Twenty-five years after the disappearance of British backpacker Peter Falconio, new footage has been released showing his killer, Bradley John Murdoch, refusing to reveal the location of Falconio’s body in a police interview. The footage, captured by a body-worn camera, was released by the Northern Territory police on Saturday, just days before the anniversary of Falconio’s murder on the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek in July 2001.
Murdoch served a life sentence for murdering Falconio and the assault and attempted kidnapping of his girlfriend Joanne Lees, but maintained his innocence and refused to divulge where he hid the body until his death in July 2025 from throat cancer. In the footage, an officer can be heard asking Murdoch to think about the case as if Falconio were his son, to which Murdoch replied, ‘I know nothing. I’ve said this for 22 years. I know nothing.’
After the officer asked Murdoch to reconsider his answer, he launched a foul-mouthed tirade strenuously denying any knowledge. Murdoch claimed he had been saying the same story for 22 years and that the officers should have understood what was going on by then. The case gained worldwide attention and partly inspired the horror movie Wolf Creek.
The incident occurred when Murdoch drove up behind Falconio and Lees, who were travelling along the highway, and indicated they should pull over, saying their van might have an engine problem. Falconio went behind the car with him to investigate and Lees heard a gunshot. Murdoch then cable-tied her and covered her head, but she escaped and hid in bushland for five hours while Murdoch hunted her with his dog, before she flagged down a truck driver.
Murdoch was arrested in November 2003 over Falconio’s disappearance, and his DNA was later found on the makeshift handcuffs worn by Lees, as well as on her T-shirt, leading to his arrest. The Northern Territory police are urging anyone with information to come forward, noting a $500,000 reward for knowledge of where Falconio’s body is. The force remains committed to bringing the investigation to its fullest conclusion and will continue to pursue every avenue available.
