean, it's not bizarre. Yeah, it was an entirely bizarre world. It's bizarre if you don't think that the world is corrupt. But I guess at that time, maybe it was seen as, like, you know, very stronghold and controlling. Everyone back then was just like, ah, yeah, no, too, everything's all good. But the fact that they're letting their kids run around naked and stuff, but then go, oh, the world is corrupt and dangerous. Yeah, so maybe protect your kids a bit better from that. Literally. And that they were the only ones raising their kids the right way. Again, that's a ricksack. Shielded from all those so-called harmful influences. But when the psychologist spoke with their eldest daughter, she was clear about what she wanted, to go to school, to have a normal life, and just be like other kids. Then there was David, the oldest, who bore the brunt of Margaret's instability. The psychologist could see it. He carried so much of the weight of the family's dysfunction. And when she finally sat down with Robin, it was painfully obvious that he had been completely worn down by Margaret, disempowered. After years of living under her rule, he seemed hollow, like he had been stripped of any emotion, just as shallow of a man he once was. Their marriage had become deeply strained, but despite treating him horribly, constantly belittling him, Margaret was desperate to rekindle their sex life. While they were in Papua New Guinea, Margaret's mental state only got worse. She kept a series of diaries, and if you look at them, it becomes clear what's consuming her mind. Just three things. Bottling fruit, watching American movies, and demons. That's right, you heard me, guys. Demons. After 15 years of missionary life in Papua New Guinea, it was time to return to New Zealand. They had a family home waiting for them in Dunedin, but to say it was in rough shape would be an understatement. It wasn't in great condition when they left all those years ago, so after a decade and a half of neglect, you can imagine how much worse it had gotten. They settled back into their house on Every Street, the one they had bought before moving overseas, but the transition from their expat life in Port Moresby to small-town Dunedin was anything but smooth. It didn't take long for the same kind of chaos that had ruled their home in Papua New Guinea to creep back in, and on top of that, they just couldn't seem to catch a break. One thing after another kept going wrong, almost like they were cursed with bad luck. Once they were back in Dunedin, the kids had a tough time adjusting to school. It wasn't just the culture shock, it was everything. Meanwhile, Robin struggled to find work. By this point, he was 58, and job opportunities weren't exactly pouring in for him. After searching for a while, the only offer he got was a principal position at Tayere Primary School, a tiny school about 50 kilometres away from their home. It was a major step down for him. There were only two teachers in the whole school, but at the end of the day, it was a job, and with a wife and several kids to support, he really had no choice. The daily 100-kilometre round-trip was exhausting, but he kept at it. Margaret, on the other hand, felt completely abandoned by the church. By 1990, things between her and Robin had gotten so bad that she actually moved out of the house and into a caravan in the backyard. And she didn't just see it as a place to stay. According to her diary, this was her temple, her sacred space. She believed the house was filled with evil and that she had to remove herself from it. My house has my kids and husband. It's full of evil. Okay, wait. No offence there, but why is it so you-coded? I was like, yeah, I want a caravan. Oh, God. Margaret had become obsessed with the idea that the devil was influencing the people around her. She even started calling Robin Belial or Beelzebub. Dude, poor Robin. Robin had it rough as fuck. Both names for the devil in Biblical texts. In her diary, she shortened it to Bel. Oh, that's cute. At least she's being cute. You know what? You're so fucking evil, I'll put a nickname for you. Oh, Mom, thanks. What's it for? Beelzebub. And so she shortened it to Bel and started seeing his presence everywhere. Sometimes she'd come home and claim the entire house was full of Bel. At a family gathering, she insisted that the food had been tainted by Bel. Even David's physical issues. When I say physical issues, I kind of think because your boy's got his ears, I think maybe that. But allegedly, all caused by the Bel inside him. At one point, she even wrote that David might be the son of Belial himself. I mean, shit, that's a little bit telling. But also, this is kind of giving me mental illness. To start again, you said that she started calling Robin Belial. Is that right? Yeah. So then David was the son of Belial. Yeah. Margaret spent days lying in bed crying and meditating completely lost in her thoughts. Can also relate. If Robin tried to check in on her, she would just scream at him. Because of course, he was too, you know, full of Bel. The kids would take turns going out to the caravan to talk to her about their feelings. But let's be real, Benita's weather isn't exactly ideal for living in a backyard caravan. So before long, Margaret decided that she needed to move back into the house and instead Robin was the one who was banished to the caravan. He's the problem. Well, he's Belial. He's the problem. Margaret often gathered the family for spiritual meetings, but she felt like they were always disappointing her. She even ranked her family members based on how much Bel she believed each of them had in them. David was always at the top with the least amount of Bel, despite obviously being called the son of Belial himself. Yep. While Robin was permanently stuck at the bottom, she'd gone so deep down the rabbit hole of alternative medicine, coming up with her own bizarre remedies. For example, if she had a cold, she would not reach for cough syrup, but she'd mix urine and phlegm to get her a homemade cure. Yeah, I'm just going to let that marinate for a second. You said, oh, she's gone down the rabbit hole of alternative medicine. I was like, that's me. That's me. And then I was like, oh no, I don't do that. It's all good. We're like hippie, fruity, what's it called? We're off the land type. We're crunchy, but we're not weird. This is fucking weird. But she is from Dunedin. Oh, Dunedin listeners, we love you. Please stay. I don't like Dunedin. No, it's still full of Dunedin people. I mean, look at this cake, okay? Look, the world knows Dunedin because of Bain. David and Adua both attended Bayfield High School, but their experiences couldn't have been more different. Adua flourished. She embraced school life, made plenty of friends, and got involved in various activities. David and Laniette, however, had a much tougher time fitting in. David was often singled out and mocked for his lanky frame and prominent ears. He frequently found himself alone at lunchtime, struggling to connect with his peers. But in his final year, things seemed to turn around. He joined the school choir, took up running, and even landed the lead role in The Sound of Music, which gave him a newfound sense of confidence. Around this time, he also befriended a girl named Caroline, and they agreed to go to Bayfield High School ball together. But from the start, Caroline made it very clear that it was purely a platonic arrangement. The day after the ball – sorry, in New Zealand, we call it a ball, but it's a prom anywhere else, but yep – they went ice skating together, and after that, David became relentless. He started calling Caroline every single day after school, wanting to chat for hours at a time. She quickly felt overwhelmed and smothered. When she told him to take a step back, he didn't handle it well. According to Caroline, David had no sense of balance when it came to their friendship. He was either all-in or completely detached. He wanted total control over their dynamic, deciding where they went, who they spoke to, and if things didn't go his way, he'd completely ignore her. Eventually, Caroline had enough. She later said, I found him unbearably weird and creepy as time went on. Idawa's friend Greer also spent time around the Bain family and initially found David charming in a quirky, offbeat way, especially when she saw him perform on stage. But her view of him changed dramatically in the weeks leading up to the murders. Her boyfriend, who had been one of David's classmates, told her something deeply disturbing. David had confided in him about a rape fantasy. After that, Greer wanted nothing to do with him. Meanwhile, Idawa and Laniat's friends got a first-hand glimpse into just how chaotic things were at home. The girls would often vent about their mother, Margaret, and how dysfunctional their household had become. Margaret barely participated in family life. Most days, she wouldn't even get out of bed, not even to celebrate Christmas with the family. If Idawa upset her in any way, Margaret would punish her by giving her the silent treatment for weeks. She'd also completely given up on maintaining the house. It was always in a disastrous state, with dirty dishes piling up everywhere. She was obsessed with making jars of preserved fruit that they'd be left to rot just like everything else in the home. David's anxiety for keeping things in order fell almost entirely on the kids, with David bearing the brunt of it. During school holidays, they were each given exhausting lists of chores, some tasks taking eight hours to complete. Idawa and Laniat's friends hated staying over at the main house. It wasn't just the filth, it was the unsettling atmosphere, and David, he made people uncomfortable. He had this erratic, almost manic energy. He was intense, uptight, and unpredictable. More than one person admitted that One of David's friends later told police about a chilling conversation they'd had during a sleepover. David had mentioned a girl who lived across the street, someone he often saw while out on his morning runs. At first it seemed like an innocent crush. He admitted he liked seeing her and enjoyed their brief chats, but then he said something that made his friends deeply uncomfortable. David claimed that if he really wanted to, he could assault her, and no one would ever suspect him. He had thought it through, his paper route, he explained, provided the perfect cover. If he split his deliveries dropping off half the newspapers early and saving the rest for later, it would create a foolproof timeline. People would see him out and about at the usual time, never realising he had an uncountable window in between. He even had kept a record, meticulously noting when he passed specific people on his runs. David also had a running partner, a woman who he'd become friends with through jogging. She would later admit that after spending time with the Bain family, she started feeling uneasy about David. Something about him just didn't sit right. She described him as tense, as if he was always on edge, and she felt like his life was entirely dictated by his mother. Everything in the Bain household seemed to revolve around Margaret, her rules, her beliefs, and her version of reality. By this point, Margaret's reputation in the neighbourhood was well established. Locals found her overbearing and exhausting to talk to. She never let anyone get a word in. She had strong opinions about everything and came across as eccentric, even erratic, and she was also an extreme hoarder. Every weekend she'd hit up garage sales, bringing home piles of random junk and cramming it into their already chaotic house. And Robin? He was just as bad. His hoarding habits focused on outdoor spaces, filling the yard with scrap metal and discarded items until the place looked like a junkyard. Then, in August 1990, Robin took a job as a relieving principal at Taiere Beach Primary School, a tiny rural school about an hour's drive away. It was a major step down from the roles he'd held before, but options were limited. With no better choice, Robin split his time between work and home, making the long drive to Taiere at the start of each week. With no proper accommodation available at the school, he slept in his old caravan, parking it on school grounds or along the roadside whenever there were complaints. It wasn't ideal, but it was what he had to do. On Fridays, once the school week was over, he'd drive back to Dunedin to spend the weekends with the family. A few months before his death, the schoolhouse at Taiere Beach finally became available, and Robin moved in. But despite having a place to stay, he still returned home every weekend. He was increasingly worried about Margaret and the advice from a close friend they had known since their time in Golan. But Margaret had her own beliefs, and she shared with this friend that she was convinced she had lived multiple past lives. She claimed to be related to figures like Winston Churchill and Egyptian rulers, and even believed that she and the friend had been connected in a past life. Her decision-making also took on a spiritual element. When shopping, she would sling a keyring or a necklace back and forth before making a choice. It was just one of many unusual behaviours that set her apart. It was just one of many unusual behaviours that set her apart. The Avery Street house itself was in a dire state. Over 100 years old, it was cold, damp and filthy. The family's poor housekeeping made things even worse. Margaret, who often stayed in bed until midday, refused to spend money on repairs, not because they were broke, but because she wanted to demolish the house entirely. Margaret had grand plans to replace it with a sanctuary, somewhere people could come to meditate and find peace. It would also serve as a new home for the family, with a unique layout featuring two master bedrooms joined by a shared bathroom. Margaret wrote in her diary that God had told her to design the house herself, and she took this instruction seriously. But one detail stood out. David was included in her vision, with a master bedroom for himself, while Robin was left out entirely. As David told his friends, his father had no place in Margaret's new plans. Even so, Robin remained the sole provider for the family. As David told his friends, his father had no place in Margaret's new plans. Even so, Robin remained the sole provider for the family. They lived modestly on his $500 a week salary, but despite appearances, they weren't as financially destitute as they seemed. If they had chosen to sell some of their assets, they could have afforded to build a new home, perhaps not on the scale Margaret envisioned, but certainly something far more livable than the decaying house they were stuck in. Yeah, the Baines definitely weren't as broke as they liked to claim or seem. They actually owned land in Whangarei, and another section over in Bundaberg, near London. On top of that, they had around $60,000 invested with friends, and a significant amount stashed away in an overseas bank account. Back in 1994, that kind of money could have easily bought a couple of decent second-hand homes in Dunedin. But there was a major roadblock. Robin. Since his approval was needed to sell off any assets, Margaret's dream of building her spiritual retreat was not moving forward. Robin had little to say in what happened to their finances, and he may have been setting his ground, demanding his fair share. If he wasn't on board, there simply wouldn't be enough money to fund Margaret's sanctuary. Divorce was another issue. If Robin wanted out of the marriage, things would get even messier. He was unlikely to agree to liquidate their assets. If Robin wanted out of the marriage, things would get even messier. He was unlikely to agree to liquidating their assets, only to walk away with nothing. Meanwhile, David wasn't exactly keeping up financially. His university experience in 1991 had been a disaster. He failed every single paper. For the next two years, he relied on welfare, doing odd jobs around the house and sticking to his paper route. Outside of that, his focus was on performing, singing and acting in local productions with Dunedin Opera and Opera Alive. By 1993, Alainette was struggling. Friends said she'd gone downhill mentally, emotionally and physically. She would talk fondly about her family, but had a complicated, almost unsettling relationship with David. She told people that he was jealous of her relationships and she was scared of upsetting him. In the months leading up to her death, she was increasingly anxious, constantly bringing up David, worrying about how he'd react to what she was doing. And at the same time, Arawai had her own concerns about David. She told friends she didn't feel safe at home anymore. She said David was controlling, manipulative and always inserted himself into her plans. He wouldn't let her go anywhere alone, always insisting on driving and tagging along. She had stopped seeing friends altogether because it was just easier than dealing with him. David, however, appeared to be getting his life back together. He had re-enrolled at the University of Otago, taking classics and music papers, making new friends and getting deeply involved in opera. He was performing in multiple productions, including Oedipus Rex, and had started studying German to support his opera career. His uncle had even offered him a job at a gas station, but he turned it down, saying he needed to stay home to help with the garden and assist his mother in planning her sanctuary. Margaret's dream of building the sanctuary was a major point of tension in the Bain family. She envisioned a peaceful retreat where people could meditate and heal, and David was all in on making it happen. But there was a problem. Money. The family wasn't as poor as they liked. Are we repeating it? Oh yeah, no, it's fine. But there was a problem. Money. The family wasn't as poor as they liked to portray. Remember they owned land in Whangarei and Bundaberg. Selling those assets could have funded a new home, maybe even the sanctuary. But the problem was Robin. Maybe that's just... Maybe just take out that part where I say but there was a problem. Money. Just take that whole part out. Meanwhile, Robin had been living at a... Meanwhile, Robin had been living a very different life. He had been the principal at Tairie Beach Primary School for three years now, where he was well-liked, despite struggling with admin tasks. He had a passion for teaching and technology, even introducing three computers to his small class of 11 students. Pretty innovative for 1993. Despite his ongoing issues with Margaret, Robin remained active in his kids' lives. He was proud of them and spoke highly of them at work. He always made sure to attend their school productions and events. But inside the Bain household, it was clear that David had taken over the role of the head of the family. He later said that while Robin had Laniette, he, Aroi and Stephen were with their mother. Laniette, on the other hand, had moved out when she was 16, unable to get financial support from her parents. She wasn't eligible for government assistance, since Margaret and Robin refused to sign the paperwork for her underage living allowance. Left with very few options, she became a freelancer at school. She had a phone registered under the name of Dean Cottle, a man her friends claimed was her pimp. Their relationship was toxic. Dean was blackmailing her, threatening to expose her work to her family unless she had sex with him whenever he wanted. To cope with the overwhelming stress and trauma, Laniette turned to heavy marijuana use. She also had a tendency to open up to people she barely knew, often telling different versions of the same story. She once told her PE teacher that she had been raped in Papua New Guinea and had a baby. But later, she changed the story, saying that she had an abortion instead. She also claimed she had attempted suicide by cutting her wrists, and that Ottawa had saved her. But during the gym class, the teacher saw her arms and noticed no scars or injuries that would suggest a past suicide attempt. Laniette was also deeply conflicted about her family. She told her neighbour she didn't want to go near the family home or see her father. But then she moved in with Robin at Tyree Beach for a while, though she kept her demeanour flat, seeming to try to stay connected with both worlds. At one point, she even told a stranger that Robin had been sexually abusing her. And then there was an odd encounter. One day, Laniette showed up at David's university looking for him. Instead, she ran into one of his friends. She was visibly distressed and told him she needed David to talk to their mother, because she couldn't take what he was doing to her anymore. Her friend assumed she was referring to Robin, but she could have easily meant Dean Cottle. Who knows? While Robin seemed to be slowly unraveling, Ottawa was doing everything she could to build a future for herself. She was in her second year of teacher's college, juggling university courses, a part-time job at the museum cafe, and babysitting gigs to make ends meet. She had always been well-liked and respected. She had even been head girl in her final year of high school. But her friends noticed that something was weighing on her. She was carrying a secret, something she couldn't bring herself to say out loud, too afraid that someone might overhear. One thing she did confide in them about was her fear of David. He owned a gun which he used to shoot rabbits. But Ottawa didn't trust him. She later told a friend that David had actually used the gun as a way to control the family. At one point, he even dictated who could enter the lounge. It wasn't just a hunting tool, it was a source of power. Then there was Laniette. By 1993, her mental state had deteriorated, and she was struggling in ways that weren't always obvious. She spoke warmly about her family. They had a complicated, almost unsettling relationship with David. She told friends that he was jealous of her relationships, and in the months leading up to her death, she seemed increasingly anxious about him. She kept mentioning his name, worried about what he thought of her, and fearful of upsetting him. At the same time, Robin's situation wasn't getting any better. He had been the principal at Tayari Beach Primary School for three years, and while he was well-liked, his heart didn't seem to be in it anymore. He had spent years applying for other jobs, but nothing was coming through, and it seemed like he had lost all passion for teaching. Meanwhile, David's behaviour was becoming even more erratic. He had developed a close friendship with a woman he met during a theatre production of The Tempest. Her identity remained protected. In the first half of 1994, he also met another person through this friend, someone he felt comfortable enough to open up to. Over the course of several hours, David shared deeply personal thoughts. He told her he felt isolated, like he had no real friends. He said that everyone he had ever loved had ended up hurting. He also revealed tensions at home, saying that the family didn't want Robin around anymore, that he should take the hint and leave. David was fully invested in helping his mother bring her dream sanctuary to life, and the garden had become a major point of contention between him and Robin. He told his confidante that Robin had dumped a trailer full of soil in the wrong place, undoing hours of his work. Small incidents like this seem to fuel David's growing resentment towards his father. David also claimed that Narnia had moved out because she thought their father had been treated unfairly by the rest of the family, leading to a major divide. But what really stood out from that conversation was what David said as he was leaving. Standing in the dining room, he paused and he said he had a bad feeling, like something horrible was about to happen to his family. He also confided that he frequently experienced déjà vu, describing moments where he would see something happen and know he had seen it before, as if he could predict exactly what was coming next. The weekend leading up to the murders was the first time in a long time that the entire Baines family was going to be together under one roof. And for some of them, it seemed like a turning point in the stomach. On the Friday before the killings, David mentioned to a friend that he had fallen in his music teacher's garden and broken his glasses. That same day, Larniat's friend and alleged pimp, Dean Cottle, ran into her on Dunedin's Main Street. According to Cottle, Larniat told him she was ready to start fresh. She said her parents had been asking questions and she was planning to tell them everything that weekend. She was done keeping secrets, done with everyone ganging up on her. She was going home to tell the family exactly what had been happening in her life. She was going to put a stop to it all. Now, this wasn't the first time Larniat had confided in Cottle. About 10 months earlier, she had allegedly told him that her father, Robin, had been sexually abusing her and that it had started back when the family lived in Papua New Guinea and had continued ever since. But on that Friday, she didn't bring up the incest allegations, only that she had decided to come clean to her family. Some say that a family meeting had been scheduled for Sunday night. Witnesses recall hearing about it and some believe Larniat was planning to confront Robin about the alleged abuse or reveal the truth about her sex work. Others claim that David had called for the meeting, but he denies that any such meeting ever happened. Meanwhile, Aroi had been thinking about leaving home altogether. A friend who saw her that weekend said she was eager to move out to escape the constant tension in the house. She sided with her mother over Robin, but that didn't make things easier. Margaret often unloaded all her stress onto Aroi. She had even started talking seriously about siding with a friend the following year and seemed genuinely excited about the prospect of getting out. That Saturday, Robin, David and Stephen spent part of the day fixing a problem with the house's spouting. A neighbour saw letters propped up against the house but noted that the three men weren't really talking much as they worked. And on the Sunday morning, Robin took David and Stephen to St Kilda Beach for the annual Dunedin Polar Plunge, where locals take a freezing dip in the ocean as part of the mid-winter tradition. Later that day, Robin attended a genealogy seminar, while David went to choir practice for his upcoming production of Oedipus Rex. That evening, the family were supposed to have dinner together, but it doesn't seem like Margaret put much effort into it. Their meal consisted of microwaved fish, and at some point, Lania and David went down to the local fish and chip shop to pick up some hot chips. Now here's where things start to get murky. The only version of events we have for that Sunday night comes from David. According to him, there was no family meeting. It wasn't until his 1995 trial that he suddenly recalled hearing raised voices from his bedroom that night. Otherwise, he said he had gone to bed by 9pm after the family had watched a nature documentary together. When his parents changed the channel to put on a thriller movie, he didn't remember there being any kind of argument over it, but with so much tension simmering under the surface, it's hard to say what was really happening in the Bain house that night. One of the first things David told police after the shootings was that he and his father had argued the night before, specifically about the chainsaw. Robin wanted to take it with him to Tayari Beach, while David insisted it stay at home so he could continue working on the garden. What David didn't mention, though, was that not long before this argument, he had actually suffered a pretty serious accident. He had badly cut his foot with the chainsaw. That detail never came up in his initial statement. According to David, he went to bed that night, but woke up at some point and heard a car driving off. This would have been either Margaret or Robin heading out to the ATM at around 11.30pm. They were known to be meticulous about their finances, always making sure to pay off their credit card balance to avoid any interest charges. Supporters of David's innocence argue that this late-night trip to the ATM must have happened after Laniette had made her big confession about the alleged incest. The theory is that Margaret was withdrawing money in preparation for the next day, either to protect Laniette or make arrangements for what was coming. But if that was the case, why didn't she clear out the account? And why, despite everything supposedly unfolding that night, did she still make sure to pay off the full amount of the credit card? What we do know for certain is that by 17am the next morning on June 20th of 1994, five members of the Bain family were dead. Yikes. It's actually quite, researching this case is crazy because it's quite insightful because at first glance, it's easy to see how people think David's guilty. It's also easy to think that he's not guilty. You know, given the compensated family dynamics. It's crazy. So, after the crime scene was secured, police quickly came to the conclusion that only two people could have been responsible for the Bain family murders. David, or his father Robin. Now, before we get into David's arrest, let's rewind a little and look at what happened in the days immediately following the shooting. In most cases of familicide, police tend to look at the father first. Statistically speaking, when an entire family is murdered, the father is often the perpetrator. And with the murder weapon found next to Robin's body, he was the most obvious starting point. If Robin had carried out the killings, investigators needed to reconstruct what that morning would have looked like. His alarm clock had been set for 6.30am and it had been switched off, meaning he had likely woken up at his usual time. In his caravan, officers found spent bullet shells and an Agatha Christie book titled, Death Comes as the End. The story set in ancient Egypt about a son who murders his entire family to claim an inheritance. So, according to this theory, Robin got up, entered the house through the back door after David had left his paper run. So, he left on a paper run and went to David's room. He then took David's rifle, found the spare key and a jar on the desk to unlock the trigger lock and put on David's opera gloves to avoid being fingerprinted. He then moved through the house killing his family one by one. The exact order of the killings has never been definitively proven. Afterwards, he supposedly removed his bloodstained clothes and placed them in the laundry basket downstairs. Before getting dressed again, he went into the family living room, switched on the computer and thought that that would be his final message. An apology to David, who is now the sole surviving family member. Then, in the dark, without turning the lights on, he positioned the shotgun on the floor, aimed it at his head and pulled the trigger. But, here's something strange. Robin was right-handed, yet he supposedly placed the barrel of the gun against his left temple using his right hand to see the end. If Robin was the killer, another big question is what was the state of mind of the father? If that's what he's done, he surely would have wait for David, shoot him and then kill himself. Why would you? David and him didn't even get on. There's no way he would have saved him. I mentioned this before as well, but that book that was found, is about a son who kills the entire family but frames the father. So, maybe Robin was doing the same, the other way around though. He did it to frame David because David was the one that lived. Then, why type out that message then? It makes sense to use David's gun, it makes sense to use his glove. But then, the washing and the machine, whose fucking clothes were they? That's where you start. So, why is it done back then though? Oh shit. Earlier, we talked about everything that was going on in the Bain family leading up to the murders. Robin's declining mental state, the tension in the household and the conflicts brewing beneath the surface. There's no doubt that Robin's life was in complete disarray. His paperwork was a mess. His office and caravan were in terrible condition. His marriage had completely fallen apart and his personal hygiene had noticeably deteriorated. In fact, one thing that people remembered after his death was his overpowering body odour. Something multiple people had commented on while he was alive. But was his situation truly so bad that he would not only take his own life but also massacre his entire family, except for the one person he constantly clashed with? Investigators struggled with this question. While some details pointed to Robin as the killer, there were too many things that didn't quite add up. Could it be that Robin wasn't the murderer, but rather another victim? One of David's victims? In the immediate aftermath of the killings, as the shock and horror rippled through the community, extended family members rushed to Dunedin to support David. Margaret's sister and her husband took him in, helping him make arrangements for the five funerals. During those days, David's aunt had multiple conversations with him, desperately trying to understand what had gone so terribly wrong in the Bain household. She later recalled one conversation that stood out to her. David had insisted on reading the local newspaper coverage of the murders. His aunt, understandably, thought this was a terrible idea. Why put himself through more pain? But David was adamant. When he finally read the article, his reaction was strange. He turned to his aunt and told her, They lied to me. Confused, she asked, What do you mean, David? Who lied to you? David's response was chilling. They told me they died in their sleep, but they had to sit up and look the killer in the eye. Wow. Now, the article he was referring to simply stated that two of the victims had been found inside their beds, nothing more. But David's reaction suggested something deeper, something unsettling. What happened next was even more disturbing. Yeah, David seemed to spiral into a breakdown, speaking incoherently, repeating the same words over and over. He kept saying, Black hands, black hands, dying, everyone's dying, black hands, I can't stop them, they can't take them away. And then he made a strange reference, saying, It's just like Schindler's List, black hands, dying all around, dying everywhere. His aunt, alarmed by his behavior, asked him a direct question. David, did you see your family dying? David hesitated before answering, saying, No, I only saw Mum and Dad, and they were already dead. Another thing that puzzled his aunt was Laniat's presence in the house that night. She had moved out over a year earlier and was living at Tyree Beach. So, why did she come home that weekend, just in time to be killed? David's aunt couldn't shake the question, why was Laniat at the house that night? For what brought her back home that weekend? When she asked David, he told her that he had gone to the museum cafe where both Atawe and Laniat were working, and convinced Laniat to come home for the night. But was she truly willing, or was she pressured into returning? A friend of Atawe's, who also knew Laniat, saw her outside the Playhouse Theatre around 1.30pm the day before the murders. They had gone to school together, and their conversation started off casually, just catching up. But when the topic of family came up, Laniat's whole demeanour changed. She became tense, stressed. She confided in her friend that she hated David, that he was freaky and she was scared of him. Laniat also told her that David had called a family meeting for that night, but she refused to go. She admitted that David told her he would drag her there kicking and screaming if he had to. Another witness, a defence witness in fact, came forward saying she had met with Laniat in Dunedin's Octagon just two days before the murders. They talked for about half an hour, and during that conversation, Laniat made a huge revelation. She said she was going home that weekend to blow the whistle, to finally come clean about everything. She wanted to tell her family about her work as a prostitute, and more disturbingly, about the incestuous relationship she claimed she'd been forced into with her father. But something else stood out. She also said that David had been pushing for the whole family to be together that weekend, but she had no idea why. David, for his part, denied that any such family meeting was ever planned. So the big question remains, was Laniat's return to the house that night her choice, or was she lured back for something much more sinister? In the days following the murders, as the Bain family tried to make funeral arrangements, David took full control. He insisted on making every decision, what people would wear, whether the caskets would be open, what music would be played, and even who would give the eulogies. But one of the strangest things? He wanted to sing at the funerals. His aunt found this deeply unsettling. Given the sheer trauma of what had just happened, most people would be barely holding themselves together, struggling with overwhelming grief. But David seemed composed. Too composed. And then there was what he said about Robin. When he took the stand at his first trial, he painted a picture of a loving father-son relationship. But privately, just days after the murders, he told his aunt a completely different story. He hated his father. He described him as sneaky, always listening in on conversations that weren't his business. He complained that Robin refused to accept that he wasn't welcome in the family home, that he just wouldn't leave. To those around him, David's lack of emotion was striking. A victim support counsellor who spoke with him after the murders noticed it too. He wasn't reacting like someone who had just lost his entire family. What really shocked them, though, was what David wanted to do next. He suggested throwing a party for Ada's 20th birthday, which would have been that Sunday. His sister had just been brutally murdered, and instead of mourning, he was talking about celebrating. But beyond this behaviour, investigators were starting to notice inconsistencies in his story. David told police that he walked into his mother's bedroom that morning. She was lying in bed, dead, with her eyes open. But when officers arrived, they found her body with her eyes closed. And then there was something strange in the computer room. The small alcove where the family computer was located was separated from the lounge by a heavy velvet curtain. If crime scene analysts went through the space, they found a spent shell casing behind the curtain, suggesting that the gun had been fired from that very spot. As detectives put the pieces together, they started questioning whether Robin could have been responsible after all. Because the more they investigated, the more the evidence seemed to point in one direction. David. Alright guys, well unfortunately this is the end of this episode because we've run out of time. We can't cram everything into a shorter episode, so we'll have to give you guys the next part next week. Same time, same place. Yep. Can't wait! Bye! Thank you for listening to our telling of this horrific case. We would love to hear what you thought of it on our socials, and if you haven't yet reviewed our podcast, we would really appreciate that if you, like, listen to us. Don't review it until you actually like listen to us. And if you like us, then hit follow, or I don't think if you don't like us, then hit follow. We'd appreciate any support. And we'll have a new case next week, but until then, catch us on our socials at Serials and Skins Pod. See you next time. See ya! Bye!
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