Peter Falconio

Case background and investigation

Peter Falconio, 28, and his girlfriend Joanne Lees, both from Yorkshire in England, were travelling around Australia in a Volkswagen Kombi camper van in July 2001. On the evening of Saturday, July 14, they were driving on the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek, about 300 kilometres north of Alice Springs, when another driver pulled alongside and signalled for them to stop, saying he had seen sparks coming from their vehicle, according to the BBC.

As set out at trial and reported by the BBC and the ABC, Falconio went to the rear of the van with the man and was shot. The gunman then bound Lees' wrists with cable ties and put her in his own vehicle. She got away, hid in the scrub for several hours and eventually flagged down a passing road train. Falconio's body was not at the scene and has never been located.

The investigation was one of the largest in the Northern Territory's history; the BBC reports that at one stage there were about 600 persons of interest. According to the ABC, police came to focus on Bradley John Murdoch, then 43, who was known to authorities for drug trafficking. His vehicle matched the description Lees gave, and security camera footage placed him at an Alice Springs truck stop in the early hours of July 15. Murdoch was arrested in South Australia in November 2003 and charged with murder.

His trial in the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory in Darwin lasted about eight weeks. Lees gave evidence over four days. DNA was central: the ABC reports that a blood smear on her shirt was found to be vastly more likely to have come from Murdoch than from anyone else, and the BBC reported that DNA on the homemade restraints also pointed to him. On December 13, 2005, the jury found him guilty of murdering Falconio and of assaulting and attempting to kidnap Lees. Chief Justice Brian Martin imposed life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 28 years.

Murdoch always denied the crimes. The BBC reports that he tried twice to have the convictions overturned and failed both times. In 2016 the Northern Territory introduced "no body, no parole" legislation, which would have prevented his release unless he disclosed the location of the remains.

In June 2025 Northern Territory Police announced a reward of up to A$500,000 for information leading to the discovery of Falconio's remains. Murdoch, who had throat cancer, died in the palliative care unit of Alice Springs Hospital on July 15, 2025, aged 67. Police said it was deeply regrettable that he had died without disclosing the location. In July 2026, ahead of the 25th anniversary, police released body-worn camera footage of officers questioning Murdoch in his final weeks, in which he said he knew nothing. The reward remains on offer.