Ep. 059 | The Murder of Grace Millane
Grace Emmie Rose Millane, a 22-year-old British tourist on a gap‑year trip in New Zealand, disappeared on the evening of December 1, 2018, after she left a Tinder date in Auckland—her body was discovered in a suitcase a day later in the Waitākere Ranges
The man she met, Jesse Shane Kempson (26 at the time), was arrested on December 8 and later convicted in November 2019 of murdering her by strangulation; he claimed it was consensual “rough sex” that accidentally caused her death—a defense widely condemned as victim-blaming.
Kempson received life imprisonment with a minimum of 17 years before parole, his appeal was dismissed in December 2020, and the case continues to spark discussion around violence against women and the problematic “rough sex” defense.
SOURCES:
BBC News. (2019, November 21). Grace Millane: What happened in the hotel room? https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50411055
BBC News. (2019, November 22). Grace Millane: Man guilty of murdering backpacker in New Zealand. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50507162
BBC News. (2020, February 21). Grace Millane killer sentenced to life in prison. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51582748
Leask, A. (2020, February 21). The murder of Grace Millane: A labyrinth of storytelling and lies. NZ Herald. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/the-murder-of-grace-millane-a-labyrinth-of-storytelling-and-lies/Q2S42KZ5RFEVJPMQUVQPV2XR6I/
New Zealand Ministry of Justice. (2020, December 18). Grace Millane: Murder conviction and sentence upheld by Court of Appeal. https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases/2020/grace-millane-appeal-judgment.pdf
Radio New Zealand. (2018, December 10). Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern apologises to Grace Millane’s family. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/377544/pm-jacinda-ardern-apologises-to-grace-millane-s-family
Radio New Zealand. (2020, February 21). Grace Millane’s killer sentenced to life in prison with minimum 17 years. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/410180/grace-millane-s-killer-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-with-minimum-17-years
Radio New Zealand. (2020, December 22). Name suppression lifted: Grace Millane’s killer Jesse Kempson also convicted of rape and assault. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/433296/name-suppression-lifted-grace-millane-s-killer-jesse-kempson-also-convicted-of-rape-and-assault
Sky News. (2019, November 20). Grace Millane: Man searched for ‘flesh-eating birds’ after killing British backpacker. https://news.sky.com/story/grace-millane-man-searched-for-flesh-eating-birds-after-killing-british-backpacker-11866319
Stuff. (2019, November 6). Grace Millane trial: Jesse Kempson’s second Tinder date ‘creeped out’ by death chat. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/117197599/grace-millane-trial-jesse-kempsons-second-tinder-date-creeped-out-by-death-chat
The Guardian. (2020, February 21). Grace Millane’s killer sentenced to life in prison for New Zealand murder. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/21/grace-millane-killer-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-new-zealand-murder
The Guardian. (2020, December 22). Grace Millane’s killer jailed for further sex attacks on two women. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/22/grace-millanes-killer-jailed-for-further-sex-attacks-on-two-women
Web Archive. (2019, January). Grace Millane funeral: Family pay tribute to murdered backpacker. https://web.archive.org/web/20190113232115/https://www.australiatimes.online/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/grace-millane-funeral-family-pay-tribute-to-murdered-backpacker-8.jpg
