What is
known is that on 10 October 1987 a night that began as a
celebration of Elizabeth Newall’s 48th birthday ended in
murder.
After the
couple wined and dined with their sons Roderick (22) and
Mark (21) at the old Seacrest Hotel near Corbiere they
were beaten to death in their home.
56 year-old
Nicholas Newall was attacked and killed in the sitting
room of their bungalow in Clos de L’Antique and his wife
Elizabeth was bludgeoned to death in the bedroom.
The next day
the sons returned home to the UK and it was only around
a week later, following the great storm, that Roderick
was forced by concerned friends to come back to the
island and officially declare his parents missing.
The cool,
calm way in which Roderick and Mark dealt with the murders
became a hallmark of the case.
Whilst
rumours and theories were rife across the island with no
bodies or evidence it simply remained a missing persons
case.
It was in
1988 that police had their first breakthrough when they
discovered the remains of a bonfire with burnt, blood
splattered clothing and other belongings of the Newalls
near the family home.
Forensics at
the bungalow then discovered cleaned-up blood stains in
the sitting room and bedroom which lead the police to
believe that the couple had in fact been murdered.
Despite
extensive searches including help from the UK search dogs
used in the Moors murders case, and a Guernsey medium, the
bodies weren’t found.
Three years
after their murder Nicholas and Elizabeth were officially
declared dead and the brothers inherited their parents’
house and money worth nearly a million pounds.
Five years
after their murder Roderick Newall was tricked into a
tape-recorded confession by his father’s twin brother,
and after giving the police the slip he was eventually
arrested sailing his boat in international waters.
After
fighting extradition from Gibraltar for fourteen months he
was brought back to Jersey where he took police to the
spot in Greve de Lecq woods where he and his brother had
buried their parents’ bodies.
Whilst
Roderick confessed to both murders Mark was only charged
with conspiring to cover up the killing.
Mark served
just over three years of his sentence, a fact that many
police at the time were disappointed with.
Roderick
was released in 2005 after serving around 12 years of his
double life sentence.
