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For an ad-free listening experience, visit patreon.com slash crimehub. Sign up for a 7-day free trial and gain access to all my episodes completely ad-free. That's patreon.com slash crimehub. Now let's dive into the story. Every day, 42 million people swipe left or right on Tinder.
It's the most popular dating site in the world, with more active users than Bumble, Inge, Grindr, and Match combined. What was once considered taboo is now the new normal. You likely know somebody who met their significant other on Tinder. There's a good chance that somebody is you.
According to recent studies, 30% of couples who met online say they met on Tinder. While Tinder tells plenty of romantic tales, it also dips its toes in horror. How many times have you seen headlines similar to: "The body of a woman was discovered a month after she vanished from a Tinder date." "A 26-year-old woman was reportedly murdered by her Tinder date and dissolved in acid."
Or, a man tried to kill his wife so he could be with a woman he met on Tinder. Between December 2018 and January 2019, you may have heard about another Tinder horror story on the other side of the world. Grace Mullane was a 21-year-old college grad on a global backpacking tour. She left her home in Essex, England, flew to Peru, then skipped over to New Zealand.
There, she met a charming man named Jesse Kempson. They matched on Tinder. She was looking for a quick fling and he was hunting for prey. Jesse wasn't a serial killer, but he was a pathological liar, a con artist, and an abuser. It was only a matter of time before he killed somebody. Sadly, that "somebody" was Grace Mullane. The story took New Zealand by storm.
Suddenly, the small, quiet country where nothing awful happens stepped into the international spotlight. People questioned if it was safe to travel, which can be detrimental to cities like Auckland that rely on tourism. Auckland police took Grace's death personally. Lucky for them, the entire crime was basically caught on camera.
New Zealand relies heavily on CCTV. In fact, mass surveillance in New Zealand is so prevalent that it has its own Wikipedia page. Taxpayers shell out $5.4 million each year to keep the cameras rolling. Those cameras captured Grace and Jesse's short relationship from the moment they met to their first kiss to the last time Grace was ever seen alive. She went missing hours before her 22nd birthday.
It's a fact of the case that helped police kickstart their investigation. When happy birthday texts from her friends and family went unanswered, they knew something was wrong. It's hard to imagine what would have happened if Grace Mullane swiped left. If she had, she may still be alive today. Part 1: New Zealand Bound Grace Mullane grew up in Wickford, a small town in Essex County, about 30 miles east of London.
She was a marketing and advertising grad from the University of Lincoln. Grace had a job lined up, but she wanted to see the world before settling into the rest of her life. So, she planned to travel between October and June of 2018. She'd see every end of the earth before coming home to Essex.
On October 26, 2018, Grace flew from London to South America, where she spent six weeks with an organized group in Peru and other countries. Grace was a natural outdoors woman, while in Peru, she spent five days hiking the Inca Trail, which snakes through the Andes Mountains, before finishing at Machu Picchu. It was a trail her mother, Jillian, had done before. Hiking was in Grace's blood,
From there, she flew across the Pacific to New Zealand, landing on November 20th, 2018. Grace documented everything on Instagram. It helped her family keep tabs on her between phone calls. Finding time to talk while on opposite ends of the world can be a little tricky. Still, Grace made sure to call and text every day. She even carried two phones, just in case something happened to one of them.
Grace arrived in Auckland, the largest and most populated city in New Zealand. She quickly snapped a picture of Sky Tower, one of the city's many iconic landmarks, before heading to her hostel on Queen Street. New Zealand, Auckland specifically, relies on travel and tourism. The base backpackers lodge is a popular spot for travelers looking for cheap housing.
It's located in the city's beating heart. Everything you could need is a stone's throw away. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic hit New Zealand's backpacking industry hard. The lodge where Grace stayed is closed as of 2024, as are a third of similar hostels around the country. In its prime, the base backpackers lodge was down the street from the City Life building. City Life is a pricey blend of luxury hotel rooms and private apartments.
Many people will buy and rent the units to long-term tenants, who will enjoy all the trappings of hotel life in the privacy of their own apartments. One of those tenants was Jesse Kempson, who had just moved in on October 16th, 2018. He presented himself as a young professional who had just landed a cushy new job. Lucky for him, his landlord didn't check his references. Part 2: The Serial Dater
Jesse Kempson was addicted to Tinder. It was his way of escaping the life he was stuck with. Jesse grew up near the New Zealand capital of Wellington. He was born in 1992 and watched his parents split in 2001. His mother left the country and Jesse had little contact with her after. In fact, if somebody asked about his mother, Jesse would likely say she was dead. His father remarried a woman with a small family of her own.
They blended their houses and Jesse lived with them until he was 21. He worked as a bartender and laborer, but wanted to try his luck in Australia. According to reports, tensions rose at home after his family accused Jesse of stealing. He was a pathological liar with a treasure trove of excuses and backstories. Jesse wasn't trying his luck in the land down under. His family gave him an ultimatum, "Clean up your act or hit the road."
Jesse opted to leave. He lived in Sydney for three years, but little is known about his time there. He bounced from house to house, lying to gain entry, never paying rent, and then leaving when the landlord came knocking. He told one former landlord he was a professional softball player for the New Zealand Black Sox. He couldn't pay the rent right now, but would when his contract money came through. Eight weeks later, the landlord contacted Black Sox management
They'd never heard of Jesse Kempson. He skipped town, leaving the landlord on the hook for $700 in unpaid rent. He told another that his family owned a chain of restaurants in Australia. A different landlord believed Jesse was a bachelor of international law and came from a line of millionaires. Sometimes, he'd share flats with other young professionals who spoke to his distrustful nature. One woman claimed he stole money from her room.
Others say he never looked for work and, instead, spent all his time on dating apps. Jesse returned to New Zealand in 2016. It's believed he got in trouble in Australia and was running from the law. According to his grandfather, Jesse fathered a child in Sydney and fled to escape the relationship. There is, however, no evidence that this child exists. Back in New Zealand, Jesse became a heavy drinker.
a vice he blamed on his father. He was arrested multiple times for drunk and disorderly conduct. Of course, Jesse needed a place to stay upon moving home. He contacted three women who were looking for a fourth roommate. They chatted over Zoom. Jesse presented himself as a young entrepreneur looking to buy a restaurant in Auckland. The girls, desperate for a roommate, gave Jesse a chance.
But after a few weeks, it was clear that Jesse had no intention of buying a restaurant. Instead of looking for a job, he spent all his time on Tinder. This made the girls uncomfortable, and they asked him to leave. To Jesse's credit, he was gone the next morning, likely onto his next scam. Tinder was his escape. He could be anybody but Jesse Kempson. Sometimes, he was an oil tycoon. Other times, a development manager.
On Mondays, he was a corporate lawyer. On Tuesdays, his mother was dying of cancer. On Wednesdays, he was dying of cancer. The lies snowball from there. He claimed to have a contact list full of celebrity friends. He told one girl that his cousin played for the New Zealand All Blacks, the national rugby team. Jesse was one of those people who saw himself as infallible.
He could have all the sexual partners in the world, but God forbid if his Tinder date was actively talking to someone else. He pestered them with questions about their sexual history. Of one woman, he asked if she was sleeping with someone while they were talking on the app. It got so bad and personal that she blocked him on Tinder and Facebook. Jesse's online behavior was suspect, but he hadn't hurt anybody yet.
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Paid non-client endorsement. Compensation provides incentive to positively promote Acorns. Investing involves risk. Acorns Advisors LLC and SEC registered investment advisor. View important disclosures at acorns.com slash crime mob. Part three, an avoidable tragedy. Jesse Kempson saw women as objects to do with as he pleased. To him, swiping right on his profile was consent. It meant you were willing to go along with whatever Jesse said.
In 2016, long before Grace Mullane ever arrived in Auckland, Jessie matched with a 25-year-old woman who was looking to start a family. Her name has been kept secret for her protection. For the sake of this story, we'll refer to her as Dawn. Dawn was a self-described hopeless romantic. She was young, naive, and used Tinder almost every day. Then, she swiped right on Jessie Kempson.
She remembers him as confident, charismatic, and compassionate. Three C's that would define a quality partner. In Jesse's case, these characteristics masked his psychopathy. After a week of talking and dating, Jesse and Dawn fell into a serious relationship. That's when Jesse's behavior changed drastically.
He called and texted her constantly. He'd fly off the handle, saying things like, "You're not my girlfriend anymore," when she hadn't done anything wrong. Within weeks, Jesse began asking her for money. $500 here, $1,000 there. He'd dig into his endless bag of lies to find an extravagant reason why he needed the money. He knew damn well that he'd never pay her back. According to Dawn, she gave him her entire life's savings.
over $20,000. A month later, they were living together. Being behind closed doors with an angry Jesse was like being stuck in a room with pure evil. One night, he woke up from a nap and told Dawn he was going to kill her. Then, he went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and began chasing her around the house. He body slammed her, straddled her, and held the knife to her throat. Somehow, Dawn escaped.
She crawled across the room, but Jesse was hot on her tail. He began making sexual demands, which she obviously refused. Jesse waved the knife and said, "If you don't, I'll kill you and I'll kill your family. You know I will." Dawn relented and did whatever Jesse asked. The final straw came on Dawn's birthday. She discovered that Jesse was chatting with other girls on Tinder. He had screenshots of conversations and dozens of phone numbers.
Dawn grabbed her things and ran for the car. She escaped Jesse's house with nothing but the clothes on her back. She fled to her family, but eventually went to the police. Dawn was with her father at the police station. That's likely why she excluded the part of the story about sexual abuse then. The cops believed that she escaped a violent situation, but there was nothing they could do. It was he said, she said.
Without proof of Jessie's violent behavior, Dawn couldn't press charges. She was able to take out a protection order, but that didn't do anything to warn other women like Grace Mullane. In a statement to the BBC, New Zealand police said, "For any criminal complaint, police must meet a certain threshold of evidence under the Solicitor General's guidelines for prosecution before proceeding." At the time, Dawn's case didn't have enough physical evidence to prosecute.
People didn't investigate until after Grace's death when Don finally told them about the sexual abuse. Part 4: The Date It was two days before her 22nd birthday. Grace Mullane had just arrived in Auckland and was settling into the base backpackers hotel, looking for fun in a new city. She hopped on her phone and opened Tinder. It wasn't long before she matched with Jesse Kempson.
They chatted back and forth and made plans to hang out the next night, December 1st, her last evening as a 21-year-old. As we mentioned, New Zealand is under constant surveillance. Assume you're on camera while walking around a major city like Auckland. Cameras are constantly watching the hotels, streets, bars, and even your cab. Thanks to these cameras, we can follow Grace's date with Jesse from beginning to end.
Shortly after 5:30 p.m., Grace left the Backpackers Lodge on her way to meet Jesse at Sky City. She arrived first and waited a few minutes for him to arrive. He walked up and greeted her with a big hug. Then, cameras followed as they walked across the casino floor toward a bar. They walked into Andy's Burgers and Bar and ordered a round of drinks. Until then, everything seemed perfectly normal. Just two people awkwardly getting to know each other.
things were going well. So Grace and Jesse continued their date at a small spot called Mexican Cafe. They got a table for two, shared a few more drinks, and then carried on to another bar called the Bluestone Room. Things heated up at Bluestone. Cameras show them sitting close to each other, their noses almost touching. They kiss and keep kissing.
Jesse then gets up to use the bathroom. While Jesse was gone, Grace pulled out her phone and texted a friend from home. She said they were having a good time getting smashed together. They clicked really well, and she was excited when Jesse mentioned coming to London next year. As far as anybody knows, Jesse never planned on visiting London. At 9:40 p.m., cameras caught Jesse and Grace leaving the Bluestone hand in hand. They walked back to Jesse's building,
where cameras inside the lobby and elevator saw them go up to his room. Both of them stepped off the elevator on Jesse's floor. Grace Mullane was never seen alive again. But that wasn't the last we'd see of Jesse. The next morning, on December 2nd, cameras caught Jesse entering the elevator without Grace. It's around this time that birthday wishes begin flooding her phone. Cameras followed him out the door and across the street to a general store.
where he was seen buying various cleaning supplies. He also purchased a large suitcase. He went back to his room but didn't stay for long. This psychopath had another Tinder date he didn't want to be late for. So he rented a car and drove to meet this woman at a bar.
but Jesse was extremely uncomfortable. His date remembers him going on this rant about a guy he knew who accidentally killed his girlfriend during a round of rough sex. He started talking about how deep you'd have to bury a body so police dogs couldn't smell it. The date was going terribly. Jesse radiated bad vibes. Even though they parked on the same street, the woman lied and said her car was in the opposite direction.
Dejected, Jesse went home and borrowed a steam cleaner from the front desk. He brought it upstairs and didn't appear on camera again for several hours. When he did, he was pushing a trolley cart with two heavy bags. He brought the bags to his rented car and tossed them in the back. It didn't take a genius to know that Grace's body was in those bags. The following morning, around 7 a.m., Jesse was caught buying a new shovel.
We don't see him again until 9:00 AM when he finally returns to his building. Cameras catch him throwing out large trash bags and then taking his clothes to the dry cleaners. Finally, Jesse pulled into a car wash and began scrubbing every inch of his rental car. By then, Grace's parents were already on the phone with Auckland police. Their little girl was missing and it wouldn't be long before Jesse became their prime suspect.
Part 5: A Web of Lies Police began their investigation by digging into Grace's social media history. Nothing seemed unusual until they looked at the comments on her profile picture. The most recent comment was from December 1st. A man going by "Jesse Shane" simply wrote: "Beautiful. Very radiant. Mr. Shane was, obviously, Jesse Kempson."
Thanks to all the CCTV cameras, police tracked Grace as she went on her date with Jesse. They knew the full story, that Grace went up to his room and never came back out. Police caught up with Jesse and wanted to see if he'd tell the truth. He did up until the part where, according to Jesse, he and Grace parted ways. The detective came clean with Jesse. He believed Grace was dead and that all the signs pointed to Jesse as the murderer.
They soon obtained a warrant to search his apartment, where they found bloodstains on the floor. On December 7th, Jesse came back to the station for another interview. He was nervous this time and more open about what happened that night with Grace. The following story is Jesse's version of events. They got back to his apartment, at which point Grace began talking about Fifty Shades of Grey. They started having sex, which was placid at first.
but soon took a rough turn. She asked if they could try bondage, at which point Jesse claimed he blacked out. The next thing he knew, he was stepping out of the shower. When he came back, he saw Grace's body on the floor. There was blood everywhere. He panicked. He didn't know what to do. He left the apartment and Jesse's story trails off from there. He doesn't talk about what he did with the body or where it might be. Police didn't buy a word of it.
They arrested Jesse and charged him with Grace's murder. It allowed them to deep dive into his life, leading to several interesting clues. Let's begin with Jesse's Google searches at 1:29 AM on December 2nd. Jesse Googled Waitakere Ranges, a hilly area about 20 miles outside of Auckland. Sources say the area has a dark reputation as a dumping ground for bodies. Police believe Jesse buried Grace there on the morning of December 3rd.
Jesse also googled "Hottest Fire" and "Flesh-eating birds", perhaps looking for a way to dispose of her body. Next, Jesse researched rigor mortis. Rigor mortis is when your muscles stiffen post-mortem. It can occur within four hours of death and can last up to three days, at which point your muscles relax again. Perhaps that's why Jesse waited an extra day to bury Grace's body. He couldn't physically get her in the suitcase because she was as stiff as a board.
To pass the time, Jesse watched hardcore porn and took lewd photos of Grace's body. All the while, he was chatting with another woman on Tinder. Police used Jesse's Google history and GPS data to track his movements on the morning of December 3rd. It was like a map leading to Waitakere Ranges, where they found Grace's body. He buried her about 30 feet from the main road. Her body was contorted inside the suitcase that cameras had caught him buying.
Grace's story took New Zealand by storm. She was a young girl, a lone traveler in a country everyone assumes is safe. Not only did Jesse murder her, he single-handedly tarnished New Zealand's reputation. Yet, New Zealand did everything it could to ensure Jesse received a fair trial. It began with name suppression, which is why you'll see him referred to as "The Killer" or "The Suspect" in New Zealand media.
His name was an ironclad secret in New Zealand, but they couldn't force media companies outside the country, such as the BBC, from publishing it. An article about Jesse and Grace appeared in a Google email blast. It led to over 100,000 searches for Jesse Kempson in New Zealand, which exposed his name and face to the public. Overnight, Jesse became the most hated man in two countries. His defense team only made it worse. Part 6
The 50 Shades Defense. The Rough Sex Murder Defense, also known as the 50 Shades Defense, is when defendants blame the death of their partner on rough but consensual sex. According to advocacy groups in the UK, the 50 Shades Defense has been employed 60 times between 1972 and 2020. In those cases, nearly 30 defendants walk away with lesser charges, some received lighter sentences,
and others were acquitted altogether. The earliest known use is a UK case from 1972. Carol Califano died at the hands of her abusive partner, who whittled his charges down from murder to manslaughter. The Fifty Shades defense became popular in the United States in the 1980s. In 1988, Jo Porto was acquitted of killing his 17-year-old partner, claiming she died due to "erotic asphyxiation gone wrong."
Grace Mullane's murder brought the Fifty Shades defense into the spotlight. Inspector General Scott Beard opposes the defense entirely, saying, "If people are going to use this as a defense, all it's going to do is re-victimize the victim and their family." Jesse's defense team argued that Grace died during a sexual misadventure with her client. They claimed she was into sadomasochism and had asked Jesse to choke her during sex.
When she died, Jesse panicked and tried to hide the body. He was scared. It was an accident. His lawyers called several witnesses who had grown up with or knew Grace in Essex. One was an ex-lover who testified that he and Grace used to experiment with choking and bondage. Their safe word was "turtle," and Grace would tap out if she ever felt uncomfortable. Another friend testified about their girl talk.
Sometimes, the conversation would turn toward their respective boyfriends. Grace said she enjoyed it when her partner put her hands around her neck. Finally, Jesse's lawyers pointed to over 400 messages on Grace's laptop related to BDSM. Some conversations dated back to August 2017, when Grace was chatting with two unknown men.
It appears that Grace was into rough sex, but that doesn't mean she died as a result. It's more likely that Jesse pushed the envelope beyond what Grace was comfortable with. It was no longer consensual, and then it was too late. The jury felt the same way on November 22, 2019. After a three-week trial, they found Jesse guilty of murder. In February, he was sentenced to life in prison. Part 7: The Reckoning
After the trial, police finally revisited Dawn's case. They went after Jesse for sexual assault and rape based on the story she told. He was found guilty and sentenced to an additional seven years in prison. Weeks later, Jesse was charged and tried again for raping another woman he met on Tinder. For that, he received another three years in jail. Before leaving the courtroom, Jesse had some choice words for the judge. He said,
"You're so full of shit. You have no reason to convict me." He's never taken a shroud of responsibility for any of his actions. As of 2024, Jesse Kempson is working to appeal all his convictions. He's steadfast in his belief that Grace died as the result of rough sex. As for the rape charges, he claims the women are lying. He continues to victim blame and insists he did nothing wrong.
Meanwhile, Grace Mullane's family will have to contend with a lifetime of scars. Her sister-in-law, Victoria, visits her grave in Essex as often as possible. Grace was supposed to be a bridesmaid at her wedding. Jesse stole that from her. Instead, a photo of Grace stood in her place. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern apologized to Grace's family, saying, Your daughter should have been safe here. She wasn't.
and I'm sorry for that. She came to New Zealand seeking adventure before beginning the rest of her life. Instead, she crossed paths with an abusive psychopath, a pathological liar who never treated anybody with an ounce of respect. It's unclear if Grace lived long enough to see 22. For many, the last text they sent Grace was "Happy Birthday." If not for those messages, Jessie may have had enough time to bury her body and flee the country.
Every day, 42 million people swipe left or right on Tinder. The fact is, you never know who you're swiping left or right on.
