Ivan Milat

WEBVTT
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They came chasing freedom. Backpacks, smiles,
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youth, and time on their side. Deep in the Australian
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bush, someone was hunting. Seven bodies, one
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monster. And for years, he walked among us. This
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is Dead Quiet, the true crime podcast that steps
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into the silence left behind. My name is Emily,
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and today we begin in the Belangelo State Forest
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in New South Wales. This podcast may not be suitable
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for all listeners and discusses some pretty jarring
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topics. If you need support at any time, please
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contact your local support line or centre. Dead
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Quiet pays respect to all victims and those affected
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by crime. Sources for this episode can be found
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in the show notes. In April of 1992, a 21 -year
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-old Caroline Clark and 22 -year -old Joanne
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Walters, who were both British backpackers, vanished
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after hitchhiking from Sydney's King's Cross.
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They weren't seen again. Born in New South Wales,
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Ivan Robert Marko Milat was born the son of a
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Croatian immigrant, Stjepan Marko Milat. also
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known as Stephen, and Australian Margaret Elizabeth
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Piddleston. Ivan was the fifth born of the couple's
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14 children. The family were incredibly poor
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and lived on a farm in Bosley Park, west of Sydney,
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before they moved to Liverpool. Despite their
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financial struggles, the couple did the best
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they could to raise their children and worked
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hard to provide them with a Catholic education.
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Ivan's father was a known alcoholic with a bad
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temper. and the children would often spend time
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outside, spending their time playing with knives
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and guns and shooting targets on the family's
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property. Many of the 10 Malap boys were well
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known to local police, and Ivan allegedly displayed
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antisocial behaviour at a very young age, which
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led him to a stint in residential school at age
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13. Ivan's brothers recalled him often attacking
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animals with machetes. By age 17, Ivan found
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himself housed in a juvenile detention centre
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where he was sent for theft and at 19 Ivan was
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involved in a shop break -in. In 1964 he was
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sentenced to 18 months for a break -in enter
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and a month after his release he was arrested
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for driving a stolen car and was then sentenced
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to two years hard labour. In September 1967,
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aged 23, Ivan was again sentenced to three years
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for theft. In April 1971 Ivan had escalated and
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was charged with the abduction of two 18 -year
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-old hitchhikers and the rape of one of them.
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While Ivan sat awaiting his impending trial,
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he was involved in a string of robberies with
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some of his brothers before he decided to fake
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his own death by suicide. Ivan then took off
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to the states of Queensland and Victoria then
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heading overseas seeking refuge in New Zealand
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for two more years. Ivan used a fake passport
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and other forged identity documents and on returning
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to Australia continued to live in various Australian
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states to avoid detection. Ivan was re -arrested
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in 1974 after visiting his mother in hospital
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after she suffered a heart attack. Ivan's previous
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robbery, rape and abduction charges were dropped,
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largely in part due to a decision made by Ivan
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in where he sought assistance from the Milat's
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trusted and long -standing family lawyer, John
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Marsden. Taking on a job as a truck driver in
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1975, a much older Ivan then met a 16 -year -old
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girl who was pregnant by his cousin. Ivan married
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her in 1983. The woman left Ivan in approximately
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1987. due to some serious domestic violence occurrences
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against her, and they were formally divorced
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in October of 1989. By April of 1992, Ivan was
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working on and off for the New South Wales Roads
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and Traffic Authority. In January of 1990, English
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backpacker Paul Onions accepted a lift from a
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stranger in New South Wales. Paul was on his
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way to Melbourne. Paul noted the man had a Merv
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Hughes -style handlebar moustache and remarked
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the man was the first real Aussie that he had
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met. Along the journey, the two chatted about
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Paul's career in the Navy. The man asked Paul
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many questions, including if he had received
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any special forces training. Paul laughed this
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off and informed the man he was an engineer in
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the Navy. The man encouraged Paul to get some
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sleep throughout the trip and the two men discussed
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the details of Paul's trip to Melbourne. where
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Paul shared there wasn't anyone waiting for him
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at his destination. Somewhere unknown along the
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Hume Highway, Paul woke up as he felt the car
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slowing down after having accidentally fallen
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asleep. The driver explained to Paul he was pulling
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over to grab some tapes to put in the music player.
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Paul thought this seemed a little odd as there
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were a number of tapes in the centre console
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between the pair. Paul took a quick look at his
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surroundings and noted a few hundred metres ahead.
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there was a sign signalling the entry to the
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Belangelo State Forest, an area of roughly 4
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,000 hectares or approximately 38 million square
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metres. Paul stepped out of the vehicle to stretch
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his legs and at this point the driver, who had
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said his name was Bill, reappeared with some
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rope in his hand. This scared Paul as he was
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under the impression the driver was retrieving
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tapes. Paul questioned the man. who immediately
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began yelling at him to get in the car. Paul
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was frightened and started to run after he saw
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the man retrieve a handgun from underneath the
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driver's seat. Paul ran in a zig -zagging movement
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down the highway and into the oncoming traffic.
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The man quickly caught up to Paul and they had
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a physical altercation in the middle of the road,
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causing other cars to start swerving around them.
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Paul eventually broke free. telling himself he
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would do anything in his power to stop and get
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into the next vehicle coming towards him. At
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this moment, a Tarago van appeared on the crest
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of the hill, with Joanne buried behind the wheel.
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The car began to slow and Paul ran at the vehicle,
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opening the sliding door and diving into the
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backseat. Joanne was on her way to the Belangelo
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State Forest with her sister and their five children
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in the car. Joanne had seen the men wrestling
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in the middle of the road and heard Paul shouting,
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He has a gun. Paul was shaking and terrified.
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Joanne was immediately concerned and saw the
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man was giving chase with a gun in his hand.
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She put her car quickly in reverse before turning
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and speeding away back towards the New South
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Wales town of Mittagong. Joanne took Paul to
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the nearest police station in Bowral. He had
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left his backpack containing his passport and
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other personal effects in the car. Paul recalled
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the man had told him his name was Bill. Both
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Paul and Joanne filed a report with the police
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who said without the license plate, or the man's
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last name, they were unlikely to catch the man
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they believed to be a mugger. Paul said the police
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gave him the equivalent of seven Australian dollars
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to get back to the British Embassy in Sydney
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to help him get a new passport. Paul returned
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to the UK and did his best to put the incident
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behind him. In September 1992, two runners stumbled
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across the partially decomposed remains of Caroline
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Clark and Joanne Walters in the Belanglo State
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Forest. They were found in an area known as the
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Executioner's Drop. Joanne's body was found face
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down, with her right arm stretched above her
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head. Her body was partially decomposed. predominantly
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at the upper torso area. Around Joanne's head
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were the remains of a cloth gag tied in a knot.
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Other pieces of cloth were found wedged between
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Joanne's teeth, indicating she had been gagged
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at the time of her brutal murder. 14 stab wounds
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were found on Joanne's body, which were focused
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around her neck and chest. Joanne was found with
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wounds so deep they had cut into her spine which
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would have paralysed her if she was alive at
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the time of the injury occurring. Joanne's jeans
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were found still attached to her remains. and
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they were noted to have been fastened at the
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top with the four lower buttons undone. Joanne
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didn't have any underwear on at the time of her
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death, which indicated to investigators that
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she hadn't dressed herself. Caroline was found
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lying face down. Caroline had been stabbed once
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in the middle of her back with her jumper tied
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around her head. Caroline's skull had ten bullet
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holes, which investigators surmised the killer
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had brutally used Caroline's head as target practice.
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Investigators also recovered six cigarette butts.
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and a campfire very close in proximity to where
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the girls were found. After the discovery, over
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100 police descended on the area, searching the
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Belanglo State Forest and later reporting to
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the media. They were confident there were no
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more bodies to be found. In October of 1993,
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A person interested in the murders and discovery
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of Joanne and Caroline began independently searching
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the forest. He believed there were more bodies
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and that investigators had called off the search
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for others too quickly. Wandering into the forest,
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following a preset track, he quickly located
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a skull. The man picked the skull up, fearing
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that when he notified police of his discovery,
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they wouldn't believe him. Police returned to
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the Belanglo State Forest once more. where they
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quickly discovered the remains of the missing
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James Gibson and Deborah Everest. James and Deborah
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were from Victoria, Australia, and had been reported
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missing after they left Sydney to attend the
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Confess near Albury, New South Wales, on 30 December
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1989. James and Deborah's remains were found
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roughly 600 metres from where Joanne and Caroline
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had been discovered. Police quietly began to
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suspect the same person responsible, as each
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victim had been found near a campfire and each
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victim was also laying face down. Amongst the
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police and media alike, other theories also emerged,
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including the possibility of a second killer.
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After the discovery of James and Deborah, police
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quickly established a task force. with Superintendent
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Clive Small at the helm. This task force was
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later known as Task Force Air. Clive Small reportedly
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ran a tight ship. and instructed his detectives
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to leave no stone unturned and requested that
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there be no room for error. He didn't want any
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media leaks and appointed himself the spokesperson
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for the media, instructing his detectives to
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refrain from zeroing in on one suspect, urging
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them to look at and cross -check each piece of
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information. Being the early 90s, most work was
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paper -based until the development of a computer
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system. which would help the task force in compiling
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the information that was available. During their
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investigations, detectives from Task Force Air
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were able to determine the main murder weapon
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used in each killing was a gun. known as a Ruger
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1022. The Ruger is a semi -automatic rifle and
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is produced by Sturm, Ruger and Co. The Ruger
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1022 has a chamber for a .22 long rifle rimfire
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cartridge. The Ruger was first introduced in
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1964 and was a popular choice for beginning and
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experienced shooters due to its reliability and
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extensive options for customization. Investigators
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found that approximately 4 .5 million Ruger had
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been developed since 1964, and as this was an
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American brand, around 50 ,000 of those had been
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distributed to Australia. Canvassing the areas
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local to Boweral and along the outskirts of the
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Blind Glow State Forest, investigators found
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a possible witness at a local shooting range,
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which was located close to where the four sets
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of remains had been found. The witness's name
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was Alex Millat. and he gave a statement to police
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which detailed he had seen some things that he
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felt were suspicious Alex stated he and a friend
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from the shooting range had seen two vehicles
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entering the Belangelo State Forest, containing
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roughly seven men and two women who were bound,
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gagged and looked as though they were frightened.
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Alex believed the two women he saw could have
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been Caroline Clark and Joanne Walters, which
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he had seen were the British backpackers who
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disappeared from King's Cross around the time
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he allegedly saw them in the passing vehicles.
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Alex stated to police, At the time, I was of
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the opinion, that it was just some young blokes
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taking some girls into the forest to have a good
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time and I didn't give much thought to it being
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anything more than that. Alex explained this
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is why there had been an extensive delay in his
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speaking with police. Alex continued stating
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I didn't wish to get involved so I didn't contact
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the police and inform them of what I had seen.
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From my knowledge and experiences in the area
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I'm aware of countless times when young men and
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women are observed driving around the forest
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looking like they're lost. or looking for somewhere
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that they can have a good time, and I really
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didn't think that this instance was any different.
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Lise made note of Alex's statement and thanked
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him for his time. On day 15 of the task force
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being in operation, a fifth set of remains were
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found in the Belangelo State Forest. These remains
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were identified as missing German backpacker,
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Simone Smedal. Two more sets of remains were
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found soon after. These remains were identified
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as missing Germans, Anja Hubschied and Gabor
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Neuschbauer, who were also reported missing from
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Sydney's King's Cross. Sadly, Anja's head had
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been decapitated and was found separate to the
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rest of her remains. On day 34, November 5, 1993,
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Detective Inspector Clive Small had a press conference
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confirming the setup of an information hotline
00:14:08.899 --> 00:14:12.000
in operation by Task Force Air. He confirmed
00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:14.480
the likelihood of a serial killer or killers
00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:18.419
with the largest at the time reward of $500 ,000
00:14:18.419 --> 00:14:35.049
offered. Within a week of the hotline's development,
00:14:35.409 --> 00:14:38.169
Joanne Berry called the task force and repeated
00:14:38.169 --> 00:14:41.509
her earlier reported interactions with Paul Onions.
00:14:41.730 --> 00:14:44.929
Two days after Joanne Berry's call, Paul Onions
00:14:44.929 --> 00:14:47.789
also called the task force from England and reported
00:14:47.789 --> 00:14:51.299
his attack for the second time. On November the
00:14:51.299 --> 00:14:54.620
24th, analysts began to examine the records of
00:14:54.620 --> 00:14:57.940
the police modus operandi unit and extract all
00:14:57.940 --> 00:15:01.139
records of abductions and kidnappings since 1985.
00:15:02.679 --> 00:15:05.480
Inexplicably, there was no record of the incident
00:15:05.480 --> 00:15:08.809
described by Joanne Berry. and Paul Onions. Among
00:15:08.809 --> 00:15:11.830
the hotline calls was another from a local woman
00:15:11.830 --> 00:15:14.129
who said she didn't know if she could help, but
00:15:14.129 --> 00:15:16.590
was suspicious of a man who lived in the area.
00:15:16.809 --> 00:15:19.710
He drove a four -wheel drive, owned lots of guns,
00:15:19.850 --> 00:15:22.629
and was very into shooting. His name was Ivan
00:15:22.629 --> 00:15:25.590
Malat. She had no other information, but hoped
00:15:25.590 --> 00:15:27.990
her call might be of assistance. It was this
00:15:27.990 --> 00:15:30.669
Christmas that Ivan's family and friends began
00:15:30.669 --> 00:15:34.250
receiving gifts. Camping gear, cameras, jewellery.
00:15:34.559 --> 00:15:37.740
sleeping bags and tents. Ivan also gifted his
00:15:37.740 --> 00:15:40.500
at -the -time girlfriend Shalinda a white jumper
00:15:40.500 --> 00:15:43.299
with a bold green horizontal strap across the
00:15:43.299 --> 00:16:01.679
chest. On February 6 1994 Detective Sergeant
00:16:01.679 --> 00:16:04.620
Rex Little of Barrow Police took a statement
00:16:04.620 --> 00:16:07.100
from Joanne Berry, in which she repeated her
00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:10.179
story of having rescued Paul Onions from a man
00:16:10.179 --> 00:16:13.320
with a gun outside the town of Barama and taken
00:16:13.320 --> 00:16:16.000
him to the Barrow Police Station. After speaking
00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:18.799
to Joanne, Rex Little searched the Barrow Police
00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:22.100
archives for any record of Onions' original report.
00:16:22.320 --> 00:16:24.639
Eventually, he found a typed occurrence entry
00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:27.379
relating to the incident, which had also been
00:16:27.379 --> 00:16:30.580
recorded in a notebook of a constable. to the
00:16:30.580 --> 00:16:33.480
police station. Rex Little found that the information
00:16:33.480 --> 00:16:36.580
provided by Paul Onions had never been followed
00:16:36.580 --> 00:16:39.620
up. Five of the seven backpackers had been murdered
00:16:39.620 --> 00:16:42.379
after Paul Onions had reported the matter to
00:16:42.379 --> 00:16:45.379
Boweral Police. Media outlets both nationally
00:16:45.379 --> 00:16:48.220
and internationally began increased reporting
00:16:48.220 --> 00:16:51.039
on the case of the backpack killer and warned
00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:54.139
tourists not to travel to Australia. By February
00:16:54.139 --> 00:16:58.480
1994, Task Force Air had now tripled in size
00:16:58.480 --> 00:17:02.159
to 33 investigators and 11 analysts, supported
00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:05.140
by ballistics and other forensic officers. It
00:17:05.140 --> 00:17:08.019
was at this time the Milat family became the
00:17:08.019 --> 00:17:10.519
family of interest to investigators. Although
00:17:10.519 --> 00:17:13.140
there was no admissible evidence against any
00:17:13.140 --> 00:17:16.440
particular family member, Task Force Air had
00:17:16.440 --> 00:17:19.019
enough information to suggest that one or more
00:17:19.019 --> 00:17:21.740
of the Millat brothers may have been involved
00:17:21.740 --> 00:17:24.799
in the backpacker murders. The information hotline
00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:27.299
had provided detectives with their strongest
00:17:27.299 --> 00:17:30.559
lead yet. Paul Onion's story of being given a
00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:33.279
lift by a man with a gun. The task force also
00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:36.059
knew Ivan Milat owned a vehicle similar to the
00:17:36.059 --> 00:17:39.019
one described by Paul Onions and that Ivan often
00:17:39.019 --> 00:17:41.920
used the name Bill, the name of another Milat
00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:44.700
brother. A thorough investigation of the Milat
00:17:44.700 --> 00:17:48.180
family was a priority but not one the task force
00:17:48.180 --> 00:17:51.519
could afford to pursue. at the expense of every
00:17:51.519 --> 00:17:54.420
other lead. Detectives now had a list of more
00:17:54.420 --> 00:17:57.059
than a dozen missing persons suspected of having
00:17:57.059 --> 00:17:59.980
been murdered, together with six unsolved murders
00:17:59.980 --> 00:18:03.220
and five people nominated by the public as possibly
00:18:03.220 --> 00:18:06.380
connected with the backpack. any one of these
00:18:06.380 --> 00:18:09.259
suspects may have led the task force to the killer
00:18:09.259 --> 00:18:12.420
superintendent clive small then assigned a team
00:18:12.420 --> 00:18:15.940
of six detectives under the direction of detective
00:18:15.940 --> 00:18:18.980
sergeant royce gorman to return their attention
00:18:18.980 --> 00:18:22.140
to the monite family following the lines of inquiry
00:18:22.140 --> 00:18:25.660
developed Detectives began sourcing various information
00:18:25.660 --> 00:18:28.819
and records pertaining to Ivan Milat and witness
00:18:28.819 --> 00:18:31.660
statements from the kidnapping and rapes he committed
00:18:31.660 --> 00:18:35.779
in 1971. Some weeks later, Task Force Air set
00:18:35.779 --> 00:18:38.660
up covert surveillance on Ivan Milat and his
00:18:38.660 --> 00:18:41.549
property. During this time... Paul Onions was
00:18:41.549 --> 00:18:44.990
also contacted and requested to return to Australia
00:18:44.990 --> 00:18:47.789
to speak with investigators around the robbery
00:18:47.789 --> 00:18:50.789
and attack he had endured. Upon return to the
00:18:50.789 --> 00:18:53.609
headquarters of Task Force Air, Paul was shown
00:18:53.609 --> 00:18:56.369
a video with a series of photo images depicted.
00:18:57.720 --> 00:19:00.099
Investigators urged Paul to take his time when
00:19:00.099 --> 00:19:02.599
viewing the tape and encouraged him to not rush
00:19:02.599 --> 00:19:05.359
through. Paul was nervous as the attack had occurred
00:19:05.359 --> 00:19:08.240
many years prior and he was worried he may not
00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:10.740
be able to remember his attacker. Paul watched
00:19:10.740 --> 00:19:14.400
the video through its entirety. Filled with certainty,
00:19:14.619 --> 00:19:17.880
Paul Onions then positively identified an image
00:19:17.880 --> 00:19:22.180
of Ivan Milat. on day 207 of the task force's
00:19:22.180 --> 00:19:25.740
operation superintendent clive small approved
00:19:25.740 --> 00:19:28.559
the coordination of a raid on ivan's property
00:19:28.559 --> 00:19:31.000
and 10 other properties of interest currently
00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:33.859
and previously owned by the mulats scheduled
00:19:33.859 --> 00:19:38.420
for the 22nd of may 1994. there are 11 properties
00:19:38.420 --> 00:19:41.400
in total and precision was a non -negotiable
00:19:41.400 --> 00:19:46.259
the 22nd of may came quickly and Task Force Air
00:19:46.259 --> 00:19:48.480
gathered in the early hours of the morning at
00:19:48.480 --> 00:19:50.619
their headquarters and discussed their upcoming
00:19:50.619 --> 00:19:53.819
raid on a property in Eagle Vale, New South Wales.
00:20:05.539 --> 00:20:10.880
At 6 .36am, Task Force Air and around 300 police
00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:13.660
began raids on the 11 properties of interest.
00:20:14.750 --> 00:20:17.549
Separately, a team of police dressed in black
00:20:17.549 --> 00:20:20.670
and protected by bulletproof vests, armed with
00:20:20.670 --> 00:20:23.930
shotguns and submachine guns, secured Ivan's
00:20:23.930 --> 00:20:26.829
property. Detective Sergeant Wayne Gordon, who
00:20:26.829 --> 00:20:29.190
was the lead negotiator with the State Protection
00:20:29.190 --> 00:20:32.970
Group, phoned Ivan's number. A short conversation
00:20:32.970 --> 00:20:35.730
took place between Detective Senior Sergeant
00:20:35.730 --> 00:20:38.809
Wayne Gordon and Ivan Milat. Wayne Gordon said,
00:20:39.009 --> 00:20:42.210
Mr. Ivan Milat, is it? A male voice answered,
00:20:42.549 --> 00:20:47.309
no. Wayne asked, is Ivan Millat there? The man
00:20:47.309 --> 00:20:51.589
responded, no, he's not here at the moment. Wayne
00:20:51.589 --> 00:20:54.589
knew that this was Ivan's voice. Surveillance
00:20:54.589 --> 00:20:57.329
had put Ivan and his girlfriend, Shalinda Hughes,
00:20:57.609 --> 00:21:00.390
in the house the previous night, and since then,
00:21:00.490 --> 00:21:04.009
no one had left or entered. Detective Senior
00:21:04.009 --> 00:21:07.190
Sergeant Wayne Gordon then said, I want you to
00:21:07.190 --> 00:21:10.630
come outside for the safety of yourself and whoever's
00:21:10.630 --> 00:21:13.700
in the house with you. What I want you to do
00:21:13.700 --> 00:21:16.579
is to come out the front door. I want you to
00:21:16.579 --> 00:21:19.720
turn left and go through the gate. I want you
00:21:19.720 --> 00:21:22.240
to walk with your arms out, exposed from your
00:21:22.240 --> 00:21:25.220
body. You'll be met by some state protection
00:21:25.220 --> 00:21:28.240
group police who'll be dressed in black. They
00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:30.859
will be armed and I want you to then lie face
00:21:30.859 --> 00:21:35.180
down on the ground. The male responded, okie
00:21:35.180 --> 00:21:39.279
dokie. At approximately 6 .48am, Ivan Milat.
00:21:39.480 --> 00:21:42.960
along with Shelinda, exited the home, being ordered
00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:46.720
to get down, which Ivan quickly obeyed. Shelinda
00:21:46.720 --> 00:21:49.539
and Ivan were quickly separated and individually
00:21:49.539 --> 00:21:52.980
spoken with by police. The basis for the raids
00:21:52.980 --> 00:21:56.420
was Paul Onion's identification of Ivan Milat
00:21:56.420 --> 00:21:59.859
as his attacker. Ivan was arrested and charged
00:21:59.859 --> 00:22:02.960
with Paul's attempted abduction, and Ivan's bail
00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:06.740
was refused. At the time of the raids, there
00:22:06.740 --> 00:22:09.900
was no evidence against Ivan Milat for the backpacker
00:22:09.900 --> 00:22:12.240
abductions and murders, although he sat very
00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:15.339
clearly in the sight of Task Force Air. numerous
00:22:15.339 --> 00:22:18.420
investigators began to locate property belonging
00:22:18.420 --> 00:22:21.039
to the missing and murdered backpackers over
00:22:21.039 --> 00:22:24.680
several days around 500 potential exhibits were
00:22:24.680 --> 00:22:27.819
seized but many needed further examination before
00:22:27.819 --> 00:22:30.680
detectives could take any action against ivan
00:22:30.680 --> 00:22:33.299
among the items recovered from ivan's property
00:22:33.299 --> 00:22:36.460
were a camouflaged knife similar to the one described
00:22:36.460 --> 00:22:41.400
by paul onions Four boxes of Ely .22 calibre
00:22:41.400 --> 00:22:44.279
cartridges of the same batch number as those
00:22:44.279 --> 00:22:47.720
found near Gabor's body. A broken barrel band
00:22:47.720 --> 00:22:52.599
from a Ruger rifle, a Ruger 10 -22 and various
00:22:52.599 --> 00:22:57.220
gun parts. 50 Winchester cartridges, including
00:22:57.220 --> 00:23:00.099
winner cartridges like those found near Joanne
00:23:00.099 --> 00:23:03.359
and Caroline's crime scenes. A range of ammunition
00:23:03.359 --> 00:23:10.660
for .22, .32, .38. and .45 caliber guns and a
00:23:10.660 --> 00:23:13.539
green water bottle and pouch similar to the one
00:23:13.539 --> 00:23:18.599
belonging to Simone Smedal. In almost every room
00:23:18.599 --> 00:23:21.640
of the property, investigators found items of
00:23:21.640 --> 00:23:24.279
interest they later used as evidence. Throughout
00:23:24.279 --> 00:23:27.619
the search, Ivan continuously repeated to police
00:23:27.619 --> 00:23:30.539
that he didn't know what the items were and stated
00:23:30.539 --> 00:23:33.000
they didn't belong to him. and that he'd never
00:23:33.000 --> 00:23:36.099
seen them before. Dr. Rod Milton, a forensic
00:23:36.099 --> 00:23:39.019
psychiatrist, had been earlier brought onto the
00:23:39.019 --> 00:23:41.619
case to do an assessment of the backpack killer.
00:23:42.140 --> 00:23:45.339
Rod Milton had concluded the killer would likely
00:23:45.339 --> 00:23:48.779
be someone who was in control, with strong characteristics
00:23:48.779 --> 00:23:53.059
of possession and domination. Someone he and
00:23:53.059 --> 00:23:56.079
detectives would later concede was exactly the
00:23:56.079 --> 00:24:10.880
person Ivan Milat was. On the 26th of March 1996,
00:24:11.700 --> 00:24:14.779
Ivan Milat's trial began at the Supreme Court
00:24:14.779 --> 00:24:17.619
of New South Wales. Ivan had now been formally
00:24:17.619 --> 00:24:20.859
charged with the backpacker murders. He sat passively
00:24:20.859 --> 00:24:23.839
in the courtroom as the jury slowly filed in
00:24:23.839 --> 00:24:26.420
for the first day of the biggest at -the -time
00:24:26.420 --> 00:24:28.880
murder trial in Australian criminal history.
00:24:29.160 --> 00:24:32.559
The presiding judge, Justice David Hunt, asked
00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:36.140
the Crown Prosecutor to begin. Mark Tedeschi,
00:24:36.279 --> 00:24:39.660
QC. made a brief opening statement during which
00:24:39.660 --> 00:24:42.420
he told the jury that Ivan Milat would be proven
00:24:42.420 --> 00:24:46.440
guilty of seven cruel murders. He wasted no time
00:24:46.440 --> 00:24:49.559
in calling his first witness. Paul Onions. After
00:24:49.559 --> 00:24:52.240
Paul Onions stepped down, the parents of each
00:24:52.240 --> 00:24:54.859
of the victims were called to the stand one at
00:24:54.859 --> 00:24:57.519
a time. The courtroom was hushed as the parents
00:24:57.519 --> 00:25:00.140
of the murdered backpackers spoke about the last
00:25:00.140 --> 00:25:02.579
time they had seen their children alive. Some
00:25:02.579 --> 00:25:05.339
suppressed sobs and others struggled to control
00:25:05.339 --> 00:25:08.000
the seething anger they felt when they looked
00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:10.900
into the eyes of the reported monster that stood
00:25:10.900 --> 00:25:13.880
accused of murdering their children. During trial
00:25:13.880 --> 00:25:16.680
and impact full display was presented to the
00:25:16.680 --> 00:25:19.880
jury. A t -shirt that Julianne Walters last wore
00:25:19.880 --> 00:25:22.859
was shown bearing numerous cuts front and back.
00:25:23.019 --> 00:25:25.779
The courtroom fell silent. Forensic psychologist
00:25:25.779 --> 00:25:29.339
Dr Peter Bradhurst, who performed the post -mortem
00:25:29.339 --> 00:25:32.980
examinations on all seven victims, took the stand
00:25:32.980 --> 00:25:36.650
to describe the injuries inflicted. Dr. Bradhurst
00:25:36.650 --> 00:25:39.630
said post -mortem examinations indicated multiple
00:25:39.630 --> 00:25:42.430
gunshot wounds to the heads of British victim
00:25:42.430 --> 00:25:45.569
Caroline Clark and German Gabor Neuschbauer.
00:25:45.750 --> 00:25:48.390
Multiple stabbing injuries were given as the
00:25:48.390 --> 00:25:50.630
cause of the death of the other British victim,
00:25:50.730 --> 00:25:54.609
Joanne Walters, who was stabbed 14 times. German
00:25:54.609 --> 00:25:58.779
Simone Smedel, who was stabbed 8 times. an Australian's
00:25:58.779 --> 00:26:01.440
Deborah Everest, stabbed four times, and James
00:26:01.440 --> 00:26:04.720
Gibson, who was stabbed seven times. It was determined
00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:07.500
that six of the seven bodies had likely been
00:26:07.500 --> 00:26:10.599
sexually interfered with, either pre - or post
00:26:10.599 --> 00:26:14.000
-mortem. Dr Bradhurst was shown the sword found
00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:16.920
at Ivan's house by the prosecution. Dr Bradhurst
00:26:16.920 --> 00:26:19.579
suggested that this sword was very likely the
00:26:19.579 --> 00:26:22.859
type of weapon used to decapitate Anya Habshid.
00:26:23.210 --> 00:26:26.490
After a gruelling 12 weeks and testimonies from
00:26:26.490 --> 00:26:30.690
145 witnesses later, the prosecution completed
00:26:30.690 --> 00:26:33.990
its presentation of a very strong case. The first
00:26:33.990 --> 00:26:36.930
witness called by the defence was Ivan Milat.
00:26:37.009 --> 00:26:39.869
Defence lawyer Terry Martin led Ivan through
00:26:39.869 --> 00:26:42.730
the accusations that had been made. Ivan's defence
00:26:42.730 --> 00:26:45.940
was simple. he denied everything during cross
00:26:45.940 --> 00:26:49.519
-examination mark tedeschi proved merciless mark
00:26:49.519 --> 00:26:52.779
pursued ivan on every point when asked how ivan
00:26:52.779 --> 00:26:55.220
came to be in possession of the property belonging
00:26:55.220 --> 00:26:58.259
to the victims he answered quote someone's just
00:26:58.259 --> 00:27:00.980
trying to make me look bad ivan spent his time
00:27:00.980 --> 00:27:03.859
displaying himself as aloof and giving the prosecution
00:27:03.859 --> 00:27:07.940
nothing most answers were i don't know i wasn't
00:27:07.940 --> 00:27:10.599
there and i can't recall who that belongs to
00:27:11.130 --> 00:27:14.369
Supreme Court Judge Justice David Hunt took two
00:27:14.369 --> 00:27:26.390
days to surmise the evidence for the jury. At
00:27:26.390 --> 00:27:30.460
2 .42pm On the 24th of July, he sent the jury
00:27:30.460 --> 00:27:33.000
out to consider their verdict. Three days had
00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:36.180
passed, and still there was no verdict. Meanwhile,
00:27:36.480 --> 00:27:39.759
the Millat family, who were confident of an acquittal,
00:27:39.799 --> 00:27:43.200
made plans for a celebratory dinner. On Saturday,
00:27:43.319 --> 00:27:47.970
the 27th of July, 1995, The remaining jurors
00:27:47.970 --> 00:27:50.690
filed into the courtroom to deliver their verdict.
00:27:50.970 --> 00:27:54.009
Justice Hunt asked Ivan to stand as the jury
00:27:54.009 --> 00:27:56.809
foreman read the verdicts. As each of the eight
00:27:56.809 --> 00:27:59.170
charges were read, the verdict was the same.
00:27:59.589 --> 00:28:02.869
For the attack on Paul Onions, Ivan was found
00:28:02.869 --> 00:28:05.950
guilty and received six years imprisonment. Ivan
00:28:05.950 --> 00:28:09.170
was found guilty of the willful murder of James
00:28:09.170 --> 00:28:13.329
Harold Gibson, aged 19, Deborah Phyllis Everest,
00:28:13.750 --> 00:28:33.380
aged 19, Joanne, After the verdict was read,
00:28:33.539 --> 00:28:36.539
Ivan Milat was asked if he had anything to say.
00:28:36.859 --> 00:28:40.099
He replied, I'm not guilty of it. That's all
00:28:40.099 --> 00:28:42.740
I have to say. He received seven consecutive
00:28:42.740 --> 00:28:45.799
last sentences, which is the term of his natural
00:28:45.799 --> 00:28:51.839
life. Ivan Robert Marco Millat, aged 52, was
00:28:51.839 --> 00:28:54.539
then sentenced to the Goulburn Supermax Prison
00:28:54.539 --> 00:28:57.980
in New South Wales. His file was marked as never
00:28:57.980 --> 00:29:00.759
to be released. Years later, in the Long Bay
00:29:00.759 --> 00:29:03.859
Correctional Centre's hospital wing, aged 74,
00:29:04.299 --> 00:29:07.670
Ivan Millat passed away from esophageal cancer
00:29:07.670 --> 00:29:10.890
in the early hours of Sunday morning in October
00:29:10.890 --> 00:29:15.049
of 2019. At the time of his death, Ivan Milat
00:29:15.049 --> 00:29:17.529
had yet to admit guilt for the crimes. In the
00:29:17.529 --> 00:29:21.589
end, the bush gave up its secrets. For those
00:29:21.589 --> 00:29:24.589
who never made it out alive, the silence was
00:29:24.589 --> 00:29:27.930
permanent. In Ivan Milat's world, only his victims
00:29:27.930 --> 00:29:28.970
were dead quiet.