Trial by Water

Diagnosing Murder | Ep 3: The Engine Room

Trial by Water

Show Notes

Once forensic physicians believe a child might have been shaken, their next step is to look for a perpetrator. When they call in police and child protection, the investigation starts in earnest. It all starts inside Victoria's beloved Royal Children's hospital. For exclusive content and additional reporting on the case, available to subscribers of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, visit theage.com.au/podcast/diagnosingmurder. Subscribe now to theage.com.au or smh.com.au to access the special Good Weekend investigation. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Virginia Giuffre was fearless in taking down some of the world’s most powerful people. As Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent victim, she helped expose his crimes and hold his friends to account, including the man formerly known as Prince Andrew. But despite her heroic battle in the most notorious sex trafficking case of the 21st century, few knew about one of her toughest fights. It was one she fought privately at home in Australia. Follow The Age and SMH Investigates to be first to listen to new episodes of Virginia from Walkley-award winning journalist Melissa Fyfe and WA Today reporter Carla Hildebrandt. Read the Good Weekend feature or our visual story which chronicles the harrowing final months of Virginia Giuffre's life as her marriage unravelled. Visit our websites at smh.com.au, theage.com.au and watoday.com.au, and send questions, information and feedback to [email protected] Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 31, 2025

Kabir and Dipika's case reaches its dramatic conclusion. And, while officials say they're not keeping track of how many shaken baby cases there are in Australia, an unlikely duo – the loved ones of people imprisoned for shaking – work night and day to find out. For exclusive content and additional reporting on the case, available to subscribers of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, visit theage.com.au/podcast/diagnosingmurder. Subscribe now to theage.com.au or smh.com.au to access the special Good Weekend investigation. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 17, 2025

Doctors and lawyers can't come to a consensus on the science of shaken baby syndrome 50 years after it was first proposed as a theory. Does shaking a baby actually lead to the brain damage seen in historical and current cases? And why has the argument become so heated that some describe it as a war? For exclusive content and additional reporting on the case, available to subscribers of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, visit theage.com.au/podcast/diagnosingmurder. Subscribe now to theage.com.au or smh.com.au to access the special Good Weekend investigation. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 10, 2025

One evening Kabir's baby stops breathing. When he and his wife Dipika rush to hospital, they expect their daughter will receive the best treatment possible. Instead, the doctors turn on them. For exclusive content and additional reporting on the case, available to subscribers of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, visit theage.com.au/podcast/diagnosingmurder. Subscribe now to theage.com.au or smh.com.au to access the special Good Weekend investigation. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 25, 2025

For decades, families in Australia and overseas, have been accused of one of the worst crimes imaginable. Diagnosing Murder is an investigative podcast about parents who've had their children taken away, sat in the dock and even done time in prison. All for something they insist they didn't do – shake their baby. Can we trust the science behind shaken baby syndrome? Or are innocent people being locked up for a crime they never committed?

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