Man who murdered British backpacker Peter Falconio dies

Bradley Murdoch, an Australian man who murdered British backpacker Peter Falconio in 2001, has died from throat cancer.

Murdoch, 67, was serving a life sentence at a prison in Alice Springs, in Australia's Northern Territory. He never revealed the location of Mr Falconio's body.

The victim's parents, Joan and Luciano Falconio, said they were relieved that the killer was dead, but they had hoped that Murdoch would one day reveal where their son's body is.

"Even now we still hold out hope that his remains will be found," they said in a statement.

The Northern Territory Police Force said: "It is deeply regrettable that Murdoch has died without, as far as we are aware, ever disclosing the location of Peter Falconio's remains."

Murdoch died in the Alice Springs hospital's palliative care unit on 15 July, a day after the 24th anniversary of the killing, the Department of Corrections told the BBC. His death will be investigated by the coroner.

The murder of Peter Falconio remains one of Australia's most high-profile cases. It attracted worldwide attention and partly inspired the 2005 horror film Wolf Creek.

The backpacker was shot dead on a remote stretch of highway near the Northern Territory town of Barrow Creek, about 300km (186 miles) north of Alice Springs in July 2001.

The 28-year-old and his girlfriend, Joanne Lees, who were both from Yorkshire, were travelling around Australia at the time of his murder.

Murdoch, who was 43, pulled up beside their vehicle, claiming to have seen sparks coming from the camper van he was driving.

He shot Mr Falconio in the head as he inspected the car, before taking 28-year-old Ms Lees, into his car and binding her wrists with cable ties.

She managed to escape by hiding in outback scrub for several hours before she was able to wave down two men driving a truck.

The police investigation was enormous - there were 600 persons of interest at one point. The case sparked a media frenzy, with British and Australian media fixating on Joanne Lees and treating her as a suspect.

In 2005, Murdoch was convicted of murdering Mr Falconio and of the attempted kidnap and assault of Ms Lees.

Her hair elastic, which was found tied around Murdoch's gun holster, proved to be the vital piece of evidence that would seal his fate.

"I think it was a trophy but no-one will ever know," lead investigator Colleen Gwynne told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

During the eight-week trial, prosecutors said Murdoch was likely to have disposed of Mr Falconio's body in the wilderness between Alice Springs and Broome, a distance of nearly 1,600km (1,000 miles).

In 2016, the Northern Territory introduced "no body, no parole" legislation, meaning he would not have been eligible for parole in 2032 if he did not reveal the location of the remains.

Murdoch had always maintained his innocence, despite DNA evidence linking him to the crime, and unsuccessfully appealed to overturn his convictions twice.

Mr Falconio's parents said that upon hearing of Murdoch's death, their "first feeling was of relief, it's like a weight that's been lifted... We don't want to let him ruin our lives more than he already has."

Joan and Luciano Falconio added that they are instead focusing on their other children and grandchildren.

"The awful thing is our family's future with Peter was cruelly taken away."

Ms Gwynne told the ABC that it was a "sad day" for Mr Falconio's family, and that "an enormous opportunity" to find his remains had been lost.

"[Murdoch's] silence has denied the Falconio family the closure they have so long deserved," the police statement said.

The police said in the statement that they remain "committed to resolving this final piece of the investigation", and reiterated that a reward of up to A$500,000 (£240,000) is available for information leading to the discovery of the remains of the murdered British backpacker.

Acting Commander Mark Grieve told a press conference in late June that police had "made numerous approaches" to Murdoch, but that "unfortunately... on all occasions he has chosen not to engage with police".

A statement released by Murdoch's family after his death said that he had always denied responsibility for the crimes "from his arrest until his death", and added that "he was much more than the headlines".

Additional reporting by Tiffany Wertheimer

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