From the oppressed shores of India to a racially charged Fiji, her mother’s death at her birth, early adoption, marital abuse, military takeover, and move to Australia, Shirley had already overcome a life of adversity when she was subjected to a nightmare no mother should endure.
On April 22, 2003, three of Shirley’s children, Neelma, Kunal, and Sidhi, were found murdered, submerged in the spa bath of their home in an affluent Australian suburb.
In a crime that gripped the nation – and led to a five-and-a-half-year investigation involving more than 1, 500 lines of inquiry, 750 witness statements, 490 exhibits, the elimination of 180 DNA profiles, and the collection of 10, 000 foot impressions, Shirley and her husband, Vijay, faced accusations of domestic violence, molestation, affairs, prostitution, and bad business deals.
Strong, sassy, passionate, and loving, Shirley depended on her love for her children, her faith in God, and her decision to keep a ‘clean state of mind’ to overcome alcohol and substance abuse while battling mental illness to help catch the killer.
After a 95-day committal hearing and 80-day criminal trial – the longest in Queensland legal history – a Supreme Court jury deliberated for four days before finding Massimo ‘Max’ Sica guilty of murdering Shirley’s three children.
When her only surviving child, Archana, died of a brain aneurysm in February 2020, Shirley was once again forced to dig deep, finding strength in memories captured over 43 years.
This is Shirley’s Story, a tale of strength, courage and hope as told to Emily Eklund Power.
สารบัญ
Prologue
Chapter 1: Blood Lines
Chapter 2: Orphan
Chapter 3: The Early Years
Chapter 4: Kidnapped
Chapter 5: Our Family
Chapter 6: The Flight Home
Chapter 7: The Police Station
Chapter 8: The Walk-Through
Chapter 9: Max
Chapter 10: A Career Lady
Chapter 11: Relationships Sour
Chapter 12: A Bad Husband
Chapter 13: Identification
Chapter 14: Returning Home
Chapter 15: The Funeral
Chapter 16: Our Faith
Chapter 17: The Affairs
Chapter 18: The Showdown
Chapter 19: The Emails
Chapter 20: My Dreams
Chapter 21: Diaries
Chapter 22: The Media
Chapter 23: The Police
Chapter 24: The Support
Chapter 25: Losing My Mind
Chapter 26: Savouring Memories
Chapter 27: The Investigation Heats Up
Chapter 28: The Lost Years
Chapter 29: The Capture
Chapter 30: Time for Justice
Chapter 31: Committed to Stand Trial
Chapter 32: Cross-Examination
Chapter 33: The Police Informer
Chapter 34: Footprints
Chapter 35: The Impact
Chapter 36: The Judgement
Chapter 37: Justice
Chapter 38: The Hard Yards
Chapter 39: Catching a Murderer
Chapter 40: A Question of Parole
Chapter 41: Together Again
Chapter 42: Memories
Shirley’s Story: The Timeline Endnotes
เกี่ยวกับผู้แต่ง
Emily Eklund Power is a writer, media and communications professional with a passion for news and current affairs.A former journalist for News Limited, Bauer Media Group and Hearst, her work has been published in newspapers and magazines nationally and internationally.She has led Queensland Government communications and issues management in disaster recovery and managed national and international press for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. She currently manages communications and stakeholder relations for a large national company.Emily enjoys telling people’s stories with conviction and evoking emotion through words.Shirley’s Story is her first book.
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