Peter Falconio’s father still hopes the remains of his murdered son will be found despite his killer’s death this week – the 28-year-old Brit backpacker was killed in the Australian outback in 2001
The family of murdered backpacker Peter Falconio said they feel like ‘a weight has been lifted’ after hearing the man convicted of his murder had died.
Notorious outback killer Bradley John Murdoch, 67, died from cancer in palliative care at an Alice Springs hospital this week.
“Upon hearing that Bradley John Murdoch had died our first feeling was of relief, it’s like a weight that’s been lifted,” Peter’s parents Luciano and Joan Falconio said in a statement.
“We are only forced to think about him now that he’s died, we don’t want to let him ruin our lives more than he already has. The awful thing is our family’s future with Peter was cruelly taken away. Today we instead focus on the three children we have left and our grandchildren.”
Falconio’s body has never been found, and Murdoch has left the family without answers. The parents added: ‘We didn’t have much faith, but we were hoping Bradley John Murdoch would reveal where Peter was before he died. But even now we still hold out hope that his remains will be found.’
Earlier Luciano told media in Australia said he prayed outback killer Murdoch had “left something for me to find Peter”.He had been speaking just after he learned the man convicted of killing his son had died from throat cancer. Murdoch has always refused to reveal where he left Peter’s remains after he killed him in 2001.
Mr Falconio said: “I tell you what I think, I wish he [Murdoch] left something for me to find him. I wish he left something. My vocabulary is not that good, what can I do, I’m only a human being.'”
He was speaking from his home in Hepworth, West Yorkshire. “He has died, oh dear,” Mr Falconio said on Tuesday evening. “You heard I said, ‘oh dear’, that’s my goodwill towards anybody. I don’t wish anybody dead because you have only got one life and I think if you’ve been given that gift of life…I don’t even know what to say.”
Mr Falconio told News Corp he still lives with extreme ‘sadness’ every day knowing his son was murdered and had held hope in finally laying him to rest. He said he had just spent a wet British summer’s day spending time with his grandchildren. He said he thinks about his late son frequently, nearly every day, sometimes ‘every hour’.
Just last month Australian Police offered a huge new reward to try and find Peter’s remains.
Following Murdoch’s death yesterday, his own family issued a statement in which they claimed he was ‘much more than the headlines’ despite his murder conviction. Murdoch, 67, was serving a life sentence for the murder of 28-year-old Peter.
His death from throat cancer in the palliative care unit at Alice Springs Hospital means Falconio’s family may never know where the backpacker’s body was dumped. A statement shared by Murdoch’s lawyer on behalf of his family lamented that he was known ‘only for the events that led to his conviction’, despite always denying responsibility for Falconio’s death.
“When given the opportunity, Brad was a devoted father, father-in-law, and proud poppy who never missed a chance to brag about his grandchildren.”
The statement continued that Murdoch was “well-liked and respected by fellow inmates” and that he was a “gentle giant with a heart of gold. Above all, he was someone who, no matter the circumstances, always extended a helping hand to those around him.”
The family claimed Murdoch had been working on a petition for mercy, a last-ditch attempt to be pardoned from his sentence after exhausting all his appeals. “He was deeply loved. He will be deeply missed,” the statement concluded.
Peter was murdered on July 14, 2001 after Murdoch tricked him and girlfriend Joanne Lees into pulling over their campervan late at night while driving on an isolated stretch through the outback between Alice Springs and Darwin. When Mr Falconio got out of the vehicle after Murdoch lied that sparks were flying out of their vehicle, he went around the back of the van and pulled a gun on the backpacker and shot him in the head.
Ms Lees was tied up with cable ties but was able to escape while Mr Murdoch went to dispose of Mr Falconio’s body. Murdoch always denied murdering Mr Falconio and never revealed where he disposed of Mr Falconio’s body. He was found guilty in the NT Supreme Court in 2005 and had been serving a life sentence with a non-parole period of 28 years.