From New Mum to Breaking News: Cassie Zervos’s Unforgettable Story
The life of a journalist is often a whirlwind, but for 7News crime reporter Cassie Zervos, it took an extraordinary turn while she was on maternity leave. Just minutes after fugitive Dezi Freeman, the subject of a gruelling 216-day manhunt, was fatally shot, Cassie, a new mother navigating the sleep-deprived haze of early parenthood, was tasked with breaking the monumental news live on television.
The dramatic end to Freeman’s reign of terror occurred on March 30, when Victoria Police located him concealed within a shipping container on a remote property in Thologolong. What followed was a tense three-hour standoff before Freeman was killed. Cassie’s world, already transformed by the arrival of her daughter Lucy, was abruptly jolted back into the high-stakes realm of crime reporting.
“I was about to head out for a mum and bubs gym class with a girlfriend,” Cassie recounts. “But my Apple Watch kept buzzing. I checked my phone, and the first message said ‘DF found.’ A second later, another arrived: ‘DF dead.’” Initially, in her new-mum fog, the acronyms meant little. “I was holding Lucy, thinking, ‘Who is DF?’ – obviously running on zero sleep and in full baby mode,” she admits. Then, the realisation hit her with a visceral sensation of heat, leaving her questioning the unbelievable news.
After receiving confirmation from three separate sources, Cassie, who had been on leave since October, shed her mum persona and embraced her reporter instincts. Her boss quickly called, proposing she go live on air. “I thought, ‘What do you mean?’ I hadn’t washed my hair in seven days, there was baby vomit on my shoulder, and I’d been in mum mode for ages,” she says with a laugh. Yet, mere minutes later, she was providing a live update on The Morning Show.
The Genesis of a Manhunt: A Tragic Beginning
Cassie’s involvement with the Dezi Freeman story began on August 26 of the previous year. It was a typical morning, spent visiting various crime scenes across Melbourne with her cameraman. However, this day took a dark and significant turn when she first learned of the incident that would ignite a nationwide manhunt.
Freeman had fatally shot two police officers, Neal Thompson and Vadim De Waart-Hottart, while they were executing a search warrant at his home in Porepunkah. “It was freezing in Melbourne that morning,” Cassie recalls. “I was in my third trimester, feeling heavy on my feet, and everything was starting to ache.” While having a snack in the cameraman’s car, her phone began buzzing with messages from contacts. Reports indicated an incident during a search warrant in Porepunkah. One contact confirmed the devastating news: two police officers had been shot dead. “In that moment, I just remember having my hand on my stomach, and my heart just sank,” she says.
Her journalistic instincts immediately took over. Cassie and her cameraman embarked on the arduous 4.5-hour drive to Porepunkah, located in Victoria’s picturesque Alpine region. Upon arrival, they found the area swarming with police. “There were so many police roadblocks, and officers were pulling cars over and checking them to make sure Freeman wasn’t hiding in one,” Cassie explains. Initially, she believed their stay would be brief, anticipating Freeman’s capture or demise. However, she ended up remaining in Porepunkah for a staggering 17 days.
An Eerie Atmosphere and a Community in Fear
The fugitive, Dezi Freeman, a self-proclaimed sovereign citizen, had fled into the nearby bushland after the fatal shootings. This act triggered a manhunt that would captivate and concern the nation for the next seven months. In the small, grieving community of Porepunkah, the absence of Freeman and the loss of Officers Thompson and De Waart-Hottart created an unsettling atmosphere.
Despite the palpable fear, Cassie found the local community to be remarkably welcoming. “There were a few days where some of the coffee shops gave me a free coffee just to keep me warm, which was a lifesaver while working such crazy hours and heavily pregnant,” she shares. The town, however, lived under the shadow of Freeman, who was armed and considered extremely dangerous.
The sense of unease was so profound that, as Cassie learned, “the police union boss told me that some officers felt safer standing at police roadblocks at night, which is not safe. They felt it was safer to do that rather than be out in their police uniforms out in the open during the day.”
As the manhunt continued without a breakthrough, Cassie commenced her maternity leave in October. A month later, she and her husband, Paul, welcomed their daughter Lucy into the world.
The Inquest and the Legacy of Bravery
The inquest into the events surrounding Freeman’s death, held recently, revealed chilling details. Council Assisting Lindsay Spence told the inquest that Freeman had instructed officers to “come and get me” before he was shot. Negotiations were attempted, but they proved unsuccessful as Freeman was uncooperative, reportedly calling the police “thugs and bullies” and accusing them of intending to harm him.
As the inquest progresses, Cassie has joined forces with 7News anchor Michael Usher to delve deeper into the complex story she covered for months. They have produced a podcast series titled Dezi Freeman: The Hunt, aiming to provide a comprehensive account of the manhunt and its aftermath.
Cassie believes this case will be etched in Victoria’s history as a particularly dark period. She hopes that Officers Neal Thompson and Vadim De Waart-Hottart will be remembered for their bravery and dedication to protecting the community and seeking justice against a man facing serious allegations. Their sacrifice serves as a stark reminder of the risks faced by those who serve and protect.
Leave a Reply