In the days before Bradley Murdoch died, NT Police desperately tried to get the outback killer to reveal where Peter Falconio’s body was located – but instead, he took that secret to the grave.
“Get out,” Murdoch repeatedly told two police officers and a Department of Corrections superintendent came in to his hospital room on July 9, 2025 in what would be their last effort of getting a confession from the 67-year-old.
Just six days later, Murdoch died from throat cancer at Alice Springs Hospital.
Now, nearly eight months on from his death, a coronial inquest has revealed what his final years in prison were like.
LEAVING SOMETHING TO FIND
On July 14, 2001, Peter, 28, and his girlfriend Joanne Lees, now 52, who were both British tourists, were driving in their orange VW Kombi van from Barrow Creek to Darwin when Murdoch ambushed them on a remote section of the Stuart Highway.
After a brief conversation, Murdoch killed Peter by shooting him before tying Joanne up with cable ties and putting her in the back of his ute.
Joanne managed to flee while Murdoch supposedly buried Peter in the bush – and no trace of his body has been found despite repeated pleas for information from his parents, Luciano and Joan Falconio.
“I don’t wish anybody dead because you only have one life and I think if you’ve been given the gift of life… I don’t even know what to say,” Luciano told News Corp shortly after Murdoch died.
“I wish Murdoch left something for me to find him.”
Murdoch was convicted of Peter’s murder in 2005 and was sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 28 years.
LIFE BEHIND BARS
After his sentence was handed down, Murdoch was sent to Darwin Correctional Centre where he later worked as the facility’s principal cook.
In her findings of the coronial inquest into Murdoch’s death, judge Elisabeth Armitage wrote that no behavioural concerns were recorded against Murdoch while in prison.
“During his time in prison, Mr Murdoch was reportedly courteous and respectful to correctional officers and other prisoners,” she wrote.
“He was neat and tidy, he showed initiative, was entrusted to work unsupervised, and was allowed to maintain his won set of work tools.”
The report also found that Murdoch dedicated his time in prison to learning new skills by completing education courses.
From 2007 to 2021, Murdoch received certificates in literacy, numeracy, hospitality, engineering, machine maintenance, chemical safety, construction, furniture making and training and assessment.
Murdoch also reconnected with his son in 2018.
“On 8 June 2021 a nurse recorded that Mr Murdoch had reported that he had recently had a barbecue with his family members for the first time, and a later medical record documented his pleasure at reconnecting with his son,” Armitage wrote.
HOLDING ON TO HOPE
But despite being on his best behaviour in prison, Murdoch refused to tell police where Peter Falconio’s body ended up, taking that secret to the grave with him.
In late June, officers from the NT’s cold case taskforce visited Murdoch in Alice Springs Hospital with a video recorded by Luciano and Joan in the hopes that Murdoch would finally give the Falconio’s closure.
Instead, Murdoch refused to talk with the officers, refused to watch the video and “pleaded his innocence in the matter which is his consistent narrative”.
But despite Murdoch’s death, which Luciano and Joan said was “a weight that’s been lifted” – they’re still hopeful Peter’s remains will be found.
“We didn’t have much faith but we were hoping Bradley John Murdoch would reveal where Peter was before he died,” they said in July.
“But even now, we still hold out hope that his remains will be found.”
