Where the Crawdads Sing author wanted for questioning in on-camera murder from 1996
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In 1996, Where the Crawdads Sing author Delia Owens and her husband Mark were the subjects of an ABC documentary, Deadly Game: The Mark and Delia Owens Story, about their work trying to save elephants from poachers in Zambia. During the production, an alleged poacher's murder was filmed and now, more than 25 years later, Owens is still sought for questioning in his death.
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Where the Crawdads Sing was published in 2018, becoming one of the best-selling books of all time, and its film adaptation arrives in theaters this Friday, produced by Reese Witherspoon, who chose the book for her book club upon its publication.
Like the book's protagonist, Kya, Owens finds herself somehow connected to a murder. The doc captures three rounds being fired at someone who host Meredith Viera refers to as a "trespasser," as no one was sure whether he was a poacher or not. The first shots happened before cameras started rolling, and it was unclear where the shots came from.
Chris Everson, the ABC cameraman who filmed the incident, claims Mark Owens' grown son from another marriage, Christopher, fired the first and last shots. Delia denied the accusation in a 2010 New Yorker article, claiming that ABC "just wanted something sensational."
"I can't even go into the U.S. embassy with a camera," Zambia's chief prosecutor told The Atlantic. "I want to know how Mark and Delia brought guns into Zambia and turned themselves into law-enforcement agents."
Zambian authorities never pressed charges for the murder, but because there's no statute of limitations on murder there, the Owenses, including Delia, are still sought for questioning.
According to a recent Atlantic article, Zambian officials want to question Delia Owens as a possible witness, co-conspirator, and accessory to felony crimes. The matter, however, is further complicated by the lack of an extradition treaty between the U.S. and Zambia, and ABC's reported refusal to cooperate with the investigation.
Delia and Mark Owens left Zambia for good after the ABC doc aired, following scrutiny of their activities, and the pair quietly divorced after more than 40 years together. Delia, however, still thanked Mark in the acknowledgments of Where the Crawdads Sing.
With the film adaptation of that bestselling book premiering this week, attention is back on the 1996 shooting incident, but whatever happened in Zambia 26 years ago is unlikely to overshadow the glitz and glamor of a Hollywood premiere, or the popularity of a book that has sold more than 12 million copies.
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