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Another alias - Willie Wooters.
Unsolved Marion Barter NSW, last heard from on July 31, 1997 in the UK
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MSB ROYS
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He has been on disability pensions since 1986. Definitely a parasite.
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Just caught up on the latest podcasts over the past few days. Seems pretty obvious that to supplement his disability pension he was defrauding gullible women out of their life savings. His wife is an interesting case; a bit thick, just turned a blind eye to it all or part of the scam and playing dumb?
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MSB ROYS
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Just started questioning the conman about Marion and the inquest has been adjourned. His story is so full of holes.
The King!
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I think the wife is in on it more than it seems
MSB ROYS
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As an aside, it just goes to show how easy it was to set up fake identifies up until the mid-1990s. Even easier when there was photo ID, including the driver's licence. Knew quite a few people who did it at uni in the 1980s. Just opened bank accounts and sent the correspondence to vacant houses or where they could check the letterbox before people got home from work.
nominal_port_supporter
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Does anyone have any thoughts on what might've happened to Marion Barter? Rick Blum seems like an incredibly dodgy and suspect character, but the jump from scamming to murder still feels like a big one.
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It’s a big jump for a normal person, but for a serial conman, obsessed with stripping women of their assets over many years, and who had been thwarted by a previous victim returning to Australia unexpectedly, it seems a likely progression that he would just eliminate them from the picture altogether.
Bits
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It would be the most ridiculous coincidence ever if someone else is involved in her disappearance.
A possible other reason for his involvement (and it’s very unlikely) would be that she really did want to disappear completely, and he facilitated that by way of his overseas family and contacts, for a fee. That may explain her name change, sneaking back into AUS, emptying her accounts etc.
But given that he is looking at potentially being a murder suspect, wouldn’t he just own up to that?
A possible other reason for his involvement (and it’s very unlikely) would be that she really did want to disappear completely, and he facilitated that by way of his overseas family and contacts, for a fee. That may explain her name change, sneaking back into AUS, emptying her accounts etc.
But given that he is looking at potentially being a murder suspect, wouldn’t he just own up to that?
The King!
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his wife used her passport and medicare card maybe
MSB ROYS
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Her art and antiques combined with the cash would have been worth quite a lot for the time. However, none of the art has been subsequently identifed. Certainly motive IMO.
nominal_port_supporter
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Agree that it's very unlikely that someone else would be involved. I suppose another possibility is that it could be suicide, but there didn't really sound like much indication she was unhappy or anything of that nature. If she has been murdered then a conviction might be difficult based on the fact it's unclear which country it occurred in, how it took place, lack of body, etc. Really hope at the very least her daughter gets some conclusive answers when the inquest resumes in April.
The King!
Chosen One
the ramakel name alone is too much for it to be coincidence.
she was clearly conned
but yeah didnt seem like he tried to kill or physically hurt the other women
maybe rob them, con them, abandon them
maybe it was his next step to go to violence, or she was abandoned, shamed and maybe died of natural causes
id like sally to get an answer
she was clearly conned
but yeah didnt seem like he tried to kill or physically hurt the other women
maybe rob them, con them, abandon them
maybe it was his next step to go to violence, or she was abandoned, shamed and maybe died of natural causes
id like sally to get an answer
Bits
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Wasn't it one of the "supersleuths" (who have been digging around to help Sally since the podcast broke the story) who found the ad in the personal section of a French language newsletter? The ad placed by a Fernand Remakel? And Blum had a Qld driver's licence in that name.
So I'm guessing that Marion changed her name to Remakel, someone found the ad while searching for that name, and the police followed the trail to Blum.
So I'm guessing that Marion changed her name to Remakel, someone found the ad while searching for that name, and the police followed the trail to Blum.
MSB ROYS
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Looks like Rick used Australia as a safe haven to change his name and then travel back to Europe to con more people.
MSB ROYS
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A new podcast episode is out discussing the final part of the inquest. There will be another podcast coming out soon detailing a new victim of Blum.
The King!
Chosen One
half way through but the bank lady seems like she's making s**t up
MSB ROYS
Brownlow Medallist
Having frequented Bryon a bit in the 1990s, there were plenty of non-conformist/hippies there then. Without any further information, the evidence has no weight even if it's true somehow. Now there is even more hippies plus heaps of of wealthy people and backpackers.
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MSB ROYS
Brownlow Medallist
I got back to my earlier post about her art (Boyd and others from memory) and antiques. I remember that the family didn't have any photos or sketches of anything and couldn't see them when looking through collected works etc. Today, people takes pictures of everything but back then very rarely (and wait weeks months to develop to see that they were often out of focus LOL). However, if she knew the artists personally in Sydney then that understandable also. I always thought that this was a smoking gun but it doesn't look like it. Fits so well with Blum's MO - I'll mind the expensive paintings etc for safe keeping while we go overseas. Let me look after it!
The King!
Chosen One
yeah absolutely don't think it's intentionally to gain anything, nothing to be gained
Presume she even is recalling she thinks happened but still sounds made up
The King!
Chosen One
the big difference with all these other women is they are still here, big jump to have killed marion , and if he didn't where did she go
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