Bradley John Murdoch, the convicted murderer behind one of Australia’s most infamous outback crimes, has died without ever disclosing the location of his victim’s remains.
The 67-year-old passed away on Tuesday, July 15, after a battle with throat cancer. He had been transferred from prison to a hospital in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, in June as his condition deteriorated, according to multiple media reports.
Murdoch was serving a life sentence for the 2001 murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio, 28, and the assault and attempted abduction of Falconio’s girlfriend, Joanne Lees. The attack occurred along a remote stretch of the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek, a desolate area of central Australia.
Lees managed to escape her attacker by fleeing into the surrounding bushland, where she hid for hours before successfully flagging down a passing truck driver for help. Her harrowing survival helped lead to Murdoch’s eventual arrest and conviction.
Murdoch is believed to have hidden Falconio’s body, which has never been found despite extensive searches.
Throughout his two decades behind bars, Murdoch maintained his innocence. He lodged two appeals to overturn his conviction, both of which were denied.
In 2016, the Northern Territory government introduced the “no body, no parole” legislation. The law meant he would be ineligible for parole—previously set for 2032—unless he cooperated and revealed the location of Falconio’s body. Even with this pressure, Murdoch refused to confess.
In June, NT Police announced a $500,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of Falconio’s remains.
While Murdoch’s death marks the end of a long chapter in one of Australia’s most haunting crimes, the mystery of Peter Falconio’s whereabouts continues.
-with AAP.
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