Bradley John Murdoch
Encyclopedia
Bradley John Murdoch is serving life imprisonment
for the July 2001 murder of English backpacker Peter Falconio
in Australia. He will be 74 when eligible for parole
. Murdoch is being held in Alice Springs Correctional Centre
in Alice Springs
. He has lodged two appeals against his conviction; both were unsuccessful. The High Court refused special leave to appeal on 21 June 2007.
and worked as a truck driver and mechanic.
Murdoch is a self confessed drifter, drug runner, and regularly transported large amounts of cannabis between Alice Springs and Broome in Western Australia.
on a remote part of the Stuart Highway
near Barrow Creek
on 14 July 2001.
The Queen vs Bradley John Murdoch case went before the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory
in Darwin
. The judge
was Brian Ross Martin
QC
, Chief Justice of the Northern Territory
.
Committal hearings were heard in December 2004, with a voir dire
in April 2005, in which some prosecution evidence was removed (most notably, the cable ties which were contaminated with DNA
from the director of forensics).
The trial proper began on 18 October 2005. Early estimates had suggested that the trial would last from 6–8 weeks, ending in early-mid December 2005. The jury was out on 13 December 2005, and returned with a verdict of guilty on the same day after 8 hours of deliberations.
Murdoch was also convicted of other assault-related charges on Falconio's girlfriend, Joanne Lees
. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 28 years.
Falconio's body has never been found.
Murdoch has maintained his innocence to this day. During his trial defence lawyers claimed that police procedures were not followed correctly, that Joanne Lees
' testimony was inconsistent, and that it was impossible for him to have committed the crime. Lees incorrectly identified the details of the vehicle Murdoch was driving. Lees also admitted seeing an internet photograph and article linking Murdoch to the murder before she was interviewed by police. At a pre-trial hearing the defence determined that Lees had been having an affair, even though she denied this until confronted with evidence. There are many other contradicting details given by Lees detailed in books written by three independent writers each questioning Lees's credibility. On 9 October 2006, Lees was interviewed on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 by John Humphrys. He proceeded to attack Lees for cashing in on the tragedy. Lees has reportedly been paid $125,000 AUD for an interview with Martin Bashir
and $650,000 AUD advance for a book titled 'No Turning Back". Lees admitted to use of ecstasy and marijuana, and to having sex with another man, Nick Riley, without Peter Falconio's knowledge, in Sydney during their trip through Australia. Despite the defence's arguments, the evidence against him, most notably the presence of his blood on Lees's clothes, was enough to prove Murdoch was the killer.
The appeal was dismissed on 10 January 2007. An appeal to the High Court of Australia
was unsuccessful.
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
for the July 2001 murder of English backpacker Peter Falconio
Peter Falconio
Peter Marco Falconio was a British tourist who disappeared in the Australian outback in July 2001, while travelling with girlfriend Joanne Lees and is nowpresumed dead....
in Australia. He will be 74 when eligible for parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
. Murdoch is being held in Alice Springs Correctional Centre
Alice Springs Correctional Centre
Alice Springs Correctional Centre is a medium and maximum security Australian prison located 25 km outside Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.- Capability :Classification Maximum/Medium/Minimum...
in Alice Springs
Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Alice Springs is the second largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Popularly known as "the Alice" or simply "Alice", Alice Springs is situated in the geographic centre of Australia near the southern border of the Northern Territory...
. He has lodged two appeals against his conviction; both were unsuccessful. The High Court refused special leave to appeal on 21 June 2007.
Early life
Murdoch had previously lived in Broome, Western AustraliaBroome, Western Australia
Broome is a pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, north of Perth. The year round population is approximately 14,436, growing to more than 45,000 per month during the tourist season...
and worked as a truck driver and mechanic.
Previous arrests and convictions
- In 1980, aged 21, Murdoch received a suspended sentence after being convicted of causing death by dangerous driving. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17573939-28477,00.html
- In 1995 Murdoch served 15 months imprisonment for shooting at people who were celebrating at a football match in the remote Kimberley region of Western AustraliaKimberley region of Western AustraliaThe Kimberley is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located in the northern part of Western Australia, bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami Deserts, and on the east by the Northern Territory.The region...
. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17573939-28477,00.html
- He was arrested in South Australia during August 2002 and was charged with various offences, one of which was a rape offence involving a 12 year old girl and her mother, for which he was acquitted.
Murdoch is a self confessed drifter, drug runner, and regularly transported large amounts of cannabis between Alice Springs and Broome in Western Australia.
Peter Falconio murder
Murdoch was arrested in 2003 and charged with the murder of Peter FalconioPeter Falconio
Peter Marco Falconio was a British tourist who disappeared in the Australian outback in July 2001, while travelling with girlfriend Joanne Lees and is nowpresumed dead....
on a remote part of the Stuart Highway
Stuart Highway
The Stuart Highway is one of Australia's major highways. It is a segment of Australia's Highway 1 extending from Darwin, Northern Territory, in the north, via Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, to Port Augusta, South Australia, in the south—a distance of...
near Barrow Creek
Barrow Creek, Northern Territory
Barrow Creek is a very small town, current population of 11, in the southern Northern Territory of Australia. It is located on the Stuart Highway, about 280 km north of Alice Springs, about half way from there to Tennant Creek. The main feature of the town is the roadhouse/hotel...
on 14 July 2001.
The Queen vs Bradley John Murdoch case went before the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory
Supreme Court of the Northern Territory
The Supreme Court of the Northern Territory is the superior court for the Australian Territory of the Northern Territory. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the territory in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters...
in Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
. The judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
was Brian Ross Martin
Brian Ross Martin
Brian Ross Martin AO QC was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory from 2004 to 2010. He was sworn in as the Northern Territory's fifth Chief Justice on 27 January 2004 following the retirement of Brian Frank Martin.At the time of his appointment he was a judge of the...
QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
, Chief Justice of the Northern Territory
Chief Justice of the Northern Territory
The title of Chief Justice of the Northern Territory refers to the highest judicial position in the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory. The position is currently held by Trevor Riley.-History of the Chief Justice of the Northern Territory:...
.
Committal hearings were heard in December 2004, with a voir dire
Voir dire
Voir dire is a phrase in law which comes from the Anglo-Norman language. In origin it refers to an oath to tell the truth , i.e., to say what is true, what is objectively accurate or subjectively honest, or both....
in April 2005, in which some prosecution evidence was removed (most notably, the cable ties which were contaminated with DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
from the director of forensics).
The trial proper began on 18 October 2005. Early estimates had suggested that the trial would last from 6–8 weeks, ending in early-mid December 2005. The jury was out on 13 December 2005, and returned with a verdict of guilty on the same day after 8 hours of deliberations.
Murdoch was also convicted of other assault-related charges on Falconio's girlfriend, Joanne Lees
Joanne Lees
Joanne Rachael Lees is a British woman who is most notable for being the girlfriend of Peter Falconio at the time of his murder on a remote stretch of highway near Barrow Creek in outback Northern Territory, Australia on 14 July 2001...
. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 28 years.
Falconio's body has never been found.
Murdoch has maintained his innocence to this day. During his trial defence lawyers claimed that police procedures were not followed correctly, that Joanne Lees
Joanne Lees
Joanne Rachael Lees is a British woman who is most notable for being the girlfriend of Peter Falconio at the time of his murder on a remote stretch of highway near Barrow Creek in outback Northern Territory, Australia on 14 July 2001...
' testimony was inconsistent, and that it was impossible for him to have committed the crime. Lees incorrectly identified the details of the vehicle Murdoch was driving. Lees also admitted seeing an internet photograph and article linking Murdoch to the murder before she was interviewed by police. At a pre-trial hearing the defence determined that Lees had been having an affair, even though she denied this until confronted with evidence. There are many other contradicting details given by Lees detailed in books written by three independent writers each questioning Lees's credibility. On 9 October 2006, Lees was interviewed on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 by John Humphrys. He proceeded to attack Lees for cashing in on the tragedy. Lees has reportedly been paid $125,000 AUD for an interview with Martin Bashir
Martin Bashir
Martin Bashir is a British journalist and media personality, currently with NBC News as a contributor for its Dateline program, and an afternoon anchor for MSNBC, hosting Martin Bashir...
and $650,000 AUD advance for a book titled 'No Turning Back". Lees admitted to use of ecstasy and marijuana, and to having sex with another man, Nick Riley, without Peter Falconio's knowledge, in Sydney during their trip through Australia. Despite the defence's arguments, the evidence against him, most notably the presence of his blood on Lees's clothes, was enough to prove Murdoch was the killer.
Appeal
On 12 December 2006 Murdoch appealed against his life sentence in the Supreme Court where his lawyers lodged eight grounds of appeal. Murdoch claims the evidence of Lees was tainted because she had seen a photograph of Murdoch on the internet before she was interviewed by police, and an article linking Murdoch to the murder.The appeal was dismissed on 10 January 2007. An appeal to the High Court of Australia
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
was unsuccessful.
Location of Peter Falconio's body
The location of Peter Falconio's body remains a mystery. However, in mid August 2007, some sections of the Australian Media speculated that Murdoch may soon reveal the whereabouts of Falconio's remains. Specifically, the Australian press mentioned that he does not enjoy the conditions of the Berrimah Prison, on the outskirts of Darwin, Australia and may reveal the location of Falconio's body in exchange for a transfer to a prison in Western Australia, now that all avenues of appeal for Murdoch have been exhausted.External links
- The Queen v Murdoch 2005 NTSC 80 (15 December 2005)
- The Queen v Murdoch 2005 NTSC 79 (15 December 2005)
- The Queen v Murdoch 2005 NTSC 78 (15 December 2005)
- The Queen v Murdoch 2005 NTSC 77 (15 December 2005)
- The Queen v Murdoch 2005 NTSC 76 (15 December 2005)
- The Queen v Murdoch 2005 NTSC 75 (15 December 2005)