Outback murderer Bradley Murdoch takes the mystery to his grave | World | News
As well as being convicted for murder, Murdoch was also convicted of the attempted kidnap and assault of Ms Lees, who managed to escape the terrifying ordeal by hiding in the outback for several hours until she could signal for help.
Murdoch was aged 43 at the time of the crimes, and sentenced to life imprisonment. Despite his incarceration, he never revealed the location of Peter’s body prompting Australian authorities to announce a reward of up to A$500,000 (£240,000) for information leading to their discovery just last month.
Acting Commander Mark Grieve of Northern Territory Police told a press conference in late June: “Police still hold out hope that someone might be able to provide some vital information to assist in this search.”
“We recognise the passage of time that has transpired but it is never to late to reach out and start that conversation with police,” Grieve said.
What happened to Peter Falconio?
Yorkshire-born Falconio disappeared on July 14, 2001 on a remote part of the Stuart Highway in Australia.
He had been travelling around Australia with his girlfriend Joanne Lees in a campervan in the time before his disappearance.
Much of what is known about what happened to him comes from Lees’ testimony told in court and in her book No Turning Back.
She explained how the pair had been travelling to Darwin in their campervan when they were signalled over by a driver.
However, when Falconio got out of the car he was shot while Lees was tied up and abducted.
Lees managed to escape and hid from her abductor in the bushes before she was able to hail down a passing truck, where truck driver Vince Miller cut her restraints and phoned the local police.
The Alice Springs Police arrived in the morning and searched for evidence of Falconio’s murder. During their investigation, they found a dirt-covered blood pool and the couple’s van but Falconio’s body was never found.
The Australian police did lead an exhaustive investigation and four years after the crime, Bradley Murdoch was put on trial. He was tried and found guilty by a jury with much of his conviction resting on his DNA matching this on Lees’ T-shirt.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 28 years.
