Bradley John Murdoch

Bradley John Murdoch
Bradley John Murdoch
Occupation	Mechanic Truck driver
Conviction(s)	Murder Deprivation of liberty Aggravated unlawful assault
Criminal penalty	Life imprisonment 28 years non-parole period

Bradley John Murdoch (born 1958) 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.

Early life

Murdoch had previously lived in Broome, Western Australia and worked as a truck driver and mechanic.

Previous convictions

• 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 people who were celebrating at a football match in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia. [2]

Peter Falconio murder

Main article: Peter Falconio

Murdoch was arrested in 2003 and charged with the murder of Peter Falconio 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 October 18, 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 and the breed of Murdoch's dog. 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, in Sydney during their trip through Australia without Peter Falconio's knowledge. Despite the defence's arguments, the evidence against him, most notable the presence of his blood on Lee's clothes, was enough to prove he 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 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.

DNA evidence

The NT Police placed great emphasis on the specific LC (Low copy number) DNA testing procedure and this DNA result greatly assisted in the conviction of Murdoch. In December 2007 the Northern Ireland police have announced the suspension of the use of the same specific DNA technique in the light of criticism by a trial judge in the Omagh bombings, who commented that there would be "profound implications for all those convicted utilising the same DNA testing procedure".

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)
• Did Bradley Murdoch murder Peter Falconio? December 2007
• Robin Bowles Author of Dead Centre