Dating : Lies About The Victim To Save Own Life

He tried to blame the victim for her death, it backfired.

Grace Millane was having the time of her life. She had graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in advertising and marketing. Family and friends pulled together to help support her desire to travel the world for a year.

Millane spent six weeks exploring South America. She reported to her loved ones how much she loved it. Her next adventure took her to New Zealand. On November 30, 2018, she arrived in Auckland.

The next day, Millane was seen walking around the business district. The college grad was in her element. She was on top of the world — people who encountered her informed police that she was polite and well-spoken.

Later the night, Millane was seen with Jesse Kempson. They were having a drink at the CityHotel on Queen Street. The date started innocently enough, two young people meeting for a cocktail.

Things turned tense when Kempson suggested going back to his hotel room. Millane declined. The rejection upset the young man, and he pleaded his case to her. She once again said no, and left.

It was the last time Grace Millane was seen alive.

Girl Gone Missing

Millane’s parents sent her birthday wishes on December 2. They were concerned when she didn’t respond. However, they figured that she was likely out with friends and would contact them the next day. Her silence began to scare them, and they contacted the Auckland police.

Using CCTV footage, the police were able to pinpoint the hotel as the last place Millane was seen publicly. They also ascertained that Kempson was the last person to be seen with the young lady. For the first few hours of the investigation, it was treated as a missing person case. Cops did not believe there was foul play involved.

That theory changed within a few days. The longer Millane was missing, the likelier it was that she would not be found alive. On December 9, 2018, the body of Grace Millane was found.

She had been buried in the Waitākere Ranges. Police found the body thanks to a tip from an anonymous source. With the discovery of the body, the investigation moved into overdrive. An alert went out asking for assistance in finding the shovel believed to have been used in the murder.

Police also asked the public to help track down a 2016 Toyota Corolla that Kempson had leased. Once again, tips poured in and they were able to track down the car. It was found but had been rented by another family.

Still, the police were convinced that Kempson was guilty. They were driven to prove it.

Trying To Hide

New Zealand has a law that allows defendants to keep their names out of the local news outlets. Name suppression is supposed to help with fair trials and from attaching a negative reputation if the person is found to be innocent.

Once he was charged with the murder, Kempson’s attorneys immediately asked for name suppression. Initially, the judge denied the request. The order was appealed, which triggered an automatic 20 business day moratorium on the press being allowed to use his name in their articles.

Even with the appeal, some outlets were printing Kempson’s name. The police were forced to investigate those who broke the order. One of the people who breached the order was an Auckland businessman. He was prosecuted for the violation in February 2020. After initially pleading not guilty, the businessman agreed to change his plea in June 2020.

Keeping his name from the headlines was all part of Kempson’s defense strategy. Without a villain to take the fall, Grace Millane’s name would be pulled through the mud.

Consensual Murder

Kempson entered a not guilty plea on January 19, 2019. A position he affirmed when the trial began that November. His team of lawyers began their defense by insinuating that Millane had wanted to die.

According to their argument, she had a wild side that was revealed to Kempson. While it was tragic that Millane died, the sex was consensual and she begged the defendant to choke her. The young man granted her request and didn’t realize that he was doing it too hard.

Since Kempson’s name was kept out of the press, Millane became a sensation in New Zealand and around the world. It appeared as the defense’s tactic of laying the blame on the victim would pay off for them. Headlines appeared around the world claiming that the young lady was into BDSM and her death was a direct result of her kink.

As the international press had a field day with the revelation, the prosecutors were preparing their counterattack. Kempson had a reputation for going on Tinder and luring unsuspecting dates into hookups. After they refused his request for choking and other BDSM acts, he would often force them into it.

Three women testified about their experience with the defendant. Even as the defense tried to paint the ladies as women scorned, their argument was falling apart.

Prosecutors then dropped game-changing evidence. Kempson had researched getting rid of a body before watching porn, hours after Millane’s murder. He also rented a carpet cleaning machine from a local grocery store.

The jury convicted Jesse Kempson on the murder charges. New Zealand laws state the once convicted of such a serious crime, the punishment is automatically life in prison.

Shockers After Trial

After the verdict was read, there was open weeping with family and friends of Millane. In their view, justice had been served. Even Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern released a statement apologizing to the victim’s family. Their loved one should have been safe while in the country, she said.

It was revealed by a media outlet that Kempson had taken pictures of Millane’s naked body after he killed her. Before he disposed of the body, the young man also made another date on Tinder.

During that date, he spun a story that a friend was in trouble for having rough sex. His companion was able to get away before he initiated his seduction techniques.

With all of the new information swirling, Kempson’s defense lawyers started the appeal process. They no longer denied that he killed Millane, in fact, they recognize he did it. Also gone was the rough sex defense that had played out in the courtroom.

In the new motion, they argue that evidence was admitted that should not have been allowed. If the judge had followed procedure, their client would have been acquitted, they argue.

Their strategy has shifted from blaming Grace Millane for her murder to blaming the judge for Jesse Kempson’s conviction.