In a ground-breaking five-part series in print, online and podcast, from Monday 9 April, The Daily Telegraph will lift the lid on a horrific crime that made headlines at the time, but fell from public view.
Eight Minutes: The Unsolved Murder of David Breckinridge will run for 136 minutes over five episodes, and includes detailed interviews with friends, family, acquaintances and police, revealing a number of new lines of inquiry and possible motives.
At 11.52pm on August 10, 2002, David Breckenridge called his best mate from a phone box and told him to fire up the TV – he was on his way over to watch the international rugby match that was about to start. Eight minutes later he was dead.
The six-month special investigation reveals, at one level, the seemingly normal life of a young man with the world before him tragically cut short in a few short minutes of almost inconceivable violence.
Fifteen years on, the person who stabbed and bashed the Sydney man to death on the night after his 28th birthday has never been found.
The brutal death of the young student remains one of hundreds of cold cases on the NSW Police Force’s books.
The investigation has also uncovered a world of drinking and recreational drug use, one-night stands and a love triangle suggested revenge as the killer’s motive.
The Daily Telegraph also reveals startling new evidence that raises questions about the police’s handling of the case.
It marks the start of a new appeal for information and offers his grieving parents fresh hope of an answer that has been eating at them for a decade and a half: Who killed David?
Chris Dore, editor of The Daily Telegraph said: “Eight Minutes is a great example of how the different skills in the news room can come together to produce a high quality piece of audio journalism that would be the envy of any radio station or broadcaster.
“Nicole Hogan has produced a truly phenomenal series that will astonish readers and listeners, and maybe help catch a killer. That’s what journalism is all about!”
Dailytelegraph.com.au digital journalist Nicole Hogan said while researching cold case murders she came across one that was the coldest cold case she’d ever heard of – a brutal, bloody murder of an ordinary guy on his way to a mate’s place.
Nicole said: “Midway through 2017, I started investigating a series of cold cases. I had no idea at that point the unsolved murder of David Breckenridge was about to consume me.
“It was the coldest case I had ever come across. There were no suspects, no evidence, no murder weapon and no leads. I was intrigued.
“Over six months I interviewed dozens of people — recording over 40 hours of audio.”
The majority of the interviews were conducted at News Corp headquarters in Holt Street, Sydney, where Nicole scripted, produced, edited and presented the podcast.
Online news editor Brenton Cherry co-produced the series and helped coordinate the digital and print companion articles.
All creative graphics, video and images were produced in house by The Daily Telegraph team, including production editor Sarah MacMaster and artist Daniel Murphy.
Available on iTunes and through dailytelegraph.com.au the five-part podcast series will be rolled out over two weeks starting on April 9, with supporting promotions across The Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, masthead websites, social media, direct emails to subscribers, app alerts and Apple news alerts.
The podcast will be free on iTunes but housed in locked articles, with additional material such as video and crime scene photos, on The Daily Telegraph site to drive subscriptions.
Available for download at www.dailytelegraph.com.au:
- Part one: The crime. Available from Monday April 9
- Part two: Who was David Breckenridge? Available from Wednesday April 11
- Part three: The Police Investigation. Available from Friday April 13
- Part four: The Inquest. Available from Monday April 16
- Part five: Case Not Closed. Available from Wednesday April 18
