Dad of British backpacker murdered in the Aussie outback makes urgent plea to his killer - who has just hours to live
On July 14, 2001, British backpacker Peter Falconio and his then-girlfriend Joanne Lees were driving between Alice Springs and Darwin in their VW Kombi campervan.
Murdoch signalled at their car, instructing the pair to pull over on the Stuart Highway, north of Barrow Creek.
Once stopped, Murdoch shot Peter in the head and tried to abduct Ms Lees, but she miraculously escaped.
Murdoch was found guilty in the NT Supreme Court in 2005 and was sentenced to life in prison, but he never divulged the whereabouts of Peter's body.
Last month, it was revealed the now 76-year-old was dying from throat cancer and had been transferred out of jail and to palliative care at Alice Springs Hospital.
Prison insiders told Daily Mail Australia the former hulking brute is just a shrunken shadow of his former self as he sees out his final hours in his hospital deathbed.
He 'is acknowledging people are there, but very limited in talking,' the insider said.
Peter's dad, Luciano Falconio has broken his silence on the 24th anniversary of his son's murder after hearing reports Murdoch has 'a couple of days to live'.
The 83-year-old made a heartbreaking plea for a deathbed confession so that he and his wife can finally bury their son more than two decades after his death.
'It is very significant, I wish I could find him and make an end to it, bury him.... I know what happened but I don't know where he is,' Mr Falconio told News Corp.
'I still hope, yeah I still hope, but I don't know, if we (will) live long enough.'
Murdoch has always denied killing Peter and protested his innocence throughout the murder trial.
After arriving in Australia via Southeast Asia, Peter and Ms Lees visited Uluru and Alice Springs before driving 200km north to the Ti-Tree Roadhouse to watch the sunset.
They set off again, bound for the tourist attraction Devil's Marbles, before noticing a white 4WD with a green canopy following them.
Behind the wheel was Murdoch, who persuaded the pair to pull over at about 7.30pm after signalling there were flames supposedly coming from the back of their van.
Murdoch shot Peter in the head when he exited the van before threatening Ms Lees into the back of his vehicle.
Murdoch bound Ms Lees hands behind her back with cable tie restraints and bundled her into the back of his van.
While Murdoch disposed of Peter's body, Ms Lees managed to escape from under the canopy before hiding in bushland for five hours.
At about 1am, believing Murdoch had given up looking for her, she came out and stopped a passing road train, whose driver took her to Barrow Creek Roadhouse.
The only trace of Peter was a small bloodstain on the asphalt of the highway where the shooting took place.
Murdoch was arrested shortly after being acquitted in South Australia over the abduction and rape of a 12-year-old girl.
During his trial, Murdoch disputed the DNA evidence found on Ms Lees' T-shirt and on the gearstick of the couple's van - which was found dumped about 80 metres into the bushes off the highway near Barrow Creek the morning after the murder.
Despite extensive searches, including a five-day operation in 2019 when police emptied an outback well, Peter's final resting place remains a mystery.
Peter's dad, Luciano Falconio (pictured with his wife Joan) has made a desperate plea for Murdoch to make a deathbed confession on the whereabouts of his son's body so that he and his wife can bury him
Speaking from their home in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, Mr Falconio said he and his wife, Joan, have been tormented for years not knowing where their son is.
'It is important (to find Peter)...but we won't find anything today. It's 20-odd years so it's (the feeling is) not particularly any different,' Mr Falconio said.
Mr Falconio also said he had no ill-will towards Australians, thanking them for their support over the years.
A reward of up to $500,000 has been offered for information leading to the location of Peter's body.
Acting Commander Mark Grieve made the announcement on June 25 that an additional $250,000 was added to the reward already on offer.
'NT police still hold out hope someone may be able to assist in… this search,' Acting Commander Grieve said.
'A fresh reward for information (on the case) up to $500,000 for information that leads to the discovery of Peter's body.'
Despite almost two decades since Mr Falconio's death, Mr Grieve said it was 'never too late to reach out and start that conversation with police'.
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