Mark Longley Reflects on Emily Longley’s Life, Her 2011 Murder & Shares Domestic Violence Warning

Mark Longley’s life was plunged into unimaginable grief in 2011 when, at the age of 17, his daughter Emily Longley was murdered by her boyfriend. In this conversation Mark shares memories of Emily and who she was and the joy she brought to his life. We talk about coping with the challenges of grief and how he managed to avoid being totally consumed by it. The importance of making a stand against violence and the emotional toll of the trial that followed Emily's tragic death. Mark reflects on his relationship with Emily, the last moments they shared, and how he has navigated the complexities of loss while striving to keep her spirit alive. Since his daughter’s life was taken Mark has done a huge amount of important advocacy work in this space which has potentially saved others from going through the tragedy his family has endured. I didn’t know Emily at all. But I have no doubt she would be incredibly proud of her dad. If anything in this conversation is triggering or raises concerns for you or someone you care about, please go to: https://www.areyouok.org.nz/ for additional resources and advice. Chapters 0:00 Intro 9:15 Who was Emily Longley? 25:30 Emily’s memorial 30:15 Are the 5 stages of grief real? 37:50 The trial 49:00 The deliberations 53:50 Can he ever forgive? 56:45 Lessons on resilience 1:06:45 How has this changed him as a person?