# 374. MURDER: The Deaths of Ben and Olivia

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/witches-magic-murder-mystery-1318612/374-murder-the-deaths-of-ben-and-olivia
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/witches-magic-murder-mystery-1318612/374-murder-the-deaths-of-ben-and-olivia.md
Podcast: [Witches, Magic, Murder, & Mystery](https://stenobird.com/podcast/witches-magic-murder-mystery-1318612)
Published: 2026-03-13T13:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/prfx.byspotify.com/e/pdcn.co/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/CCLUC6869739481.mp3
Audio file: https://pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/prfx.byspotify.com/e/pdcn.co/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/CCLUC6869739481.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/witches-magic-murder-mystery-1318612/episodes/374-murder-the-deaths-of-ben-and-olivia
Duration seconds: 1211

## Resource

On New Year’s Eve 1997, Ben Smart and Olivia Hope boarded a yacht in New Zealand’s Marlborough Sounds after missing their ride back to shore. By morning, they had vanished—launching one of the country’s most debated murder cases. Need more WMMM in your life? Join the Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/c/witchesmagicmurdermystery Want WMMM Merch? Check out the podcast store: https://witches-magic-murder-mystery-podcast-store.myshopify.com Our Youtube Channel has longer versions of our episodes, with less editing and more outtakes: https://www.youtube.com/c/WitchesMagicMurderMysteryPodcast Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Ben_Smart_and_Olivia_Hope https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/ben-smart-and-olivia-hope-timeline-of-events/ https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/ben-smart-and-olivia-hope-case https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/ben-smart-and-olivia-hope-case https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/crime/scott-watson-parole-hearing-decision/https://www.paroleboard.govt.nz/decisions https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/cases/r-v-watson https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/107745722/scott-watson-appeal-bid https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/451385/scott-watson-supporters-seek-royal-commission https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/gerald-mcneilly-testimony-scott-watson-trial/ https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/ben-smart-olivia-hope-trial-jailhouse-informanthttps://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/scott-watson-denies-confession-to-inmate/ All Witches, Magic, Murder, & Mystery episodes are a mix of Kara and Megan’s personal thoughts and opinions in response to the information that is publicly available at the time of recording, as well as, in some cases, personal accounts provided by listeners. In regard to these self-reported personal accounts, there can be no assurance that the information…

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## Transcript

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