Man who murdered British backpacker Peter Falconio dies - without revealing location of his victim's remains

Wednesday, 16 July 2025 01:53

The man who murdered British backpacker Peter Falconio more than 20 years ago has died - without revealing the location of his victim's remains.

Bradley John Murdoch murdered the 28-year-old and assaulted his girlfriend Joanne Lees at gunpoint on a remote stretch of road near Barrow Creek in Australia's Northern Territory on 14 July 2001.

Mr Falconio and Ms Lees, both from Yorkshire, had stopped their camper van after Murdoch pulled up beside them, claiming to have seen sparks coming from their vehicle.

He shot Mr Falconio in the head as he inspected the van, before forcing Ms Lees into his vehicle and binding her wrists with cable ties.

She managed to escape, hiding in the outback for hours before flagging down a passing truck.

Murdoch was convicted in 2005 and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for at least 28 years.

The 67-year-old was diagnosed with terminal throat cancer in 2019 and was moved to palliative care from Alice Springs Correctional Centre last month.

A Northern Territory Department of Corrections spokesperson said: "I can confirm that Bradley Murdoch passed away last night in the palliative care unit at Alice Springs Hospital.

"The death will be subject to investigation by the Northern Territory Coroner."

During his trial, prosecutors argued that Murdoch was likely to have disposed of Mr Falconio's body somewhere in the vast, remote expanse of desert between Alice Springs and Broome, covering more than 1,200 miles.

Despite repeated searches, the body has never been found.

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Ms Lees, who returned to the UK, told Australian current affairs programme 60 Minutes in 2017 that she still wanted to "bring him home".

"Pete lost his life on that night, but I lost mine too," she said at the time.

"I'll never be fully at peace if Pete's not found, but I accept that that is a possibility."

Murdoch lodged several unsuccessful appeals over the years, with Australia's highest court refusing to hear his case in 2007.

Last month police announced a new 500,000 Australian dollar (£240,000) reward for information leading to the discovery of Mr Falconio's remains.

Sky News