A family-run store and a crime that shook the town | Forensic Files

[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
time you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website this episode deals with violence towards
children that won't be suitable for all listeners thank you what's a requiring ambulance tell you five three seven one
seven Thank You police emergency the same not just let me fine if he what corner streets closest
backstreet close to what's wrong why you need an ambulance what's wrong why you think someone's dying you need to tell
me something you'd you're asking for an ambulance and y-yeah you need to say why
what have you seen what makes you think someone is going to die screams in the background you need to tell me what's
wrong someone unconscious why why [Laughter] what do you think on the ground are they
on the ground in the house is your brother in the house we are driving there answer my questions please have
you found a body my body have you found a body Connie and I go to check in my father we
are driving there it's a quick tell me what's wrong have you seen your brother we're already driving there you don't
need to worry we're on the way but can you see your brother I'm not sure no yes or no can you see
him no eat in the house is your brother in the house I'm not sure no it's yes or
no have you seen him no no what why do you think he's dead I'm a bit confused can you see the body
we're coming we're on the way you don't need to worry well either way we're ambulance are on the way as well please
up in the street now they'll be there in 10 seconds the you outside the house are
you at the front o sauna yes finally can you see the police yes they're driving there right now so have your lights on
[Music] the Lin family were tightening a strong family who did everything together they
were happy and truly grateful for their life that hard work and perseverance had
allowed for them in North Epping in the northern suburbs of Sydney New South Wales mingling aged 45 and his wife Ewan
Leland also known as Lily aged 43 migrated to Australia from China as students they met in Sydney fell in love
and began a life together men opened a news agency on the local Epping shopping strip it was a busy and successful
business he was well known in the community and was a daily fixture in many lives by 2009 the Lin's business
was thriving turning over a million dollars a year Minh had also purchased two other commercial properties on the
same shopping strip he was known around Epping as a friendly hard-working family
men although English was his in Lily's second language people found their wings easy to talk to they owned a two-story
home nearby where they lived with their three children and Lily's sister Ewan Ben also known as Irene Irene was 39
years old and worked part-time in min and Lewis news agency to help them out Brenda was the oldest of the link
children she was 15 and in year 10 they also had two boys Henri aged 12 and Terri aged 9 the Lin siblings were very
close and spent a lot of time together brenda was a studious and intelligent year-10 student with a tight circle of
friends and a happy outlook Henry and Terri enjoyed school when playing sport Henry played tennis and badminton and
had a hard-working and friendly personality much like his father he also enjoyed learning magic tricks
min spent every day running the news agency even if it was closed he was still usually doing something like
restocking Lily worked there part-time while making sure she was home for the family men and Lily's goal was to give
their children the best education and the best life they possibly could hard work was not something that was
discussed around the dinner table it was just the way they were men and Lily grew
up without so they wanted to give everything to their children means sister Kathy who also worked part-time
at the news agency lived nearby with her husband Robert Z and their young son Kathy and Robert first arrived in
Australia in 2002 they moved to Melbourne where Robert opened a restaurant Robert had wanted to bring
over three chefs from China but was denied and the restaurant failed in 2005 Robert and Kathy made the move to Sydney
to be closer to men and Lily Robert had been an ear nose and throat specialist in China before they migrated to
Australia although they hadn't quite had the success in Australia they imagined Robert and Kathy had the work ethic to
keep going and make it work they were very close to men Lily in their three children they did a lot together
Henry practiced badminton with his uncle Robert every chance he got the two families looked after each other and
helped each other any way they could men and Cathy's parents yeh faylene and funk ings you looped clothes buying
maryland's a suburban Sydney's west around 30 minutes drive from both men and Kathy Yang fail in and functions you
lived for their family in mid-july 2009 as part of her French class at school Brenda flew to New Caledonia on a school
excursion to practice French at 15 years old Brenda was apprehensive about going
overseas for a week without her family the night before she left she told her mum Lily that she was going to miss her
unless she loved her she gave Henry a hug and said the week would go fast and she'd be back soon Minh drove Brenda to
the airport at 4 a.m. on Monday morning and the two of them watched as Brenda's classmates stood in tears saying goodbye
to their families Brenda thought it was a bit over-the-top she held her head high and acted cool it
was only a week no need for tears or gushy goodbyes Brenda and min said goodbye without a
dramatic hug or an I love you it wasn't that they didn't love each other they just didn't need to say it
they knew on the evening of Friday July 17 2009 the Lindsay family's had to get together at yang falen and funking zoo's
house in maryland's it was a typical family dinner Brenda was still away New Caledonia so the focus was on the two
boys Henry and Thierry Henry complained to his grandparents that his shoes were broken but he was happy when his
grandmother gave him fifty dollars for winning his badminton competition she tried to twist his arm into sleeping
over at their place but Henry insisted on staying at home as he had another badminton game in the morning it was a
happy and harmonious evening when everyone left to go home they saw it was a particularly dark night there was
barely a moon the following morning July 18 2009 mins sister Kathy Ling and her husband Robert C were up early their
home was closed by two men and lui just over the park Robert had been up early cleanings
garage while I was doing that Kathy received a phone call men and Lily's news agency hadn't been open to
that morning the news agency was always open on time especially on Saturdays the
busiest morning on the shopping strip people were standing at the front of the news agency staring at a huge pile of
papers still bundled on the footpath and when they tried the door that was locked
immediately fearing something was wrong Kathy and Robert went straight over to men and Lily's house they assumed they
were either sick or maybe one of the boys had hurt themselves when they arrived they found the front door
unlocked Robert and Kathy entered the house and called out but no one responded they slowly made their way up
the stairs Kathy opened her brother and sister-in-laws bedroom door located to the right at the top of the stairs
Robert was following close behind all they saw was red blood all over the bed blood all over the walls there was
everywhere Kathy looked down at the bed and saw a body which she knew instantly was her sister-in-law Lily
Robert pulled her from behind trying to shield her from the horror Kathy ran out made her way to the next
room it was the bedroom of Lily's sister Irene the door handle was bloody and the
door was ajar inside her room the scene was no different blood everywhere for a moment Robert thought Irene may
have still been alive and his instinct was to reach out for her lastly at the end of the first floor corridor Cathy
and Robert walked towards the shared bedroom of their two nephews Henry and Terry what they saw was a mirror image
of what they found in the first two rooms they ran downstairs the call triple zero there was Cathy you could
hear in the emergency call at the beginning of the episode the call is a mix of panic and confusion Cathy
struggled to get her mind straight in the grief of seeing her family murdered at first
Robert can be heard in the background but then in an obvious state of shock he told Cathy he was going to leave the
house to go and get her and men's parents from there Marilyn's home Cathy can be heard pleading with Robert in
Cantonese not to leave her alone in the house she was scared Cathy said to the operator she hadn't seen her brother min
and with everything a blur she considered the possibility that he might have murdered his family and fled but
she wasn't sure maybe he was there Cathy was left shaking and Robert clearly frightened
that run from the scene Cathy can be heard saying I am more scared than you are in Cantonese before he left Robert
left and caught his in-laws yang Fei Lin and functions U and told them that something terrible had happened when
they asked what had happened Robert couldn't say he just said that they should get on a train as soon as
possible then he changed his mind and said he would go and get them Robert was panicking when police and
paramedics arrived at the scene they didn't know what they were walking into Cathy's frantic emergency call indicated
there was likely at least one body and it wasn't known if the killer was alive or dead they had no idea what had
happened or what to expect Cathy was standing at the front of the property screaming in a frantic State when they
arrived inside as they opened the front door they found a simple family home cluttered with daily life
the downstairs study and living area filled with books papers and a walking machine the family shoes lined up at the
foot of the stairs there was nothing out of the ordinary police headed up the stairs and into the first bedroom which
was men and lilies that were confronted with a room so red and so bloody it was at first difficult to determine if there
was a body when those officers went to work that morning not one of them was prepared for a family beaten to death
beyond recognition in a quiet residential area not known for its violent Kron that went into the other
rooms and check to see if anyone was still breathing when that was a negative their thoughts
turned to min where was he police called guard around the property in case the killer possibly
men was still around when men's parents arrived at the scene with Robert they were told by police that their
daughter-in-law Lily her sister Irene and their two grandsons Henry and Terry were dead with no word
as the Worman was they feared here day they'd been abducted or he was responsible but as crime-scene
investigators arrived Cathy suggests that they look under the Doudna where Lily was Kathy said she had
seen men's watch and she just had a feeling that her brother men might be under the do not upon closer inspection
underneath the blood-soaked do know they found the body of men when he was beaten
so badly he was unrecognizable there was blood spatter from floor to ceiling a phone charger pod being close to the
ground was covered in blood as was the ceilings light fitting the level of violence was extreme this was no regular
breakin and a resulting in murder this was a family murdered beyond recognition five people attacked at a time of high
vulnerability in the middle of the night police cordoned off the street while detectives canvassed neighbors for any
information Robert kathy yang Phelan and Fung teens you were taken to Hornsby hospital to be treated for shock and to
receive counseling it was only then they were formally told that men had also been found dead a few hours later Brenda
who was still in New Caledonia with her class jumped on the internet with some friends Brenda told Channel Nine's a
Current Affair program quote we decided we would use the internet and go on Facebook to see what all their friends
were doing in the holidays and talk to them and catch up and then everyone started asking if I was okay someone
said that my family was murdered and I couldn't believe it at first I thought it was just some cruel joke that they
were playing on me and it's not funny I didn't think that could happen to my family and at first I guess I felt
really dizzy and I don't know I was really shocked and I just couldn't really think or see anything straight
her school principal Susan bridge made contact with the teachers on the trip and Brenda was put on the next available
flight home Kathy was at the airport with police officers waiting for Brenda when Brenda arrived she was escorted
into a special room when she fell into the arms of her crying aren't Kathy she realized that was all true the gravity
of what had happened hit her her family was gone when news broke the media reported the possibility of the incident
being a murder-suicide acting superintendent Stephen Henkel spoke to waiting press at the scene he confirmed
the possibility of murder-suicide and said it was being investigated when questions were raised over the
relationships of the victims and how they died he declined to comment police determined that the murders occurred
between 2:00 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. the electricity to the linnaeus had been cut and it was likely that if someone had
entered from the outside the key was used to gain access as there was no sign of forced entry
an examination of the house showed no obvious signs of theft a makeshift hammerlock weapon was determined to be
the murder weapon but it wasn't located none of the injuries were deemed to be self-inflicted this was definitely not a
murder-suicide the severity of the injuries initially led police to believe the gun had been used but post-mortem
examinations showed otherwise as well as blunt-force trauma as Fixer was a contributing cause of death in four out
of five of the victims the likely scenario was that men and Lily were killed first possibly suffocated to
subdue them and then beaten the level of brutality inflicted on both men and Lily
showed they had received the most violent attacks of all the victims Lily's sister Irene was killed in the
same manner the killer then went to Henry and Terry's bedroom where as believed that at least one of the boys
was already awake woken up by what was happening in the neighboring bedrooms it was apparent from blood spatter patterns
that there had been a furious trouble the boys had fought with their killer [Music]
blood was found smeared on all of the bedroom door handles except for Brenda's her door and room hadn't been touched
the blood smears showed it was likely the murderer was wearing gloves 24 bloody shoe impressions were found
measured to be mens u.s. size between eight and a half and ten and a half on July 22nd 2009 four days after the
murders Robert and Kathy were interviewed by police the interview room at Parramatta
police station was painted gray with four chairs around a white desk during Robert's interview he sat with his
interpreter sipping water from a plastic disposable cup while two detectives asked him questions and took notes
almost 35 minutes into the interview Roberts sits with his hands clutched together on the table his head is down
and he begins to slowly wring his hands he struggles to explain what he saw although he can manage broken English he
continues in his native Cantonese so he can speak fluently and doesn't need to stop to find the right words his answers
are short and sometimes confused he speaks in a quiet tone barely lifting his eyes from the desk as he describes
finding the bloodied remains of his family he describes how the night before after being at the family dinner he and
Kathy returned home he spent the rest of the night watching cycling cricket and movies before having a bath around 2:00
a.m. and then going to bed he then describes the scene he and Kathy walked into he explains that he was telling
caffeine not to look at the bodies he rubs his face with his hands rubbing his eyes and massaging his forehead when
Robert gets to approaching the bedroom that Henry and Terry whirring he struggles to get his words together it's
a moment when it seems he might break down [Music] but I thought I hope you secure I I can
see everywhere was left homes if you make see I'm everywhere or something I don't know us us all in Ghana I I think
I saw my sister-in-law third pilot you what to cut down love the kissed off kissing oh yeah once I saw her
aye aye I hope Kathy and I stick a victim don't look at it I believe Kathy had already seen you
know you hate hotbed county opinion and I income had in oh oh wait I think her calling and I saw that um the best side
which is close to the door I thought this guy I saw a staff of birth stop I think it was hot rather wallow the
coca-cola bhai don't what I don't that chant because they all had a responsible I always think that her brother was in
this well because I saw her a car with his car I saw his bench and can't be saw watch I gotta open oh I I just feel it
was so red and messy everywhere on what they do harm to let her know and maybe not more have seen she can teach
it around anyway we went out from the grave I went now with Cathy you know one day
though powerfully barely know that if we read we went to the other room Connie eating all taters and Terry oh my
god Jamie I saw there Terry's room I indicated before used to be Terry's room the door was closed
you create a few toilet that one person named Irene they Bungie the doors close ding going
against it tiffy um heavy push open the door it's something we saw iron on the bed yep
okay so like also a lot of blood around very red very sound touch clay what do you want sounds you know could have made
it totally true I tried to touch her and I went closer I try to touch up because
I wouldn't know whether she was still alive you know I could you could not see what
I couldn't I didn't even turn it off cuz I when I saw her she was not just right
down on the bed slightly so I want to try to locate sigmaji wrong but can't be hold me back so any more for my meeting
so I think I did not actually touch touch funny then we came out in some people say how long time will you
reach the last bedroom so how many there's ten rates that you're lying interchange on the left
inside the the the door was half-closed eye oh sure I'm not sure you know what they did touch chocolate honey we enter
the room don't do I am NOT I don't hate the muscle to hit it harder well we can see both children were lying on the
floor because I also feel very red and drop all around mastery you know boy my ho so he mo are very talented if I might
remember several time I again I wanna touch them because they have just little kids and I really want to know whether
they're still alive or not okay then we'll play something else all of this I was sick I think uh you
remember I tried to reach them by writing located but by family member you know England against lunch all telling
nothing get the hell me beg you Oh came from your dicing sure yelling let's go let's go she was so frightening
don't I I was afraid as well during Kathy's interview she was calm her descriptions were hushed but clear
Robert and Kathy became legal guardians of Brenda she moved into their home and they tried to give her some sense of
normality they also took over the running of the news agency that had now become a shrine to the Lin family locals
filled the footpath with flowers and tributes Brenda quote I still wake up each morning thinking oh yeah mum and dad are
going to be downstairs making breakfast and Henry and Terry will be playing on the computer or something I don't think
right now I realized what has happened I think sometimes soon everything will just come crashing down on me and I'll
finally realize the murders shocked the community no one had noticed anything unusual in the leader or felt anything
strange was going on many neighbors had bumped into the wind family in the days leading up people were shocked that such
a friendly normal family had been targeted in such a brutal and callous way no one could make sense of it and
despite a thorough investigation police had no leads on August 8th a public funeral was held for the whole family
five coffins covered in white flowers stood in a row in front of hundreds of mourners each coffin had a framed photo
sitting on top orange robed Buddhist monks led the procession the grief was felt by everyone who attended even
members of the police who were there Brenda showed her immense strength by keeping stoic and supporting her
grandparents and Arne and uncle Brenda still admitted that the loss of her parents hadn't yet sunk in she still
felt it was all a bad dream and that she would wake up and find everything was okay
police deliberated over whether or not Brenda had been spared intentionally or she was still a target of a killer who
didn't know she was away for the week they also had questions about Henry and Terry were they part of the original
plan or had they been killed out of necessity perhaps because they woke up and saw the killer without knowing for
sure that was important to keep a close watch over Brenda for her own protection
following the funeral a trust fund was set up to secure Brenda's future education the community rallied around
her Robert and Kathy became her substitute parents Brenda called them the next best thing to her family and
described how they were looking after her and taking her to school and making her lunches strikeforce norborne was
established to investigate the lynn murders the strike force was comprised of detectives from the State Crime
Command homicide squad with assistance from the Eastwood Local Area Command almost the month after the murders the
strike force received information that an arrest had been made in parent matter which they believed was linked to a
number of violent armored car robberies these robberies took place around Epping
and surrounding suburbs early in the morning while vans were on their ends to fill up ATMs why this was of interest is
because on May 28th only two months before the murders min Lynn witnessed one of these armed robberies the robbery
occurred at the Epping Club a local aerosol which was directly across the road from men's news agency police
started investigating that angle to see if they could find a link the pressure on investigators to find the killer or
killers was immense the case was one of the largest single homicides in New South Wales history that had shocked the
entire country the investigation was led by sergeant Joseph Murray Murray was known for his very quiet demeanor and an
approach to his work that was calm he was never hurried or stressed a fellow senior officer said of him
quote he's very very quiet I've never seen him or heard of anyone seeing him getting stressed or worried or concerned
by anything he's got a Buddhist monk thing about him he's an enigma he's a legend they identified several persons
of interest but one by one they were crossed off the list they were also able to rule out any connection between men
witnessing the robbery and his murder that line of inquiry was looked at thoroughly but it was determined to be
nothing more than a coincidence detective Murray and his team had their sights set all swept they firmly
believed that the killer was part of the family they believed the killer knew the
layout of the house they knew where the electricity box was and they may have ever known where to find a spare key or
they already had one the bloody shoe impressions found at the scene indicated the killer acted alone
eventually they felt there was only one person worth watching more closely Robert Z Roberts behavior in the months
after the murders puzzled police and once he was granted power of attorney over Brenda and her family's estate it
was difficult to not question his motives detectives were aware that after the murders men and Cathy's parents
young faylene and funk teens you needed emergency housing because they were evicted from their home the home they
lived in was purchased for them by men so it belonged to the Lin family estate which means they were evicted by Robert
while would Robert a victor Brenda's grandparents his own mother and father-in-law from their home Brenda's
father had purchased for them a theory at the time was that by evicting them have reduced the options for Brenda
she couldn't decide to leave Robert and Cathy's and live with her grandparents if they didn't have a home the strike
force was faced with a serious dilemma the number one priority was the safety of Brenda who is now in the care of
their number one suspect they conducted a number of risk assessments after which they didn't
think Robert would harm Brenda if he was in fact the killer if Robert was the killer and had wanted to harm Brenda as
well then he could have just waited until she was back from a trip hers was the only bedroom not touched and police
believed the killer knew she wasn't there still they needed to be assured of Brenda's safety so they started covert
video surveillance inside the house it was the start of a six-month electronic surveillance operation on Robert see
little pinhole cameras were set up throughout his home in the New South Wales Crime Commission assisted with the
operation in March 2010 eight months after the murders Robert made a call to Detective Sergeant Joseph Murray he
wanted to clarify something he had said previously Robert said he may have told a police officer at the scene there were
five bodies in the house but in fact he meant four or five this phone call strengthened police suspicions of Robert
Z they believed he knew from the outset there were five bodies not for when mins
body hadn't been found in the very beginning and he was actually considered a potential suspect at one stage police
felt Robert knew exactly where he was and that he was the one who pushed Kathy to tell police to look under the Doudna
they met with Robert at Ryde police station for another interview on March 16 2010 do you know anything about the
murders that means Lebanese fan we got any idea who may have been responsible for the birds have you
thought about who may have been responsible do you have any idea why someone would done this to mean any spam
no no idea in early May the New South Wales Crime Commission interviewed Kathy she denied that Robert had told her to
tell police to look under the Doudna Foreman's body she was adamant that she simply had a feeling he was under there
she was informed about the 24 bloody chew impressions that were found at the scene showing a men's shoe size between
us eight-and-a-half and ten and a half they also told her that the shoe impressions were linked to one of three
specific models of essex trainers one of those models was called a sixth elevation which hadn't been produced
since 2005 they asked Kathy what type of shoes Robert wore just days later on May
7th 2010 investigators watched the video surveillance inside Robert and Kathy's home the view is from above the kitchen
on a far wall you can see through the kitchen over into a study area with a couple of desks and computers Kathy is
sitting at one desk watching as Robert stands over the other he's back to the camera a cutting sound
can be heard over and over Robert is cutting something into little pieces and placing the pieces into a
plastic bin containing liquid apart from the repetitive sound of the cutting there is silence
upon closer inspection of the video detectives realized that Robert is cutting up a NASA crew box from his
men's US size nine and a half asacs trainers Robert picks up the bin and walks into the kitchen towards the
camera then walks past it then the sound of a flushing toilet can be heard a few
days later police began what was a five day search of Robert and Kathy's home they knew that Robert had been up early
cleaning his garage the morning the bodies were found while combing his garage for any forensic evidence crime
scene investigators moved the chest of drawers on the floor underneath was a stain a discoloration of the concrete
measuring two centimeters by six centimeters it was photographed swapped and labeled a stain 91 stain 91 was
found to be a complex DNA mixture capabilities in Australia to establish DNA from mixed samples weren't quite
there yet so they sent the sample to a specialty lab cyber genetics in Pittsburgh USA they kept Robert under
surveillance while waiting for the result meanwhile it had gotten out that Robert was the prime suspect people were
talking Brenda was interviewed in the local Northern District times and she was adamant that her uncle was innocent
she said quote he was really stressed and really upset because we know it's not true
and he doesn't like to think that people around him might think that way about him he has helped me so much and he
really supports Kathy and has done so much for us it's not fair that people in the media are making out like he might
have something to do with it police reassured the public that the investigation was still active and to
that progress was being made towards finding the killer Brenda's school principal Susan bridge
had become a firm fixture in Brenda's life while brenda was supported at home by her auntie uncle grandparents and
extended family she also found comfort at school from her peers and teachers after having lunch with Brenda and her
uncle Robert one day something didn't sit right with Susan Bridge she noticed that Robert was overly firm with Brenda
and it appeared like he was trying to force her into saying something the interaction wasn't normal
Susan was unsure what to do but she talked Brenda into speaking with a lawyer and she also spoke to the police
she wanted someone usual who could help Brenda understand the relationships around her police eventually got what
they were waiting for from the US lab Cyber genetics the testing of stain 91 from Roberts garage was extremely
complex because it was a mixed sample if it was even just a few years earlier the
sample would have been dubbed too difficult to determine but the technology was now there according to
cyber genetics stain 91 was found to contain DNA of at least four of the five murder victims with teri lens DNA
matching part of the stain with a 1 in 50 quadrillion chance of a coming from another person they were also able to
match stain 91 to a blood spot on a mattress from the murder scene on May 5th 2011 nearly two years since
her family was murdered Brenda Lin was called to the principal's office at a school just after 9:00 a.m.
she was greeted by her principal and two detectives from the strike force whom she knew they told Brenda that her uncle
Robert had just been arrested for the murders of her parents her aunt and her two brothers at the same time another
strike force detective phoned Kathie win at the news agency she was at the back doing paperwork when she got the call
after she hung up a staff member watched Kathie run from the store crying Brenda went home to be
cared for by her aunt Kathy Kathy said I am caring for her and I will always do that I am okay thank you and she is okay
we are shocked but I don't want to talk about it anymore [Music] meaning Kathy's parents young fail in
and functions you were in Shanghai when they received the news and they flew back to Australia straightaway Robert
chose not to appear in the Parramatta local court to hear the charges nor did he make an application for bail at the
time and it was formally refused by the magistrate he did make numerous bail applications after this but they were
all refused while preparing their case detectives believed that they may have been able to get Robert to confess if
not to them then to someone else so the strike force forged the relationship with another inmate at Sydney's Long Bay
jail and devised the plan to record Robert confessing to the murders the inmate was only identified as witness a
On February 10 2012 the real-estate agency who originally sold the family home to men and Lily in 2001 put the
house on the market on behalf of the Lynn estate the agency stated that upon successful completion of the sale any
fee they earned would be donated to Brenda a month later Robin again applied for
bail in the New South Wales Supreme Court justice Derrick price denied bail but did acknowledge that a jury may find
there is not enough evidence to convict him on August 20th 2012 three years after the murders Roberts committal
trial began Kathy Lynn was called as a witness for the prosecution but her evidence over the two days she
was on the stand showed she was convinced that her husband was innocent of the murders Kathy testified that
Robert didn't leave the house the night of the murders but that hadn't always been her story crown prosecutor mark
Tedeschi QC quote on the 20th of July 2009 you claimed that Robert was home all night in March 2010 he didn't know
and on the 6th of May 2010 you didn't know and now you claim that you know and that he didn't leave the house is it the
case that your memory of what happened on the night of July 17th is better now than it was then
covert surveillance audio was produced that suggested Robert may have told Kathy and another relative what to tell
police following in the five murders justice Rothman said quote this suggests a significant degree of collusion in the
evidence that is to be given and the degree of coaching is that what could and should be said those conversations
give me serious concern after a lengthy committal hearing on December 19th 2012 Robert was committed to stand trial for
the murders of men Lily Irene Henry and Terry Roberts lawyer again applied for bail but the
application was refused Kathy continued to support her husband believing he was the scapegoat for
someone else's crimes his trial date was set for September 2013 but as that day drew closer that was vacated and the
trial was delayed until 2014 on May 8th 2014 almost 5 years after the murders Robert's trial began Crown
prosecutor mark Tedeschi QC gave his opening statement and the jury were presented with the DNA evidence from
stain 91 they were also presented with a large number of recordings between Robert and witness a who were in
adjoining cells in Long Bay jail between July 2011 and February 2013 some of the
conversations between Robert and witness a were captured on tape but others were
not it was made clear to the jury that witness a had received a substantial reduction in his sentence for agreeing
to assist police in this investigation the recordings and testimony from witness a revealed that Robert admitted
he purchased a hammer at a store that he knew didn't have surveillance footage he said he hid the hammer after the
murders and could still access it if required although he was concerned there could be surveillance footage of him
hiding the hammer he didn't elaborate where he hid it he wanted to plan another hammer in an innocent man's
house but never got around to it he said he easily controlled his five victims because he had martial arts
training he then demonstrated a pressure point on the neck he said he sedated his wife
Cathy so he could sneak out of the house without her knowing Robert spoken negatively about the lin
family in these conversations showing his true feelings about them he told witness say he didn't want to be the
person to discover the bodies because that would make him the prime suspect but it was unavoidable the way it played
out meant he had to be with Cathy when she found them witness a told Robert he had a friend
named Harry who is a corrupt cop and he could arrange for Harry to steal someone's DNA from a funeral home and
plant it on the murder weapon Robert made plans with witness aid to make that happen what he didn't know was
that Harry was on a corrupt cop he was an undercover cop the case against Robert appeared strong when Brenda Lynn
took the stand she revealed that she being the victim of ongoing sexual assaults committed by her uncle Robert Z
these assaults started prior to the murders and escalated once she moved in with Robert and Cathy afterwards she
said she didn't reveal this information earlier because she believed her uncle was innocent of the murders when this
information came out in the court Justice Peter Johnson declared a mistrial the information from witness a
as well as the information regarding the sexual assaults of Brenda Lynn were suppressed until the new trial Robert
Z's second trial commenced on August 5th 2014 three months after his first it was
presided over again by Justice Peter Johnson the DNA evidence was presented to the new jury as was the evidence from
witness a the jury heard that vastly more force than necessary was used in order to kill the five victims they also
heard the motive as alleged by the prosecution Robert was driven by bitterness and loss
of face within his family where he believed his in-laws favored the hard-working men and Lily over him
he was also driven by a clear sexual interest in Brenda Robert wasn't charged over their sexual assaults but Brenda's
evidence was admissible at trial Brenda's grandmother funk ings you told a jury she believed her grandson Henry
would have stayed over at her Marilyn's home on the night of the murders had it not been for Robert making plans to play
badminton with him the following day she said I don't know what Robert said to him but I will regret Henry not staying
over for the rest of my life that is why I hate Robert he's a wolf under a sheepskin he was
trying to deceive us now I realized that I realize now he is not a human being he
is a monster Brenda's grandfather yang Fei Lin then took the stand he confirmed that he and
his wife lived with Robert and Cathy for a time after the murders this was after
Robert evicted them from their home he described how one night he got up to go to the bathroom and when he returned he
saw Robert standing near Brenda's bedroom Robert got a fright when he saw him it was also revealed that shortly
after the murders the surviving family was sent a hoax letter demanding 128 thousand three hundred and forty five
dollars for a drug death it was later proven that this drug that didn't exist on September 23rd 2014 seven weeks into
the second trial of robber Z the trial was aborted because justice paydirt johnson became sick Robert Z's lawyer
again applied for bail but it was denied on February 4th 2015 five and a half years after the Lin
family was murdered and almost four years after his arrest Robert Z's third murder trial began this
time it was presided over by justice Elizabeth Fullerton the evidence presented by the prosecution followed
the same path but the second trial took before it was aborted the information regarding the sexual assaults and
jailhouse confessions to witness a had again been suppressed after the second trial so it was the first time the new
jury heard the evidence the third trial ran for ten months and was the longest in New South Wales history for a single
accused it concluded on November 12th 2015 and the jury began their deliberations after 19 days the jury
returned to the court with their decision on December 1st 2015 they told the court
they couldn't reach a verdict meaning a fourth trial would have to be conducted justise Fullerton acknowledged that the
time Robert had spent in custody mostly in solitary confinement had taken a heavy toll on his mental well-being she
said for an accused person to remain in custody for five years or more is impossible to view as fair and
commensurate with a fair and just criminal process she agreed to accept a report from a clinical psychologist who
stated that Robert was suffering from a severe depressive condition that could prevent him from participating fully in
another criminal trial she rejected the crown prosecutors argument that Robert was a flight risk and that if he was
released there was a risk he would attempt to intimidate witnesses this time Robert Z was granted bail his bail
was strict with 17 conditions in total his Epping home worth more than $1,000,000 had to be put up as bail
surety his sister also had to put up a $100,000 cash bond he had to surrender his passport wear an
electronic monitoring bracelet and report to police three times a day he was only allowed to travel to and from
his home for legal or health-related appointments it took nearly three days to sort out the paperwork for his
release before he could leave silverwater prison he was driven home by Cathy in their red Toyota Corolla when
they pulled up in their driveway there was a huge amount of press waiting for them after being asked how it felt to be
home Robert replied in a quiet hushed tone I'm grateful to be home and I'll continue to fight for my innocence thank
you the fourth trial was set to begin the following April in 2016 but it was delayed had finally started in the
Supreme Court of New South Wales on June 29th 2016 7 years after the murders there was a new defense team
representing Robert and that there were also new prosecutors Robert Z sat in the
wooden dock with a composed then often blank expression he sat quietly as the prosecution
described the savage and violent murders for a fourth jury occasionally throughout the trial he gestured mildly
towards Cathy or his lawyers with a hint of a small the original senior Crown prosecutor on the case marked Tedeschi
QC this time sat in the public gallery with young Phelan and functions you they both wept continuously throughout the
entire trial like the trials before the crown put forward their arguments for guilt the DNA known as stain 91 the
conversations with witness a Robert destroying his a secured bucks after he learned police matched the bloody
footprints in the house to Essex nica's and the fact Robert had a key to the Lin
family home and intimate knowledge of its lair other things came into play as well Robert made no attempt to check if
anyone was alive despite his medical training and he left Cathy alone in the house while he went and collected her
parents at a time when they had no idea if the killer was still close by Crown prosecutor Tania Smith told the court
that Robert was a quote trusted relative who meticulously planned and carried out
the killings with an extreme degree of violence he did so in their bedrooms in a very quiet suburban home in the early
hours of the morning a place where they were all entitled to be safe and secure and a place where young Terry and Henry
only 9 and 12 should have happily pursued their childhood the defense argued that Robert had an alibi he was
at home in bed or night with his wife Cathy they rubbished claims that Robert admitted to witness a he had sedated
Cathy so he could sneak out and this particular conversation with witness I wasn't actually recorded so it was
Roberts word against witness a in relation to the conversations that were actually recorded the defense said it
was simply jailhouse talk the defense also attacked the DNA evidence stain 91 they said that it couldn't be ruled out
that the stain had DNA of other family members in it as well meaning it couldn't be linked to the crime scene
they also weren't satisfied the stain was blood the defense said that nothing in Roberts conduct on the day of the
murders or the time after the murders gave any indication of guilt he isn't the only person in Australia who wears
Essex knickers and just because he destroyed a shoe box doesn't mean he's guilty
friends of Robert testified and described him as a friendly gentle and honest family man who loved his nephews
and was especially close to Henry in anticipation of the jury retiring to consider its verdict
Robert Z's bail was revoked and he was taken back into custody on the 22nd of December 2016 the trial and
deliberations then went on hold over Christmas On January 12th 2017 the jury had reached a verdict
the majority of the 11 jurors found Robert Z guilty of all five counts of murder
Cathy sobbed quietly with her head down as the verdict was read Robert Z stood up and said why did not murder the Lin
family I am innocent Cathy also cried out he's innocent on the other side of the courtroom Crown
prosecutor Tania Smith hugged to Fung qingxue and young fatally their daughter Cathy continued to support her husband
Robert telling the waiting press he's innocent we believed that he's innocent we will keep fighting phim Detective
Sergeant Murray said upstairs in the courthouse throughout the four trials he sat quietly and sometimes as he passed
people related to the case he would give up a lot smarter or not as the guilty verdict was read he slipped quietly out
of the courthouse his colleagues said that was typical of the quiet nature detectives one of his
colleagues said had it been anyone else in charge I don't think they would have made it to the end it then came time for
justice Elizabeth Fullerton to sentence robber Z the fact that I am unable to reach a point of satisfaction to the
criminal standard as to what in fact motivated him to do what he did does nothing to diminish the gravity of his
offending the commission of a series of intentional and brutal killings of five members of a family into including two
children in their family home in the early hours of the morning whilst they were sleeping or being roused from sleep
in a single episode of brutal and calculated murderous violence is a course of offending that can only be
described as heinous in the extreme would you stand up please then then Robert Z on counts one to five
on the indictment you are convicted of the murders of men Norman Lynn young Lee Lily Lynn young
bin Irene Lynn Henry Lynn and Terry Lynn on each count you are sentenced to imprisonment for life commencing on 25
May 2012 justise Fullerton went on to support Brenda stating I acknowledge the profound grief she suffered and
continues to suffer I also commend her for her strength and dignity in her courage as she faces the future with our
parents siblings or a loving aunt Brenda had seen Kathy as the most important person in her life after her family's
murder but what had happened over the course of the four trials strained to that relationship beyond repair
Brenda Lynn told the Australian newspaper quote it's been seven and a half years
since I lost my family that is seven and a half years without a loving mother seven and a half years without a loving
father seven and a half years without two exuberant brothers who were my best and closest friends and seven and a half
years without an extremely corn dog in this time I finished my HSC was accepted into uni got my first part time
job and learnt to drive but I have achieved all of these things without my family beside me these inherently happy
moments an hour at most bittersweet they have now become a painful reminder of the family I have lost and I will never
see again [Music] you

Case 61: The Lin Family

The newsagency was always open on time, especially on Saturdays, the busiest morning on the shopping strip. People were standing out the front of the newsagency, staring at a huge pile of papers still bundled on the footpath, and when they tried the door, it was locked.

Immediately fearing something was wrong, Kathy and Robert went straight over to Min and Lily’s house to find out why they hadn’t opened their newsagency. They assumed they were either sick or maybe one of the boys had hurt themselves…

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research and writing – Anna Priestland Production, scoring – Mike Migas Additional scoring – Andrew Joslyn

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RESOURCES

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Brief Summary

The Lin family was brutally murdered in 2009, and Robert Z was convicted for the crime after multiple trials.

Key points

The Lin Family's Life. The Lin family was known for their hard work and close-knit relationships in Sydney.
Emergency Call. Cathy's frantic call reveals the horror of the scene she discovered.
Brenda's Shock. Brenda learns about her family's murder while on a school trip.
Murder-Suicide Investigation. Police investigate the possibility of a murder-suicide after the family's tragic deaths.
Brenda's Struggle. Brenda grapples with the loss of her family and her new life with Robert and Kathy.
The Community's Grief. The public funeral for the Lin family draws hundreds, showcasing the community's sorrow.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I am more scared than you are.

Cathy pleads with Robert not to leave her alone in the house.

14:22WatchNov 20, 2018

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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