EVIL TO THE BONE
Ivan Milat
Ivan Milat’s death at the age of 74 brought a degree of closure for the families of his victims, but for his family it only served to open up a bitter feud that is still tearing them apart 23 years after he was convicted of the brutal murders of seven backpackers
As notorious serial killer Ivan Milat lay dying in the hospital wing of Sydney’s Long Bay Jail, detectives tried eight times to get the 74-yearold to confess to his crimes. But to his last breath at 4.07am on October 27, Milat maintained his innocence. For the families of his seven victims, confession or not, Milat’s death provided a semblance of peace, if not the closure they were hoping for.
Milat’s older brother Boris, 77, didn’t feel a flicker of grief at hearing Ivan had died. But the inmate’s death from throat and stomach cancer reopened deep family wounds that have never really healed. Despite overwhelming evidence of
his guilt, many in the Milat family continue to claim he is innocent of the seven slayings in the NSW Belanglo State Forest, south of Sydney between 1989 and 1992.
“I’m a voice in the wilderness yelling out to them,” Boris told Nine Network’s 60 Minutes on October 27. “They think I’m just being vicious towards Ivan. And the thing is, I just want the truth out there. They’re denying that he killed anybody. They are saying that the police made it all up.”
A visibly distraught Boris broke down in tears as he described the emotional toll the split had taken. “I’m putting it out there on the family now, and I can’t push it enough, these mongrels hate my guts because I’m the one guy that speaks out,” he declared. “This man is just an evil serial killer right to the last bone of him … I see a frail, old, pathetic man that, to me, died a long time ago.”
Milat had 13 siblings, but only Boris has spoken out about his guilt. Their mother, Margaret, maintained her son was innocent until her death in 2001. Boris had first fallen out with his brother after he found out Ivan had had a long-term affair with his wife, Marilyn. She later gave birth to Ivan Milat’s only child, a daughter, Lynise, now 54.
Milat also bedded another sister-in-law, Maureen, the wife of his brother, Wally. When Wally found out, he allegedly grabbed a rifle and set off to track down his brother. Luckily for Milat, Maureen tipped him off and he made himself scarce.
Maureen too finds it impossible to understand how most of the family continue to think there was a miscarriage of justice. She was also interviewed by reporter Tara Brown for 60 Minutes.
“[The family] all stick together … they’re a strong group, strong family,” she said. “I believe he did it. He’s not innocent. He deserves where he is and he deserves what he’s got.” She also admitted the guilt she felt over their affair.
“That’s a part of my life I’m not really proud of … At certain points … just things happen,” she wept. “To me, he died 20 odd years ago, when he was arrested for this. I have no feelings whatsoever. He’s just a person that’s died. I’d rather remember the person I knew – a nice person.”
Even after Milat was given three months to live in May, he wrote to several media outlets pleading with them to believe he was innocent and claiming that he would “go to heaven”.
A few family members visited him in hospital when they found out he was dying, but he had had no visitors in recent weeks when, according to an ABC source, he had been “in agony”.
NSW corrections minister Anthony Roberts said he was pleased he was finally dead. “He can rot in hell,” he said. “He showed no remorse.”
Because Milat died in custody, an autopsy will be carried out on his body. Police have been in contact with his family to discuss his final resting place. It’s possible he will be given an unmarked grave to deter ghoulish tourists or vandals.