Murderer of British Backpacker Peter Falconio Passes Away in Prison

The death of Bradley Murdoch, the convicted killer of Peter Falconio, has left unresolved questions about the backpacker's remains and sparked reactions from Falconio's family and law enforcement officials.

Bradley Murdoch, an Australian man convicted of killing British backpacker Peter Falconio in July 2001, has died of throat cancer at the age of 67. Murdoch was serving a life sentence in a prison located in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. Throughout his incarceration, he never disclosed the whereabouts of Falconio’s body, leaving the victim's family in anguish over its undetermined location.

In a statement after Murdoch's death, Peter Falconio's parents, Joan and Luciano Falconio, expressed relief that their son’s murderer had passed but also lamented the absence of closure, hoping one day for the recovery of their son's remains. "Even now we still hold out hope that his remains will be found," they stated.

Murdoch died on July 15, just a day following the 24th anniversary of Falconio's murder, within a palliative care unit of the prison hospital. The authorities announced that his death will be subject to a coroner's investigation. The Northern Territory Police Force expressed regret that Murdoch's death had robbed the Falconio family of the opportunity for closure through the location of their son's remains.

The murder case garnered international attention and was a significant event in Australia, inspiring the horror film "Wolf Creek." Falconio was brutally shot dead on a remote highway near Barrow Creek while traveling with his girlfriend, Joanne Lees. Murdoch approached the couple under the pretense of offering assistance, only to endanger both of their lives—shooting Falconio and attempting to abduct Lees, who narrowly escaped after several hours of hiding in the bush.

An extensive police investigation initially identified 600 persons of interest, and media scrutiny surrounding the case was severe, particularly focusing on Lees, who was wrongly treated as a suspect. In 2005, Murdoch was convicted of murder, assault, and attempted kidnapping mainly due to a crucial piece of evidence: a hair elastic belonging to Lees found on his weapon.

Despite his claims of innocence and two unsuccessful appeals, Murdoch's conviction was upheld, with DNA evidence linking him to the crime. In 2016, a law was introduced in the Northern Territory mandating that inmates like Murdoch who do not reveal the location of bodies are ineligible for parole.

Joan and Luciano Falconio noted that while they felt relief at Murdoch's passing, they now look forward to spending time with their other children and grandchildren, acknowledging the loss of their son forever alters their future. Investigators emphasized that Murdoch's silence had curtailed an opportunity for the Falconio family to gain the closure they deserved, and they continue to seek information about the location of Peter Falconio’s remains, maintaining a reward of up to AUS $500,000 for any leads.