As the man responsible for one of Australia’s most notorious murders, Bradley John Murdoch knows where the body of Peter Falconio is buried.
Despite pleas from Peter’s family and the police, he’s maintained a stony silence for more than two decades, refusing to discuss what happened when he killed the British backpacker, and attempted to kidnap his girlfriend Joanne Lees in the Northern Territory outback in 2001.
What happened to Bradley John Murdoch?
Now, on his deathbed in Alice Springs, having recently been taken from prison to palliative care where he’s dying of throat cancer, there’s claims he will make an “explosive” declaration in his final days.
While it’s believed Murdoch, 67, will maintain his innocence, true-crime author Robin Bowles says she knows what his last words will be.
“I know what they are, and they will be explosive,” Robin told 7News.
The author interviewed Murdoch as part of her research for her 2022 book, Dead Centre.
“It’s a shame they weren’t able to be released earlier. You can’t sue a dead man,” Robin continues. “So if he’s making the claims and he’s died, then the proverbial might hit the fan.”
What is the reward to find Peter Falconio?
News of Murdoch’s impending death resulted in NT Police recently doubling the reward to $500,000 for information leading to Peter’s body.
Detectives have also made several attempts to speak to Murdoch but he will not budge.
“He’s (Murdoch) not being too forthcoming in regards to engaging with police, but we will continue doing what we have to,” NT Police acting commander Mark Grieve told the media.
“We think there’s still people out there that may hold some information. There may be someone out there that he’s confided in, whether or not that’s family or friends, we just don’t know.”
Was Peter Falconio ever found?
However, former NT Police officer Colleen Gwynne, who led the investigation into Peter’s disappearance, says there’s also a chance Murdoch could have forgotten the location of the body.
“He’s not acknowledged that he knows where the body is,” Colleen told NT News. “[Murdoch] had a pretty good understanding of Outback Australia – particularly those areas that he travelled regularly.
“He knew that like the back of his hand; there is potential that with the stress that he was under, the fact that Joanne escaped and he had a victim that was now at large, that he may – through the stress – he may have forgotten exactly where he disposed of the body.
“I’d be surprised because that doesn’t really equate with his personality.”
She is certain of one thing – his guilt.
“I knew every inch of the case and every piece of evidence,” she said.
But for Peter’s grieving parents, Luciano and Joan, who remain in his hometown of Huddersfield in Northern England, the only answer they want is the truth.
Joan, who is reportedly too distressed to speak, previously told the Daily Mail: “All we ever hope is that Peter will finally be found one day, in our lifetime.”
