Introducing Dezi Freeman: The Hunt
4/30/20262 min
When two police officers were shot dead in regional Victoria, the man accused vanished into the bushland. What followed was one of the most extensive manhunts in Australian history.
7NEWS journalist Michael Usher and Crime Editor Cassie Zervos take you inside the case from every angle: what happened, how it unfolded, his ideology, and the impact on those left behind.
Dezi Freeman: The Hunt, is a 7NEWS and LiSTNR co-production.
Listen to the podcast here or watch the vodcast on 7+.
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Transcript
13 sentencesCassie Zervos· Host0:00
[fabric rustling] [baby cooing] It was Monday, March 30, and for me, it was just like any other day on mat leave. Had baby in one hand, vomit on the shoulder, and I had my Apple Watch on, and started to feel vibrations coming through of notifications. There were messages coming through on Signal, which is an encrypted app my police contacts usually use to contact me, and there was a preview on this message, and all it said was, "DF found? Ping. DF dead."
Michael Usher· Host0:37
[suspenseful music] Deszie Freeman, a self-proclaimed sovereign citizen accused of killing two cops, then vanishing into the bush. What followed was one of the biggest manhunts in Australian history. I'm 7 News journalist Michael Usher.
Cassie Zervos· Host0:53
And I'm 7 News Melbourne crime editor Cassie Zervos. This is the inside story of the shooting that shocked the country, the search that followed, and the final intense hours that spelled the end of Deszie Bird Freeman.
Michael Usher· Host1:07
We go inside the critical few days before police swooped in to tell you what really happened. Who gave up Deszie Freeman?
Cassie Zervos· Host1:18
Deszie Freeman: The Hunt, podcast out from Sunday, May 3rd on 7Plus and on Secrets We Keep on LiSTNR.