Murder in the Outback

[DUNJA WRBKA]

Last night I watched the most moving "true story" and as we have quite a few Australians on the forum would love to hear if any new clues have come to light...  The story for those that do not know it....

A vehicle, an orange Kombi Van South Australian registration WOI-597, was being driven by two English tourists, Peter Falconio and Joanna Lees, not long after sunset when they were pulled over by a man driving a 4WD vehicle who parked behind them.

He indicated there was something wrong with the exhaust of their vehicle. Mr Falconio went to the rear of his vehicle to have a look and has not been seen since. Police hold grave fears for his safety. Ms Lees believes she may have heard a gunshot. Shortly afterwards, she was forced from their vehicle at gunpoint by an offender. Her wrists and legs were bound and she was also gagged. Ms Lees struggled with the offender who punched her and she was put into the Ute. The offender was momentarily distracted and she managed to escape into nearby bushland. 

While she hid behind bushes, the offender searched for her with a torch and his dog, which may have been a red heeler. Ms Lees found her way back to the road at about 2 am where a passer by picked her up and took her to Barrow Creek. The orange Kombi Van has been found a couple of kilometres north of Barrow Creek where it appears the alleged offender may have driven it off the highway into the bushland.

The two tourists were travelling around the world after leaving England last November. They travelled through Asia and arrived in Australia in January 2001. They bought their van in Sydney in May and travelled to Canberra, Victoria and South Australia in June. They then went to Ayers Rock, Kings Canyon and arrived in Alice Springs on July 10. They left Alice Springs at about 4pm on July 14 and headed north to Ti Tree where they refuelled at about sunset. They were pulled up by the man in the 4WD vehicle not long after dark, a few kilometres north of Barrow Creek.

 
 

[DUNJA WRBKA]

Trial of Bradley Murdoch

Bradley Murdoch's jury trialJury trial
A jury trial is a legal proceeding in which a jury either makes a decision or makes findings of fact which are then applied by a judge. It is be distinguished from a bench trial, in which a judge or panel of judges make all decisions....
began on October 18, 2005 in the DarwinDarwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the List of Australian capital cities of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 120,900, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely peopled Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities....
branch of the Northern Territory Supreme Court, where he was tried for the murder of Falconio and assaults on Joanne Lees. The trial concluded in May 2006 with the conviction of Murdoch on all counts. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 28 years.

Northern TerritoryNorthern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal states and territories of Australia of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions....
Director of Public ProsecutionsDirector of Public Prosecutions
Director of public prosecutions is the officer charged with the prosecution of Crime in several criminal jurisdictions around the world....
Rex WildRex Wild
Rex Wild, Queen's Counsel is a former Director of Public Prosecutions for the Northern Territory of Australia. He was appointed to the position in 1998, retiring in 2006....
, QC, said in court there are three pieces of evidence linking Murdoch to the scene of the crime. His DNA was a match with bloodstains on Joanne Lees's t-shirt, a smear of blood on the gearstick of the couple's car, and DNA located on tape used by the killer to bind her wrists. These assertions have all been disputed by Murdoch's defence team, who are Grant Algie and Mark Twiggs.

To cope with the demands of the trial and the huge media contingent covering the trial proceedings, the Darwin branch of the Northern Territory Supreme Court was refitted at a cost of AUDAud
Aud might refer to*Australian dollar *American University in Dubai *Doctor of Audiology *Au?r, the son of N?tt and Naglfari in Norse mythology....
$900,000.

[toonfandangl]

Dunja ...... No there has been no new evidence in this case Peter Falconio's body has never been found and Joanna Lees still lives in England I believe, and Bradley Murdoch still says he did not do it .

There is a film its called Wolf Creek (Australian) now thats' .................scary but its not true here is a link to it...................................Frank.


www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/wolf_creek_true_story.html -

[DUNJA WRBKA]

Thank you Frank :-)  Must say this story has somehow really touched a nerve.  Have also just ordered Joanna's book.

Has anyone else seen the movie ?  Murder in the outback....

[SandyB]

Thanks  Frank .. was trying to remember the name of the movie ... Wolf Creek ... scary shit ,,  had me  on  nerves end ..  If i was the girl that shot  him initially  ,, I would  have  made  treble sure he was dead .. ie  bash his brains in.. but  then thats movies hey ??

[toonfandangl]

The Actor that played the part in that film John Jarrett, spent 6 months preparing for the role he went around in the same cloths!! not washing and being disagreeable to all his friends.

He said in an interview after the film was released that his friends had still not come back !!!! neither would I after seeing the film.