Delia Owens is the author of this novel “Where the Crawdads Sing,”The basis for a Reese Witherspoon movie, which opens this week in Zambia, is being sought by Zambian authorities to question them about the death of a man who was executed-style killed by an ABC News documentary crew in 1995.
The revelation was revealed in a piece published Monday by The Atlantic by Jeffrey Goldberg (Editor-in-Chief). His detailed reporting and personal experience on the subject can be read in its entirety Here. Sony will release the movie this weekend.
In his words, Mark and Delia Owens, a crusading American animal-conservationist couple on a mission to save elephants from poachers and corrupt officials in the ’90s, allegedly raised, trained, outfitted and commanded a brutal local militia that did their bidding – in a tale that “more closely resembled ‘Heart of Darkness’ than ‘Born Free.’”
Goldberg reports that the military-style operation, outfitted with guns, knives and other weapons supplied by Mark Owens, used ruthless tactics against anyone deemed a threat to the reserve they patrolled – including torture, kidnapping and murder.
A 1996 ABC News crew filmed the couple for their newsmagazine show. “Turning Point” caught a man – who may have been a poacher, though his identity was never confirmed – being shot to death while he lay on the ground. The shooter was not captured on camera. Goldberg’s reporting implicates Mark Owens in the killing, and suggests it might not be the only blood on the activist’s hands.
Delia Owens’ literary agent Scovil Galen Ghosh didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Messages sent to Hello Sunshine, Witherspoon’s production shingle, were not immediately returned Monday.A representative for Sony did not immediately return a request for comment.
The Atlantic piece also references a 2010 article that Goldberg wrote for The New Yorker about the Owens’ activities called “The Hunted.” In it, one of the ABC cameramen who filmed the killing – which ABC aired as part of its documentary, though it glossed over the details – said it was Owens who fired the fatal shots. Goldberg states that Owens was found guilty in a follow-up interview with a detective involved in the investigation. “with the help of his scouts, placed the victim’s body in a cargo net, attached it to his helicopter, and then dropped it into a nearby lagoon.”
The body wasn’t found. Graphael Muamba, the former Zambian national police commissioner, stated to Goldberg that there was no body in the investigation. “The bush is the perfect place to commit murder … The animals eat the evidence.”
Mark Owens was born in Africa, and a representative of the company could not be found. Owens is now living in Idaho. He’s believed to be living in Idaho, where Goldberg said he had alienated his new neighbors by trying to aggressively educate them on bear conservation.
Zambia is not subject to the statute of limitations on murder charges like other countries. It also does not have an extradition deal with America. Although neither Owens has been charged with a crime, Zambian authorities claim that both Owens are wanted to be questioned about their activities in Africa, not just their on-camera deaths.
While Zambian officials say they are most eager to speak with Mark Owens, as well as the couple’s son Chris – allegedly placed in charge of training and disciplining recruits – they “also believe that Delia Owens should be interrogated as a possible witness, co-conspirator, and accessory to felony crimes.”