Bradley John Murdoch

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Bradley Murdoch, police mugshot.
Bradley Murdoch, police mugshot.

Bradley John Murdoch (born 1958) is serving life imprisonment for the July 2001 murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio in Australia. He will be 74 when eligible for parole. In January 2006, Murdoch lodged an unsuccessful appeal against his conviction and is being held in Berrimah Prison in Darwin.

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[edit] Early life

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, of 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 case.

[edit] Previous convictions

  • In 1980, aged 21, Murdoch received a suspended sentence after being convicted of causing death by dangerous driving. [1]

[edit] Peter Falconio murder

Main article: Peter Falconio

In December 2005, Murdoch was convicted by the Supreme Court in Darwin for the murder of Falconio on a remote stretch of road in outback Northern Territory on July 14, 2001. He 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.

Murdoch has maintained his innocence. During his trial, defence lawyers claimed that police procedures were not followed correctly, that Joanne Lees's 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 Falconio's body. 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's shirt), The Bulletin reported that Murdoch was allergic to chicken.[3]

[edit] Appeal

On December 12, 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. Murdoch also claims Lees incorrectly identified the breed of Murdoch's dog. [1]

The appeal was dismissed on January 10, 2007.[2] He has now appealed to the High Court of Australia.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Evidence questioned in Murdoch appeal Australian Broadcasting Commission, December 12, 2006
  2. ^ Falconio killer loses appeal, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, January 10, 2007.
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