Bevan Spencer von Einem, one of Australia's most notorious child murderers, has died in prison at the age of 79. South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas confirmed the death on Saturday morning, stating that von Einem was found deceased during routine checks at Yatala Labour Prison in the early hours.
Von Einem was serving a life sentence for the sexually motivated abduction and murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin in 1983. Richard was the son of former Adelaide Nine News presenter Rob Kelvin. He was last seen near his North Adelaide home in June 1983 after walking a friend to a bus stop. Police believe he was held for about five weeks before his body was found near an airstrip at Mount Crawford in the Adelaide Hills on July 24, 1983.
Despite being linked by police to a group known as 'The Family,' suspected of four other unsolved murders of young males between 1979 and 1982, von Einem was only ever convicted of Richard Kelvin's murder. The other victims were Alan Barnes, 17, Neil Muir, 25, Peter Stogneff, 14, and Mark Langley, 18. The group's name originated from a detective's comment in a 1988 television interview about breaking up the 'happy family.'
Premier Malinauskas condemned von Einem's refusal to cooperate with police, saying he took critical information to the grave. 'His death does nothing to erase the murder and torture he inflicted on innocent lives, nor does it ease the anger and grief carried by the families of his victims,' Malinauskas said in a statement. He described von Einem's silence as 'an act of cruelty in its own right,' denying families any chance of closure.
Speaking to media, Malinauskas said von Einem's death was 'in some respects … a good thing,' adding that those responsible for such 'outrageously violent acts' do not deserve to walk the Earth. He noted that South Australian police had worked exceptionally hard to extract information from von Einem up until his death, but he never provided any peace to other victims' families.
