Father and Stepson's Murder-Suicide Not Faked

Father and stepson's murder-suicide not faked

Police recover John Beckenridge’s car from Blue Cod Bay in the Catlins on May 6, 2015. Photo: Stephen Jaquiery The mysterious disappearance of John and Mike Beckenridge, whose car was found at the bottom of a Catlins cliff, was a murder-suicide and not an elaborate fake, a coroner says.

John Beckenridge killed himself and stepson in 2015, coroner rules

A theory John Beckenridge had faked his and Mike Zhou-Beckenridge's deaths and fled overseas has been called "implausible".

‘Desperate and irrational’: Father likely drove himself and stepson off Southland cliff

The theory that John Beckenridge staged a fatal cliff top plunge was ‘implausible’, a coroner has concluded.

Coroner Rules Beckenridge Killed Himself And Stepson In 2015

John Beckenridge killed himself and his 11-year-old stepson in a vengeful act against his estranged wife, a coroner has ruled.John Beckenridge, left, and Mike Zhou-Beckenridge. Photo: SUPPLIEDCoroner Marcus Elliot said the Queenstown man was angry, self-righteous and vengeful when he drove his car off a cliff in the Catlins in 2015.Beckenridge and his stepson Mike Zhou-Beckenridge were last seen near Curio Bay in Southland in March 2015, and the…

Coroner rules 2015 disappearance a murder-suicide

Image – Google Maps. A coroner has determined that John Beckenridge killed himself and his 11-year-old stepson Mike Zhou-Beckenridge in a deliberate crash off a Southland cliff in 2015, rejecting claims they staged their deaths and fled overseas. Coroner Marcus Elliot found Beckenridge acted out of anger and vindictiveness towards his estranged wife, concluding the murder-suicide theory was far more plausible than an elaborate escape plan. Evide…