Police have released confronting video of their final interview with convicted killer Bradley Murdoch, in a last-ditch attempt to discover where British backpacker Peter Falconio’s body was hidden. The footage from June last year shows a defiant Murdoch, just weeks before his death from terminal throat cancer, refusing to reveal any information about the location of his victim’s remains.
Murdoch's Defiant Response
“If Peter Falconio was your son, Quinton, and somebody knew something about where his body was...” a detective asks in the prison interview. “Don’t know anything about it, OK? You’ve been told I’m not answering. Right, move on. Don’t beat around the bush, because I’m just going to cut the (interview) short every time,” Murdoch responds. “I know nothing. I know nothing. I’ve said this for 22 years. I know nothing. You keep asking these f***ing questions, I know nothing.” “I just want you to think about it, all right?” the detective asks. “Not thinking about it. I’ve thought about it. I’ve thought about it for 22 f***ing years,” Murdoch responds. “I’ve said the same story over and over and over, and now you’re here at the last minute because I’m f***ing dying. Who gives a f*** about me?” “Because we think you might have information,” the detective says. “I don’t have information. This is what I’m trying to say to you,” Murdoch says.
Murder Case Shocked the World 25 Years Ago
The chilling murder case shocked the world in 2001, when Falconio was killed on a remote stretch of outback highway north of Alice Springs. The former detective who led the investigation said Murdoch’s response was no surprise. “His response is the same as what it was many years ago when I first spoke to him. We know that he is someone that has very much a controlling personality. He doesn’t want to admit that he’s done something wrong,” former police detective Colleen Gwynne said. “When he panics, he tends to manifest that in anger.”
The Crime and Evidence
In July 2001, Falconio and Joanne Lees were travelling in their Kombi van on the trip of a lifetime when Murdoch forced them to pull over. He shot Falconio point-blank and tied up Lees. She managed to escape, hiding for five hours in the outback. Police have just released a photo from their files of Lees, taken soon after she was rescued. The image shows patches on the front of the shirt which turned out to be Murdoch’s blood. The blood provided critical DNA evidence in convicting the truck driver. Other images show Lees’ injuries from her restraints - the same ties were found in Murdoch’s toolbox. Peter’s blood was found on the van and on the highway where he was murdered 25 years ago.
Aftermath and Reward
Three weeks after the interview, Murdoch died, never confessing or revealing where Peter could be found. But Murdoch’s death did not mean the end of the case. Northern Territory Police are still offering a reward of $500,000 for information leading to the discovery of Peter Falconio’s remains and hopefully some closure for his loved ones.
