Australia - Shandee Blackburn, 23, murdered, Mackay, Qld, 9 Feb 2013

[alioop]

February 28, 2013

POLICE have released an image of Mackay murder victim Shandee Blackburn shortly before her death in the hope it will help find her missing handbag

CCTV footage of Shandee from earlier that night shows her carrying a cream-coloured handbag with a distinctive silver skull embellishment.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...gation-continues/story-e6freoof-1226587807742

Thanks for posting the photo Marly and putting Shandee's name in the thread title summary. In that photo Shandee looks like she could be texting. Telling someone she is on her way home perhaps.

 

[Curiousasacat]

Thanks for posting the photo Marly and putting Shandee's name in the thread title summary. In that photo Shandee looks like she could be texting. Telling someone she is on her way home perhaps.

I thought the same thing. Hmmm, need the phone.

 

[Curiousasacat]

It seems to me that whether it is a drug crazed lunatic or a personal attack, either way the person who did this is a crazed lunatic!

One other possibility that occurred to me and it may of course not be the case, is that it was a deliberate personal attack but on the wrong girl. If someone was lying in wait to attack a particular girl for whatever personal reasons, maybe Shandee just came along at that time. It could have been intended for someone else who also lived nearby that was due home from work or clubbing etc.

Good point, drugs or not, certainly a crazed lunatic. The street looks busy. Hard to believe it happened in such a public area right near a block of units.

 

[SouthAussie]

THE family of Mackay murder victim Shandee Blackburn has appealed to international rock superstars KISS to play their song Shandi in her honour when they perform for the Queensland town next week.

She said Shandee had been named after the song and had been looking forward to seeing them perform.

"Before this happened, I had booked some seats at the KISS concert when it comes to Mackay," Mrs Blackburn said.

"It was going to be an early birthday present for her.

"We are really hoping they will do Shandi as a tribute for her.

"It would mean so much."

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/famil...oncert-in-mackay/story-e6frea6u-1226593510341

 

[alioop]

Shandi has always been my favourite KISS song and it would be very fitting if they performed it. I think they will as a goodwill gesture to Shandee's family and the people of Mackay. It would mean a lot to the whole town.

 

[SouthAussie]

THE past month has been the most excruciating of Vicki Blackburn's life.

But Shandee Blackburn's mother proactively seeks justice for her daughter, who was stabbed to death on Boddington St just blocks from her house.

On Saturday night Vicki took to the streets in the Mackay CBD to hand out "Justice For Shandee" bands.

"Every day is hard. . . it takes me hours just to face the day, but we have to do this for Shandee. We have to get a resolution for this," Vicki said.

"We've never been in this situation before. There's no books to tell you how to do it. This is my way of . . . getting public support. We want whoever is responsible to know that we're not going to stop."

http://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/mum-vows-to-press-on-as-plea-taken-to-street/1785967/

 

[alioop]

It is frustrating that we aren't hearing anything about the police investigation. I am sure they are doing a thorough investigation but every time I google her name there is just nothing that indicates the police are close to arresting anyone.

Edit: Not that they would be telling the media that they are close if it is necessary to keep it quiet so not as to alert the person who killed her.

 

[mrs plod]

http://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/kiss-wish-for-shandee/17941

 

[SouthAussie]

THOUSANDS of KISS fans have been looking forward to seeing the rockers live in Mackay for months.

For Vicki Blackburn it will be another day she is unable to share with her daughter Shandee.

MECC manager Mark Fawcett said plans were being made to ensure a dedication was made to the young woman, whose life was violently stolen five weeks ago.

Ms Blackburn said it would be a way of having Shandee included in a night she should have been a part of.

http://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/kiss-wish-for-shandee/1794184/

(From mrs plod's post above)

 

[Angeline]

Glad to see there is a thread about this case. I had been wondering about the case as a friend of mine from the Gold Coast knew her (I didn't know how, as she lived in Mackay)... but now that I've read here she was living on the Gold Coast it makes sense.
My first thoughts were that it was not random, due to the viciousness of the attack. It really is baffling, that such a horrific attack could happen so quickly and the attacker could escape with barely a trace before the neighbours came out.
I agree with a post earlier on about the relevance of her family being worried about her safety on the Gold Coast.
I hope the police are closing in and that's why they are keeping quiet. I feel they need to bring more publicity to the Gold Coast, and the need to speak to people there.

 

[SouthAussie]

MURDERED Mackay woman Shandee Blackburn would have been front and centre when international rock superstars KISS - the band that gave her her name - took to the stage in her hometown.

Instead, her family watched in delight as lead singer Paul Stanley last night did an acoustic version of the band's song Shandi for Shandee.

"I think everyone knows about a girl called Shandee Blackburn," Stanley told the Mackay crowd last night.

"We lost her and we wish she could be here with us, so why don't we sing a song for her, all of us."

Shandee's mother Vicki said she had no idea the band had agreed to their request to play the song she'd named her daughter for.

She said many of those in the audience sang along to the touching tribute.

"It was just really sweet and at the end he said 'let's say goodnight and goodbye to Shandee'," Mrs Blackburn said.

"I wasn't crying at all until then.

"It was a very special moment."

:cry:

 

[Angeline]

http://mypolice.qld.gov.au/blog/2013/03/19/update-6-homicide-investigation-mackay/

Update 6: Homicide investigation, Mackay
March 19, 2013 at 10:26 am

Detectives are seeking public assistance to help identify a person seen running to and from the area where Shandee Blackburn was located on the night of her death.

Investigators have received information that around 12 midnight on the day of the murder a person was seen to run from the trees on the footpath of Juliet Street directly near the fence of the Mackay Girl Guide Hut.

The person was seen to run from near these trees, across Juliet Street and through the vacant allotment that leads to Boddington Street where the incident occurred. A short time later the same person was seen to run back across Juliet Street towards Struthers Furniture before disappearing.

The Officer in Charge of the Mackay District CIB Detective Senior Sergeant Rodd Carroll said it is important that we identify this person or they come forward to police. It is also imperative anyone who may have seen this person contact Mackay Police or Crime Stoppers immediately.

Investigators are also trying to identify the smoker of a series of Dunhill brand cigarettes which were located under a tree directly outside the Mackay Girl Guide Hut on Juliet Street around the time of the murder. Investigators are requesting this person contact Mackay Police or Crime Stoppers as soon as possible.

Ms Blackburn died after suffering multiple stab wounds on Boddington Street early on February 9.

Members from the Mackay Criminal Investigation Branch and Homicide Investigation Unit continue to investigate Operation Lima Zimzala.

Anyone with information which could assist with this matter should contact Crime Stoppers anonymously via 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au 24hrs a day.

Anyone with information which could assist with this matter should contact Crime Stoppers anonymously via 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au 24hrs a day.

Crime Stoppers is a registered charity and community volunteer organisation working in partnership with the Queensland Police Service.

For all non-urgent police reporting or general police inquiries contact Policelink on 131 444.

 

[alioop]

This sighting of a person running across Juliet Street is very interesting. Certainly the footpath outside the guides hall would be a good place to hide and wait to watch for someone walking up Juliet Street towards Boddington Street. If this person is involved they could have waited there and when they saw Shandee from a distance, they then ran across the road to Boddington Street to lie in wait to attack her. This indicates it was not random if they ran to Boddington Street before Shandee got there. They then attacked her after she turned the corner into Boddington. I wonder who saw them run across the street and run back and what the time difference was. Also if that person was who attacked Shandee, surely her screams would have been about the same time as they ran back over the road. Does Struthers furniture has CCTV?

If they were smoking lots of cigarettes maybe it is because they were anxious and nervous, not surprising if they were intending to attack Shandee. Wonder if they got any DNA from the butts.

 

[finishstrong]

Video of Kiss performing Shandi.


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuJdI6ue8Uk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuJdI6ue8Uk[/ame]

 

[Scoobysnack]

Video of Kiss performing Shandi.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuJdI6ue8Uk

awesome KISS did this !

 

[SouthAussie]

Video of Kiss performing Shandi.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuJdI6ue8Uk

Thanks finishstrong!

If that doesn't bring a tear to your eye .....

 

[SouthAussie]

Investigators are also trying to identify the smoker of a series of Dunhill brand cigarettes which were located under a tree directly outside the Mackay Girl Guide Hut on Juliet Street around the time of the murder. Investigators are requesting this person contact Mackay Police or Crime Stoppers as soon as possible.

http://mypolice.qld.gov.au/blog/2013/03/19/update-6-homicide-investigation-mackay/


This info that was released on 19th March .. ... wonder how long it takes to get DNA results. It's been just over two weeks.

Presume that the police would have requested DNA samples from Shandee's boyfriend and other close male associates, and will test that against DNA from the butts they found.

If this was a crime of passion by someone known to Shandee, this could be the key to this crime. As long as they can get DNA from the relevant males that knew Shandee.

 

[SouthAussie]

T-shirts showing Shandee's face and wrist bands with the words "Justice for Shandee" are worn by people all over the town.

The money raised from their sale has been given to organ donation organisations - a cause Shandee often spoke of.

"There was no good reason for Shandee to die," Ms Blackburn said. "If we don't do something, nothing good will have come from Shandee's death - and that's not acceptable to me.

"We're going to be putting out organ donation forms with the bands in stores around town.

"If someone fills one out and they go on to save lives, that's someone who has been helped through Shandee's death.

"We won't even know it's happened - but Shandee will."

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...handee-blackburn/story-fncyva0b-1226635213394

 

[Scoobysnack]

Here is another shocking crime/case, fair distance between the two crimes.... however from the media reports I see a few similarities.

*with this crime below however there was a man that was distressed & knocked on a lady's door.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1769412/McDonalds-worker-murdered-in-Qld

 

[H A L 9 0 0 0]

I just stumbled across another depressing story with similarties to the murder of Shandee from 2002.

Caroline Stuttle was a 19 year old British backpacker who was senselessly killed in Bundaberg Qld by a stranger- a drug addict low life who had his eye on her handbag. He attacked her as she was walking back to the caravan park where she was staying, robbed her and threw her over the side of the bridge she was in the middle of crossing.

This low life was nabbed and is serving a life sentence. It's just beyond comprehension how little value some place on the lives of others. I hope police make an arrest in Shandee's case very soon, and that the person responsible is swiftly brought to justice.