Parker-Hulme Murder Case

The Parker-Hulme murder case involved two teenagers, one 16 and one 15 years old. This was the murder of Honorah Mary Rieper in Christchurch, New Zealand, on June 22, 1954. The two girls, Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme, were the perpetrators.

Pauline Yvonne Parker was born on May 26, 1938. Her parents, Honorah Mary Parker and Herbert Rieper, were not married, but this only became public during the trial. They worked as part-time house staff and gardeners for the University of Canterbury. Pauline met Juliet Hulme when they were both in their early teens.

Juliet Hulme was born in London on October 28, 1938, and moved to New Zealand with her family in 1948. Her father, Henry Hulme, was a physicist and the rector of the University of Canterbury, and the family lived at Ilam Homestead, provided by the university. Both girls attended Christchurch Girls' High School. They connected over shared childhood illnesses; Pauline had osteomyelitis, and Juliet had tuberculosis.

Their friendship grew, and they created an elaborate fantasy world, writing plays, books, and stories within it. The intensity of their friendship concerned Pauline's parents, who worried about a sexual relationship, which was considered a mental illness at the time. The Hulme family also had concerns, but both families still allowed the girls to spend time together. Pauline often stayed overnight and went on vacations at the Hulme home in Ilam. Juliet would become withdrawn and ill when Pauline left.

The girls also developed their own religion, rejecting Christianity and worshipping their own saints. They imagined a parallel dimension called The Fourth World, which they saw as their version of Heaven, and believed they could enter it at times of spiritual enlightenment.