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2013 Atlantic Journalism Awards Finalists

Attachments



Slug/Label The Juliane Hibbs Story
Date Aired or Published November 14, 2013
Media outlet where first aired or published: 590 VOCM
Name of Program: The Juliane Hibbs Story
If co-produced, list partner: n/a
Location: St. John's
List awards, grants: n/a
Running time (TV/Radio): 30 minutes

Short explanation of the story and how it developed:

On October 15th, 2013, Juliane Hibbs and her fiancé Vince Dillon were shot and killed by Juliane's ex-boyfriend Brian Dawe. The two had been separated for 4 years, but Dawe confronted them at a medical clinic in Conception Bay South, NL and shot Dillon outside the clinic and Hibbs, who was in the waiting area inside. After a 14 hour manhunt, Dawe's body was found in a car at a local cemetery. He had taken his own life. Police later revealed Dawe was wearing a bullet-proof vest, had a handgun, an AK-47, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. It was later revealed that Juliane Hibbs had spent 15 years with Dawe in an abusive and controlling relationship before she finally managed to escape. A relationship that started when Hibbs was just 15 years old. Her parents Phil and Debbie Hibbs had tried for years to get her away from Dawe, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Eventually the family reunited but within 2 years she was murdered. In the weeks following the murders, Juliane's parent agreed to one interview with a local newspaper, but the first and only extensive electronic interview they did, was with VOCM. they spent 2 hours going over the horrific details of their daughter's abusive relationship,how they were finally reunited, and her eventual murder. The family agreed to speak about the horrific tragedy with a view to shedding light on the issue of domestic violence. Hoping that other families who are experiencing similar issues can find they help they need before its too late. They say since the interview other parents have contacted them, recounting similar stories and stating they had taken action to remove their own daughters from volatile situations. This submission includes 30 minutes of a 58 minute broadcast.

Resources of the newsroom (money and time) available to complete the story:

The VOCM Newsroom consists of 12 full-time and 3 part-time reporters and news anchors. This special presentation was conceived and produced by Fred Hutton. Fred Hutton was responsible for lining up the guests which took several days to confirm. . The interview was recorded by Fred Hutton who used two microphones and a Marantz Recorder. The original interview ran over 2 hours. Editing was done by Fred Hutton and Greg Smith. There was also visual promotional material produced by Paddy Moore.

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