Northern Territory police have released body-worn camera footage showing convicted killer Bradley John Murdoch adamantly denying he knew the location of missing British backpacker Peter Falconio. The release of the video comes just days before the 25th anniversary of the 2001 killing, which occurred on the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek.
Murdoch, who died in Alice Springs hospital in July 2025 from throat cancer, maintained his innocence until his final days. Less than a month before his death, police made a final attempt to secure a confession. During the interview, an officer urged Murdoch to consider the perspective of Falconio’s family, asking him to think about the situation if it were his own son. Murdoch responded with an aggressive, foul-mouthed tirade, insisting he knew nothing and had maintained that same story for 22 years. He told officers they were only questioning him because he was dying.
The 2001 incident, which partly inspired the horror film Wolf Creek, began when the 28-year-old backpacker and his girlfriend, Joanne Lees, were traveling along the highway. Murdoch signaled for them to pull over, claiming their van had engine trouble. When Falconio went to the rear of the vehicle to investigate, Lees heard a gunshot. Murdoch then restrained Lees with cable ties and covered her head, but she managed to escape and hide in the bush for five hours before flagging down a truck driver.
Murdoch was arrested in November 2003 following an investigation that utilized DNA evidence obtained during a separate case in South Australia. That DNA, found on the handcuffs and T-shirt belonging to Lees, was critical to his eventual conviction for the murder of Falconio and the assault and attempted kidnapping of Lees. Despite serving a life sentence, he never revealed where he hid the body.
Authorities are still urging the public to come forward with any information, noting that a $500,000 reward remains in place. In a statement, the NT Police reaffirmed their commitment to concluding the investigation, suggesting that someone may still hold information—whether a previously unshared detail or a comment once made by Murdoch—that could help locate Falconio’s remains.
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“Don’t beat around the bush because I’m just going to cut you short every time OK?” Murdoch replied.
