True Crime

Great news! Domenic Perre charged with murder of Geoffrey Bowen. The NCA Bombing could be finally solved

I think you meant “formally and legally attributed to someone”.

Fascinated by the long slow turning wheel of justice in this case. Humbling, frightening and reassuring all at once. Should make for an excellent “Underbelly: Adelaide” mini series one day, regardless of whether a conviction is recorded this time around.


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Mar 1, 2014
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Australian Crime Stories on FOXTEL aired the story of Frederick 'Chow' Hayes who is acknowledged as Australia's first gangster. Hayes built a reputation as a hard man after an incident in 1939 when he was shot in the stomach, admitted to Prince Alfred Hospital but ran off with the bullet still in him. No one knows if the bullet was ever removed. Over his violent career Hayes spent 30 years in gaol for murder, armed robbery and various other crimes but surprisingly was not hung despite being found guilty of the murder of Sydney gangster Bobby Lee and sentenced to death in 1952. Hayes' life sentence was commuted which is particularly surprising as Hayes had been tried for another murder in 1945 but was found not guilty despite openly admitting he did it.

On a lighter note, pardon the pun, during WWII Hayes ran a racket where he would substitute dried cabbage in place of tobacco and sell the fags to troops on leave.

One of the reasons Hayes got away with murder was that no one would testify against him. When Hayes was arrested for the Bobby Lee murder in 1952 his accomplice was William 'Joey' Hallebone another multi murderer. While serving a stretch in prison in 1945 Hollebone's wife took up with another underworld figure named Alfred Dawes. When Hallebone was released he visited Dawes and fired seven shots killing Dawes and two others and wounding another two people. At a subsequent Coroner's Court enquiry no charges were bought against Hollebone because no witnesses would testify. Eventually Hollebone had a price put on his head by rival underworld figures but he died of acute alcoholism aged 43 in 1960. These guys did almost as they pleased and got away with murder. I guess these days forensics including DNA evidence would nail them without the need for eye witnesses.

As Hayes was the prime suspect in ten different murders one has to wonder how he escaped the noose after he was finally nailed in 1952. Chow Hayes died of lung cancer aged 81 in 1992.

in 1991 Bill Leak's portrait of Hayes entitled 'The Murderer' was a finalist in the Archibald prize.
 
Vale Nancy Beaumont. Dignified to the end.

No mother should have been forced to endure this sort of pain for 53 years of not knowing the truth, but still hoping her kids are alive somewhere. Her husband Jim is still alive and probably still going thru the same pain. I sort of hope they lost their memories in the last few years and this pain was wiped from their memory banks, but that's not how memory loss seems to work. The long memories stay clear in the brains function, and the short term memory goes.
 
Jun 6, 2000
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Conveniently limited to the last 30 years, so as not to mention the most notorious murders of all - you know, the ones said to have links to people in very high places...


The most notorious crimes that shocked and horrified South Australia in the last 30 years

From the spinechilling Snowtown murders to killers scattering body parts in a strawberry patch, these are the deaths that shocked and horrified the state.

From premeditated murder and disposing of bodies in barrels to impulsive crimes of passion, South Australia has witnessed shocking deaths.

Complicated love triangles, drug addicts murdering people who are trying to care for them.

Teen burglars murdering elderly ladies – on more than one occasion, jealous lovers and killers who even stooped to interfering with bodies to hide their crimes.

These are the most horrifying deaths in the state over the past 30 years.



 
Jun 6, 2000
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Apart from the obvious one (Snowtown), there's something fairly gruesome about Kapunda that sets it apart from a lot of the others.


Most of these (plus the earlier notorious ones) were covered in that City of Evil tv series a couple of years ago - I particularly remember the line about 'the burnt headless corpse of a transvestite champion weightlifting truck driver' for one unfortunate victim. And yes, the Kapunda one was horrific, somewhat more than a crime of passion.
 
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