Bradley John Murdoch dies without revealing Peter Falconio's body location, family pleads for closure
Murdoch reportedly died in the palliative care unit at Alice Springs Hospital on Tuesday, according to the
NT News
, after being transferred from prison for end-of-life treatment. He had been diagnosed with terminal throat cancer in 2019 and underwent chemotherapy.
Murdoch was convicted in 2005 over the murder of Mr Falconio, 28, and the assault and attempted kidnapping of Ms Lees, on a remote stretch of highway in central Australia.
The couple had been travelling along the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek, north of Alice Springs, on July 14, 2001, when they were flagged down and ambushed by Murdoch.
Police said Murdoch shot Falconio and tried to abduct Ms Lees. She managed to escape and hid in bushland for hours before running to the roadside and flagging down a passing road train.
Sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 28 years, Murdoch refused to reveal what he had done with Mr Falconio's body.
In June, Northern Territory police doubled the reward for information about the location of Mr Falconio's remains to $500,000.
Acting Commander Mark Grieve said police had 'made numerous approaches' to Murdoch over the years, but he had never co-operated.
'Unfortunately ... on all occasions he has chosen not to engage with police,' he said.
'The NT police still hold out hope that someone may be able to provide some vital information to assist in this search. You never know how beneficial that information you may hold may be. Sometimes you do not know what you know.'
On Monday, the 24th anniversary of the murder, Mr Falconio's father Luciano made a public plea for answers: '(I want to) find where he is buried and what happened to him, even me, I don't know,' he told
News Corp.
'I know what happened but I don't know where he is.'
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