Bradley John Murdoch
|
Bradley Murdoch, police mugshot. |
Bradley John Murdoch (born 1958) is an
Australian citizen convicted of murder, currently serving
life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 28 years for the July 2001 murder of disappeared British backpacker
Peter Falconio. Murdoch currently resides in
Berrimah Prison in
Darwin . He will be 74 when eligible for
parole. In January 2006, Murdoch lodged an appeal against his conviction. His appeal will be heard on
December 21, 2006.
Murdoch had previously lived in
Broome, Western Australia and worked as a truck driver and mechanic. 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. During the course of this trial, the South Australian courts ordered a buccal swab be taken from Murdoch for
DNA testing, to assist with the
prosecution team in the Falconio matter.
*In 1980, aged 21, Murdoch received a suspended sentence after being convicted of causing death by dangerous driving. [
1]
*In 1995 Murdoch served 15 months imprisonment for shooting at
Aborigines who were celebrating at a football match in the remote
Kimberley region of Western Australia. [
2]
In December 2005, Murdoch was convicted by the
Supreme Court in Darwin for the murder of Peter Falconio on a remote stretch of road in outback
Northern Territory on
July 14 2001. The trial also saw him convicted of other assault-related charges on Falconio's girlfriend,
Joanne Lees. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. On
December 15,
2005, Murdoch was sentenced to a
non-parole period of 28 years in prison.
Murdoch has maintained his innocence. 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. Since his conviction, Joanne Lees has called upon him to reveal the location of Peter Falconio's remains. In April 2006, a report in
The Bulletin cast considerable doubt on part of Murdoch's testimony; while he claimed to have bought chicken at the same
Red Rooster restaurant as Falconio and Lees (suggesting an innocent explanation for how his blood might have ended up on Lees' shirt), The Bulletin reported that Murdoch was allergic to chicken.[
3]
*
Claremont serial killer*
James Hepi*
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)*
Wolf Creek banned in Northern Territory
