Hope dims as outback killer takes secret to the grave
Bradley John Murdoch, 67, died from throat cancer on Tuesday, while under the watch of correctional officers, a month after being moved from jail to Alice Springs Hospital in the Northern Territory.
Murdoch was given a life sentence for the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio, 28, and the assault and attempted kidnapping of his then-girlfriend Joanne Lees, now 51, on the lonely Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek in July 2001.
Mr Falconio's body has never been found.
Authorities remain hopeful, however, after a $500,000 reward for information was announced in June.
"The Northern Territory Police Force remains committed to resolving this final piece of the investigation," investigators said in a statement on Wednesday.
"It is deeply regrettable that Murdoch has died without, as far as we are aware, ever disclosing the location of Peter Falconio's remains.
"His silence has denied the Falconio family the closure they have so long deserved."
Murdoch's death has brought back memories for loved ones of the brutal murder that captured global attention and later inspired the horror film Wolf Creek.
The couple were driving along the highway when Murdoch drove up behind them and indicated they should pull over, saying their van might have an engine problem.
Mr Falconio went behind the car with him to investigate and Ms Lees heard a gunshot. Murdoch grabbed her, cable-tied her and covered her head.
But she managed to escape and hid in bushland for five hours while Murdoch hunted her with his dog before she flagged down a truck driver.
The killer is believed to have hidden Mr Falconio's body, which hasn't been found despite extensive searches.
Even after the NT passed "no body, no parole" laws in 2016 that ensured Murdoch would spend the rest of his days behind bars, he never revealed his secret.
"It is disappointing for the Falconio family that this case remains unresolved and they are still without the closure they deserve," NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said.
Mr Falconio's father said he was rattled by the news of Murdoch's death, which came a day after the 24th anniversary of the horrific murder.
Luciano Falconio said the weight of his son's loss had never dissipated and the wounds would remain forever open due to his son's body never being found.
"You harden with it," he told News Corp.
In 2016, the detectives who worked on the case said they believed Murdoch would never reveal the site where Mr Falconio's body was hidden.
"He'll always maintain his innocence; he'll take that to his grave, I'd be very surprised if he didn't," Colleen Gwynne, who led the four-person team that put Murdoch behind bars, said in 2016.
"He's an extremely arrogant man, so he still feels like the system's done him wrong."
Ms Lees has also suffered from the lack of answers and trauma of that fateful day, later revealing that she never married or had children.
"Pete lost his life on that night but I lost mine too," she said in a TV interview in 2017.
"I'll never be fully at peace if Pete's not found, but I accept that is a possibility."
But others have raised doubts about Murdoch's guilt, despite a unanimous jury decision at his 2005 trial.
Author Robin Bowles, who wrote the book Dead Centre after spending 60 hours interviewing Murdoch in prison, described the killer as "very courteous" and a "gentle giant".
"I never had a lie from him," she told ABC Radio.
Investigators haven't given up hope that the body of a man slain in the Australian outback will be found, despite a notorious killer taking the location's secret to the grave.
Bradley John Murdoch, 67, died from throat cancer on Tuesday, while under the watch of correctional officers, a month after being moved from jail to Alice Springs Hospital in the Northern Territory.
Murdoch was given a life sentence for the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio, 28, and the assault and attempted kidnapping of his then-girlfriend Joanne Lees, now 51, on the lonely Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek in July 2001.
Mr Falconio's body has never been found.
Authorities remain hopeful, however, after a $500,000 reward for information was announced in June.
"The Northern Territory Police Force remains committed to resolving this final piece of the investigation," investigators said in a statement on Wednesday.
"It is deeply regrettable that Murdoch has died without, as far as we are aware, ever disclosing the location of Peter Falconio's remains.
"His silence has denied the Falconio family the closure they have so long deserved."
Murdoch's death has brought back memories for loved ones of the brutal murder that captured global attention and later inspired the horror film Wolf Creek.
The couple were driving along the highway when Murdoch drove up behind them and indicated they should pull over, saying their van might have an engine problem.
Mr Falconio went behind the car with him to investigate and Ms Lees heard a gunshot. Murdoch grabbed her, cable-tied her and covered her head.
But she managed to escape and hid in bushland for five hours while Murdoch hunted her with his dog before she flagged down a truck driver.
The killer is believed to have hidden Mr Falconio's body, which hasn't been found despite extensive searches.
Even after the NT passed "no body, no parole" laws in 2016 that ensured Murdoch would spend the rest of his days behind bars, he never revealed his secret.
"It is disappointing for the Falconio family that this case remains unresolved and they are still without the closure they deserve," NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said.
Mr Falconio's father said he was rattled by the news of Murdoch's death, which came a day after the 24th anniversary of the horrific murder.
Luciano Falconio said the weight of his son's loss had never dissipated and the wounds would remain forever open due to his son's body never being found.
"You harden with it," he told News Corp.
In 2016, the detectives who worked on the case said they believed Murdoch would never reveal the site where Mr Falconio's body was hidden.
"He'll always maintain his innocence; he'll take that to his grave, I'd be very surprised if he didn't," Colleen Gwynne, who led the four-person team that put Murdoch behind bars, said in 2016.
"He's an extremely arrogant man, so he still feels like the system's done him wrong."
Ms Lees has also suffered from the lack of answers and trauma of that fateful day, later revealing that she never married or had children.
"Pete lost his life on that night but I lost mine too," she said in a TV interview in 2017.
"I'll never be fully at peace if Pete's not found, but I accept that is a possibility."
But others have raised doubts about Murdoch's guilt, despite a unanimous jury decision at his 2005 trial.
Author Robin Bowles, who wrote the book Dead Centre after spending 60 hours interviewing Murdoch in prison, described the killer as "very courteous" and a "gentle giant".
"I never had a lie from him," she told ABC Radio.
Investigators haven't given up hope that the body of a man slain in the Australian outback will be found, despite a notorious killer taking the location's secret to the grave.
Bradley John Murdoch, 67, died from throat cancer on Tuesday, while under the watch of correctional officers, a month after being moved from jail to Alice Springs Hospital in the Northern Territory.
Murdoch was given a life sentence for the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio, 28, and the assault and attempted kidnapping of his then-girlfriend Joanne Lees, now 51, on the lonely Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek in July 2001.
Mr Falconio's body has never been found.
Authorities remain hopeful, however, after a $500,000 reward for information was announced in June.
"The Northern Territory Police Force remains committed to resolving this final piece of the investigation," investigators said in a statement on Wednesday.
"It is deeply regrettable that Murdoch has died without, as far as we are aware, ever disclosing the location of Peter Falconio's remains.
"His silence has denied the Falconio family the closure they have so long deserved."
Murdoch's death has brought back memories for loved ones of the brutal murder that captured global attention and later inspired the horror film Wolf Creek.
The couple were driving along the highway when Murdoch drove up behind them and indicated they should pull over, saying their van might have an engine problem.
Mr Falconio went behind the car with him to investigate and Ms Lees heard a gunshot. Murdoch grabbed her, cable-tied her and covered her head.
But she managed to escape and hid in bushland for five hours while Murdoch hunted her with his dog before she flagged down a truck driver.
The killer is believed to have hidden Mr Falconio's body, which hasn't been found despite extensive searches.
Even after the NT passed "no body, no parole" laws in 2016 that ensured Murdoch would spend the rest of his days behind bars, he never revealed his secret.
"It is disappointing for the Falconio family that this case remains unresolved and they are still without the closure they deserve," NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said.
Mr Falconio's father said he was rattled by the news of Murdoch's death, which came a day after the 24th anniversary of the horrific murder.
Luciano Falconio said the weight of his son's loss had never dissipated and the wounds would remain forever open due to his son's body never being found.
"You harden with it," he told News Corp.
In 2016, the detectives who worked on the case said they believed Murdoch would never reveal the site where Mr Falconio's body was hidden.
"He'll always maintain his innocence; he'll take that to his grave, I'd be very surprised if he didn't," Colleen Gwynne, who led the four-person team that put Murdoch behind bars, said in 2016.
"He's an extremely arrogant man, so he still feels like the system's done him wrong."
Ms Lees has also suffered from the lack of answers and trauma of that fateful day, later revealing that she never married or had children.
"Pete lost his life on that night but I lost mine too," she said in a TV interview in 2017.
"I'll never be fully at peace if Pete's not found, but I accept that is a possibility."
But others have raised doubts about Murdoch's guilt, despite a unanimous jury decision at his 2005 trial.
Author Robin Bowles, who wrote the book Dead Centre after spending 60 hours interviewing Murdoch in prison, described the killer as "very courteous" and a "gentle giant".
"I never had a lie from him," she told ABC Radio.
Investigators haven't given up hope that the body of a man slain in the Australian outback will be found, despite a notorious killer taking the location's secret to the grave.
Bradley John Murdoch, 67, died from throat cancer on Tuesday, while under the watch of correctional officers, a month after being moved from jail to Alice Springs Hospital in the Northern Territory.
Murdoch was given a life sentence for the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio, 28, and the assault and attempted kidnapping of his then-girlfriend Joanne Lees, now 51, on the lonely Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek in July 2001.
Mr Falconio's body has never been found.
Authorities remain hopeful, however, after a $500,000 reward for information was announced in June.
"The Northern Territory Police Force remains committed to resolving this final piece of the investigation," investigators said in a statement on Wednesday.
"It is deeply regrettable that Murdoch has died without, as far as we are aware, ever disclosing the location of Peter Falconio's remains.
"His silence has denied the Falconio family the closure they have so long deserved."
Murdoch's death has brought back memories for loved ones of the brutal murder that captured global attention and later inspired the horror film Wolf Creek.
The couple were driving along the highway when Murdoch drove up behind them and indicated they should pull over, saying their van might have an engine problem.
Mr Falconio went behind the car with him to investigate and Ms Lees heard a gunshot. Murdoch grabbed her, cable-tied her and covered her head.
But she managed to escape and hid in bushland for five hours while Murdoch hunted her with his dog before she flagged down a truck driver.
The killer is believed to have hidden Mr Falconio's body, which hasn't been found despite extensive searches.
Even after the NT passed "no body, no parole" laws in 2016 that ensured Murdoch would spend the rest of his days behind bars, he never revealed his secret.
"It is disappointing for the Falconio family that this case remains unresolved and they are still without the closure they deserve," NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said.
Mr Falconio's father said he was rattled by the news of Murdoch's death, which came a day after the 24th anniversary of the horrific murder.
Luciano Falconio said the weight of his son's loss had never dissipated and the wounds would remain forever open due to his son's body never being found.
"You harden with it," he told News Corp.
In 2016, the detectives who worked on the case said they believed Murdoch would never reveal the site where Mr Falconio's body was hidden.
"He'll always maintain his innocence; he'll take that to his grave, I'd be very surprised if he didn't," Colleen Gwynne, who led the four-person team that put Murdoch behind bars, said in 2016.
"He's an extremely arrogant man, so he still feels like the system's done him wrong."
Ms Lees has also suffered from the lack of answers and trauma of that fateful day, later revealing that she never married or had children.
"Pete lost his life on that night but I lost mine too," she said in a TV interview in 2017.
"I'll never be fully at peace if Pete's not found, but I accept that is a possibility."
But others have raised doubts about Murdoch's guilt, despite a unanimous jury decision at his 2005 trial.
Author Robin Bowles, who wrote the book Dead Centre after spending 60 hours interviewing Murdoch in prison, described the killer as "very courteous" and a "gentle giant".
"I never had a lie from him," she told ABC Radio.
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The Advertiser
7 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Never to be silenced again: Sarah Cook comes out about her abuse in new book
IN her deeply personal book, survivor Sarah Cook talks first about the the Victorian era adage of "children ought to be seen, and not heard". It was that concept of how children should behave, and what their place in society was, which cast the first shadow, Ms Cook says in the preface to her book, Harvesting Silence. Ms Cook is in Newcastle tomorrow (Thursday, July 17) to launch her book, which is dedicated to the family of Andrew Nash. Mr Nash took his own life as a young teenager in 1974 after being abused by a Marist brother in Hamilton. She hopes particularly that the women, some of whom to this day remain silent about the abuse they have suffered, are listening and that they might be emboldened to speak up. Ms Cook said she was punished for speaking up to the nuns who then worked at Loreto Kirribilli, a private Catholic girls' school on Sydney's Lower North Shore. "I was taken into a room with one of the nuns and questioned about this brother, and I told the truth, and she didn't seem to believe me," Ms Cook said. "And then it was just never discussed ever again." For the next three-and-a-half years, she was treated like a deviant, Ms Cook said. "They were cruel, and they picked on me, and I was always in trouble until they eventually expelled me." It was 40 years later that Ms Cook spoke for the first time about her experiences at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, announced in 2014. Her case was later investigated by police, and there is now a warrant out for the arrest of the Marist brother allegedly responsible for her abuse as a child between the ages of 8 and 11. She has also received a written and verbal apology from the Marist brothers, as well as a payout. They tried to silence her again at that point, the now 61-year-old says. "I was not to disclose any information about my legal case and the amount that I received," she said. This time around, rather than staying quiet, she finished writing and has now published her book, which she hopes will inspire other women to break the cycle of shame attached to maintaining silence. "Those who have been wronged deserve justice," the book's preface says. "The historical failings of institutions that were meant to protect children-and the present-day practices of the Australian legal system-are laid bare in this book to raise awareness for generations to come." The book launch is being hosted by the Clergy Abused Network at the Soul Hub from 3.30pm. IN her deeply personal book, survivor Sarah Cook talks first about the the Victorian era adage of "children ought to be seen, and not heard". It was that concept of how children should behave, and what their place in society was, which cast the first shadow, Ms Cook says in the preface to her book, Harvesting Silence. Ms Cook is in Newcastle tomorrow (Thursday, July 17) to launch her book, which is dedicated to the family of Andrew Nash. Mr Nash took his own life as a young teenager in 1974 after being abused by a Marist brother in Hamilton. She hopes particularly that the women, some of whom to this day remain silent about the abuse they have suffered, are listening and that they might be emboldened to speak up. Ms Cook said she was punished for speaking up to the nuns who then worked at Loreto Kirribilli, a private Catholic girls' school on Sydney's Lower North Shore. "I was taken into a room with one of the nuns and questioned about this brother, and I told the truth, and she didn't seem to believe me," Ms Cook said. "And then it was just never discussed ever again." For the next three-and-a-half years, she was treated like a deviant, Ms Cook said. "They were cruel, and they picked on me, and I was always in trouble until they eventually expelled me." It was 40 years later that Ms Cook spoke for the first time about her experiences at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, announced in 2014. Her case was later investigated by police, and there is now a warrant out for the arrest of the Marist brother allegedly responsible for her abuse as a child between the ages of 8 and 11. She has also received a written and verbal apology from the Marist brothers, as well as a payout. They tried to silence her again at that point, the now 61-year-old says. "I was not to disclose any information about my legal case and the amount that I received," she said. This time around, rather than staying quiet, she finished writing and has now published her book, which she hopes will inspire other women to break the cycle of shame attached to maintaining silence. "Those who have been wronged deserve justice," the book's preface says. "The historical failings of institutions that were meant to protect children-and the present-day practices of the Australian legal system-are laid bare in this book to raise awareness for generations to come." The book launch is being hosted by the Clergy Abused Network at the Soul Hub from 3.30pm. IN her deeply personal book, survivor Sarah Cook talks first about the the Victorian era adage of "children ought to be seen, and not heard". It was that concept of how children should behave, and what their place in society was, which cast the first shadow, Ms Cook says in the preface to her book, Harvesting Silence. Ms Cook is in Newcastle tomorrow (Thursday, July 17) to launch her book, which is dedicated to the family of Andrew Nash. Mr Nash took his own life as a young teenager in 1974 after being abused by a Marist brother in Hamilton. She hopes particularly that the women, some of whom to this day remain silent about the abuse they have suffered, are listening and that they might be emboldened to speak up. Ms Cook said she was punished for speaking up to the nuns who then worked at Loreto Kirribilli, a private Catholic girls' school on Sydney's Lower North Shore. "I was taken into a room with one of the nuns and questioned about this brother, and I told the truth, and she didn't seem to believe me," Ms Cook said. "And then it was just never discussed ever again." For the next three-and-a-half years, she was treated like a deviant, Ms Cook said. "They were cruel, and they picked on me, and I was always in trouble until they eventually expelled me." It was 40 years later that Ms Cook spoke for the first time about her experiences at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, announced in 2014. Her case was later investigated by police, and there is now a warrant out for the arrest of the Marist brother allegedly responsible for her abuse as a child between the ages of 8 and 11. She has also received a written and verbal apology from the Marist brothers, as well as a payout. They tried to silence her again at that point, the now 61-year-old says. "I was not to disclose any information about my legal case and the amount that I received," she said. This time around, rather than staying quiet, she finished writing and has now published her book, which she hopes will inspire other women to break the cycle of shame attached to maintaining silence. "Those who have been wronged deserve justice," the book's preface says. "The historical failings of institutions that were meant to protect children-and the present-day practices of the Australian legal system-are laid bare in this book to raise awareness for generations to come." The book launch is being hosted by the Clergy Abused Network at the Soul Hub from 3.30pm. IN her deeply personal book, survivor Sarah Cook talks first about the the Victorian era adage of "children ought to be seen, and not heard". It was that concept of how children should behave, and what their place in society was, which cast the first shadow, Ms Cook says in the preface to her book, Harvesting Silence. Ms Cook is in Newcastle tomorrow (Thursday, July 17) to launch her book, which is dedicated to the family of Andrew Nash. Mr Nash took his own life as a young teenager in 1974 after being abused by a Marist brother in Hamilton. She hopes particularly that the women, some of whom to this day remain silent about the abuse they have suffered, are listening and that they might be emboldened to speak up. Ms Cook said she was punished for speaking up to the nuns who then worked at Loreto Kirribilli, a private Catholic girls' school on Sydney's Lower North Shore. "I was taken into a room with one of the nuns and questioned about this brother, and I told the truth, and she didn't seem to believe me," Ms Cook said. "And then it was just never discussed ever again." For the next three-and-a-half years, she was treated like a deviant, Ms Cook said. "They were cruel, and they picked on me, and I was always in trouble until they eventually expelled me." It was 40 years later that Ms Cook spoke for the first time about her experiences at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, announced in 2014. Her case was later investigated by police, and there is now a warrant out for the arrest of the Marist brother allegedly responsible for her abuse as a child between the ages of 8 and 11. She has also received a written and verbal apology from the Marist brothers, as well as a payout. They tried to silence her again at that point, the now 61-year-old says. "I was not to disclose any information about my legal case and the amount that I received," she said. This time around, rather than staying quiet, she finished writing and has now published her book, which she hopes will inspire other women to break the cycle of shame attached to maintaining silence. "Those who have been wronged deserve justice," the book's preface says. "The historical failings of institutions that were meant to protect children-and the present-day practices of the Australian legal system-are laid bare in this book to raise awareness for generations to come." The book launch is being hosted by the Clergy Abused Network at the Soul Hub from 3.30pm.
Sydney Morning Herald
8 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Still people ask me: Did Murdoch really kill Falconio? I have only one response
In his prison cell, Bradley John Murdoch read the book I wrote about him – that and the other five detailing his crimes. Further feeding his ego were the blanket media coverage and five documentaries. Then there were the W olf Creek and Wolf Creek 2 horror films, and the TV spin-off – also called Wolf Creek – all loosely based on a mix of two backpacker killers, Murdoch and Ivan Milat. Murdoch, a bastard until the end, refused until his death on Tuesday night in a hospital palliative care unit in Alice Springs – his only respite from jail – to reveal where he'd hidden the body of British tourist Peter Falconio. Monday had marked 24 years to the day that Murdoch shot dead Falconio and attempted to abduct his girlfriend, Joanne Lees, near the remote Northern Territory town of Barrow Creek, on the lonely road from Adelaide to Darwin. Murdoch had hoped that continually protesting his innocence, while flinging mud at Lees – with the vile insinuation that she was somehow involved in Falconio's death – would fire up his motley band of deluded supporters and conspiracy theorists and even put enough doubt in the minds of authorities to force his release. The drug-peddling thug was convicted in December 2005. I went to every single court hearing Murdoch sat through, interviewed nearly everyone involved with the case, and closely traced his background and that of Falconio and Lees. I'm regularly interviewed for TV and radio, and by those documentary makers. And the one question I'm invariably asked is: Did he really do it? Surely, without the body, there's always going to be doubt? Well, no, there isn't. Loading But still they asked. There is the appalling three-part British Channel 4 'true crime' series in 2020, Murder in the Outback: the Falconio and Lees Mystery. It wasn't a mystery at all, yet that dross compounded the absurd doubts fanned by the late, disgraced defence lawyer for Falconio, Andrew Fraser, who himself was sentenced to seven years in a maximum-security jail for being knowingly concerned with an importation of cocaine. To begin with, as Murdoch told a snitch planted in his cell in the early days, he didn't want his elderly widowed mum to know the truth about her youngest son. But after she died, what excuse could he have had for refusing to tell police the location of Falconio's body, to allow his family to take him home for burial? Murdoch had been sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 28 years and every appeal had been quashed. He had nothing further to lose by finally pinpointing the body. He knew how much more suffering he was inflicting on his victim's grieving parents, and on Lees. Instead, as Falconio's mother told me, every time there was a knock at her door, every time the phone rang, she thought it might be news about her son. Can you imagine such pain?
The Age
8 hours ago
- The Age
Still people ask me: Did Murdoch really kill Falconio? I have only one response
In his prison cell, Bradley John Murdoch read the book I wrote about him – that and the other five detailing his crimes. Further feeding his ego were the blanket media coverage and five documentaries. Then there were the W olf Creek and Wolf Creek 2 horror films, and the TV spin-off – also called Wolf Creek – all loosely based on a mix of two backpacker killers, Murdoch and Ivan Milat. Murdoch, a bastard until the end, refused until his death on Tuesday night in a hospital palliative care unit in Alice Springs – his only respite from jail – to reveal where he'd hidden the body of British tourist Peter Falconio. Monday had marked 24 years to the day that Murdoch shot dead Falconio and attempted to abduct his girlfriend, Joanne Lees, near the remote Northern Territory town of Barrow Creek, on the lonely road from Adelaide to Darwin. Murdoch had hoped that continually protesting his innocence, while flinging mud at Lees – with the vile insinuation that she was somehow involved in Falconio's death – would fire up his motley band of deluded supporters and conspiracy theorists and even put enough doubt in the minds of authorities to force his release. The drug-peddling thug was convicted in December 2005. I went to every single court hearing Murdoch sat through, interviewed nearly everyone involved with the case, and closely traced his background and that of Falconio and Lees. I'm regularly interviewed for TV and radio, and by those documentary makers. And the one question I'm invariably asked is: Did he really do it? Surely, without the body, there's always going to be doubt? Well, no, there isn't. Loading But still they asked. There is the appalling three-part British Channel 4 'true crime' series in 2020, Murder in the Outback: the Falconio and Lees Mystery. It wasn't a mystery at all, yet that dross compounded the absurd doubts fanned by the late, disgraced defence lawyer for Falconio, Andrew Fraser, who himself was sentenced to seven years in a maximum-security jail for being knowingly concerned with an importation of cocaine. To begin with, as Murdoch told a snitch planted in his cell in the early days, he didn't want his elderly widowed mum to know the truth about her youngest son. But after she died, what excuse could he have had for refusing to tell police the location of Falconio's body, to allow his family to take him home for burial? Murdoch had been sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 28 years and every appeal had been quashed. He had nothing further to lose by finally pinpointing the body. He knew how much more suffering he was inflicting on his victim's grieving parents, and on Lees. Instead, as Falconio's mother told me, every time there was a knock at her door, every time the phone rang, she thought it might be news about her son. Can you imagine such pain?
