The man responsible for one of Australia’s most notorious murders has claimed he will make an “explosive” deathbed statement.
Bradley John Murdoch, 67, is close to death in Alice Springs, having been taken to palliative care from prison in recent weeks.
Murdoch killed British tourist Peter Falconio and tried to kidnap Joanna Lees in outback NT in 2001.
In 2005 Murdoch was found guilty of murder, and Mr. Falconio’s body has never been found.
Murdoch will maintain his innocence, 7News reports, but has shared a statement with true crime author Robin Bowles.
Peter Falconio was murdered in the NT outback before Joanna Lees managed to escape.
“I know what they are,” Ms. Bowles told 7News.
“And they will be explosive. It’s a shame they weren’t able to be released earlier,” she said.
“You can’t sue a dead man. So if he’s making the claims and he’s died, then the proverbial might hit the fan.”
Further, 7News reports Murdoch will not be “communicating positively with police”, but detectives will again speak to him in his final days.
This week, territory police doubled the reward to $500,000 for information leading to Mr. Falconio’s body.
“He’s (Murdoch) not being too forthcoming in regards to engaging with police, but we will continue doing what we have to,” NT police acting commander Mark Grieve told media.
“The NT police still hold out hope that someone may be able to provide some vital information to assist in this search,” he said.
Bradley John Murdoch always maintained his innocence.
“We think there’s still people out there that may hold some information.”
“There may be someone out there that he’s confided in, whether or not that’s family or friends, we just don’t know.”
Police had contacted Mr. Falconio’s family this week, Superintendent Grieve said.
Mr. Falconio’s death had “captured the heart of the country” when it occurred and “never gone away”, Superintendent Grieve said.
On holiday from the UK, Mr. Falconio, 28, and his girlfriend Ms. Lees, then 27, were driving a Volkswagen van north of Barrow Creek in central NT on July 14, 2001.
Murdoch – a drug runner – waved them to the side of the road and shot Mr. Falconio.
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Ms. Lees was bound and placed in Murdoch’s Land Cruiser but escaped and hid on the side of the road for hours before flagging down help.
A jury unanimously found Murdoch guilty of murder in 2005.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 28 years, before “no body, no parole” laws came into effect in 2016.
