Notorious Murderer of British Backpacker Peter Falconio Passes Away

Mon Oct 20 2025 02:47:32 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Bradley Murdoch, convicted in the 2001 murder case, dies in custody amidst treatment for terminal illness.

Bradley Murdoch, the man convicted of the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio, has died while serving his life sentence in Australia. Despite his conviction, the location of Falconio's body remains unknown.

Bradley Murdoch, the Australian convicted of murdering British backpacker Peter Falconio in 2001, has died at the age of 67. Murdoch was serving a life sentence in a prison in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, and had been hospitalized recently for terminal throat cancer. The Northern Territory Department of Corrections confirmed the death of a man in custody, which is reportedly Murdoch.

In 2005, Murdoch was found guilty of the murder of Mr. Falconio, whose body has never been located. The tragic incident occurred on a desolate section of highway near Barrow Creek, approximately 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Alice Springs, in July 2001. At the time, the 28-year-old Falconio was journeying across Australia with his girlfriend, Joanne Lees, who also hails from the UK.

Along with the murder conviction, Murdoch was also charged with the attempted kidnapping and assault of Ms. Lees. In a remarkable escape, she evaded him by hiding in the outback scrub for several hours before signaling for help. Murdoch was 43 during the commission of these crimes, which later inspired the 2001 horror film "Wolf Creek."

Just last month, Australian police unveiled a new reward of up to A$500,000 (£240,000) for any information that could lead to the discovery of Falconio's remains. Northern Territory Police Acting Commander Mark Grieve expressed his hope that someone might provide crucial information to facilitate the search, acknowledging the lengthy passage of time while still urging those with knowledge to come forward.

Commander Grieve also noted that the police had made several attempts to engage with Murdoch about the location of Falconio’s remains, but he had consistently declined to cooperate. The police's intention was to bring some measure of closure to Falconio's family by recovering his remains, and they had communicated the reward details to them.

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