An Australian coroner’s inquest has revealed that convicted murderer Bradley Murdoch, who died in July while serving a life sentence, refused to watch a heartfelt video appeal from the parents of his victim in his final weeks. The 66-year-old, terminally ill with throat cancer, rejected two separate attempts by Northern Territory detectives to obtain information about the whereabouts of Peter Falconio’s body, which has remained missing since the 2001 murder.
The investigation detailed how police visited Murdoch in his Alice Springs prison cell on June 25th, carrying a specially recorded message from Joan and Luciano Falconio, created with assistance from Manchester police. Despite officers’ hopes that the emotional appeal might prompt a deathbed confession, Murdoch maintained his innocence and declined to view the recording. A subsequent visit to his palliative care facility one week later ended abruptly when Murdoch yelled at investigators to leave after just 30 seconds.
Murdoch was convicted in December 2005 for the murder of 28-year-old Falconio from Huddersfield, who was shot dead on a remote stretch of the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek while traveling Australia with his girlfriend Joanne Lees. The crime shocked both nations when Murdoch, then 43, faked vehicle trouble to stop the couple’s campervan before shooting Falconio and attempting to kidnap Lees, who managed to escape after several hours hiding in the outback.
Despite DNA evidence linking him to the crime and two failed appeals, Murdoch never wavered from his claims of innocence. The Northern Territory’s “no body, no parole” legislation, introduced in 2016, would have prevented his parole eligibility in 2032 without disclosure of the remains’ location.
Coroner Elisabeth Armitage confirmed Murdoch died from natural causes related to stage four cancer, noting he received “high quality and timely medical care” and was treated “in a compassionate and considerate manner” by correctional and health staff, despite criticism from Murdoch’s son regarding his father’s treatment.