What happened to Peter?
Peter Falconio was killed while travelling across Australia, but his body has never been found…
The murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio in the Australian outback almost 20 years ago remains one of the most talked-about crimes of the century.
On 14 July 2001 Peter, 28, and his partner Joanne Lees were driving in their VW van along Australia’s remote Stuart Highway at night when they were pulled over by a stranger in a white truck.
Peter got out to investigate, before Joanne heard what she thought was a gunshot. Although
Joanne managed to escape,
Peter was never seen again.
The media went into a frenzy, with some newspapers even pointing the finger at Joanne, until four years later 43-year-old small-time drug runner
Bradley Murdoch was finally found guilty of
Convicted...
Peter’s murder. Bradley Murdoch
‘The emotion was overwhelming,’ recalls lead investigator Detective Superintendent Colleen Gwynne of the trial. ‘It’s the Falconio family I think about the most. They lost their son and brother under some devastating circumstances and their grief stays with me.’
Heartache
However, with public speculation about Murdoch’s conviction continuing to this day, this four-part documentary re-examines the many questions surrounding the case. Peter’s body, the gun used to shoot him and a jacket belonging to Joanne have never been recovered. Murdoch continues to protest his innocence, while there has also been speculation that he had an accomplice.
Recently, a new lead even suggested that Peter’s body may have been hidden down a well just a mile from where Peter and Joanne were ambushed.
‘We hope that Peter will finally be found one day,’ says Peter’s mum, Joan. ‘We’re doing OK as a family. We’re still in contact with Joanne, we get on and we still see her. But the pain will never go from me. I think of Peter every minute of every day.’