Case 44: Peter Falconio

DESCRIPTION
The desert roads of the Northern Territory are as long as they are desolate. If you stand still, your own heartbeat is the loudest sound you’ll hear.
The thrill of the open road and the sheer expanse of the hot desert is an exciting drawcard for many, but for those used to big cities, busy beaches or in this case, the relentless rain and dark clouded skies of England, driving from Adelaide to Darwin was the thrill of a lifetime, and unlike anything they had experienced before.
But it would soon turn into a nightmare…
CREDITS
Narration - Anonymous Host
Research and writing - Anna Priestland
Writing - Anonymous Host
Production, scoring - Mike Migas
Additional scoring - Andrew Joslyn
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RESOURCES
For all credits and sources please visit www.casefilepo...

[@Arclightraid]

How refreshing to hear someone narrate the story without thinking he or she is a budding Stephen Speilberg! This should stand out as a mandatory example for others to follow: no irritating sound overlay, no demented drummer and no cacophony of discordant pan rattling to distract from the essential story. Thank you for a great narration - I hope to listen to all your presentations.

[@josephbrotherbear2124]

Yea this guy is awesome whoever he is. He really kinda makes you feel like your there lol

[@haydencooper_]

Yeah he is great. I got sick of the endless true crime podcast presenters that insist on giving their opinions on it all. I just love hearing the cold hard facts of it all and the Aussie accent somehow puts it in a different league. It's really easy to listen to.

[@achillesjames2051]

i know Im asking randomly but does someone know a tool to get back into an instagram account..? I somehow lost the password. I appreciate any tricks you can give me!

[@barrettjamie1642]

@Achilles James Instablaster :)

[@achillesjames2051]

@Barrett Jamie Thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site through google and im trying it out atm. I see it takes a while so I will reply here later with my results.

[@kskssxoxskskss2189]

Thank you for giving US as well as international measurements.

[@timquilty1496]

Exceptionally well presented. Finally, a true crime mystery the way it should be told. Congratulations.

[@wendygreeff205]

Very well researched and interestingly presented . It is a very comprehensive version of this fascinating case.

[@andrewemery4272]

They say that if you're tired of London you're tired of life. But if you're tired of living, go back-packing in Australia...

[@Aryasvitkona]

From what I know as an Aussie, going backpacking in Australia is absolutely an abnormally good way to die as far as ways to die in Australia. Which is funny given like 5 of the 10 deadliest snakes in the world are here, and in the bush the rustling shrub probably CAN kill you. The fact that backpacking has such a high death rate is hilarious. Also random Aussie fact. Do not cross the nullarbor if you're a tourist. The lack of servos and traffic can absolutely be lethal. Also there's a massive stretch of road that is dead straight. That shit is a real killer because your mind will wander, and you need to pay attention. Go north and cross from east to west through the Northern territory if you're just travelling and exploring, don't risk the nullarbor. Even Aussies tend to dislike the drive because it takes a lot of planning and prep.

[@kiwiredbeard7632]

@@Aryasvitkona mate you sound scared of your own shadow that ain’t no random aussie fact , no big deal crossing the nullabor , done it 3 times , if your a tourist and can’t stop at a servo , take a jerry can and a couple of emergency cans of baked beans then maybe stay home with your mums …..

[@sarahwelty9223]

This is brilliant thank you for the upload. I have become fascinated with this case over the last few years and all the contradicting theories that go with it. There's so much more to this case than people could ever imagine and somebody must truly know what really happened that night.

[@gabe-po9yi]

Fantastic in-depth research and presentation.

[@veraw1221]

GREAT PODCAST! ,,, Its a strange case no real Motive and peter falconio completely disappeard?? ,,,,i was Backpacking in oz in 1990 and have been to Alice springs and you are advised to tell people when you leave Or phone ahead so they know your traveling ,,,,,,why in gods name were they driving at night RIP MR FALCONIO DW NORFOLK U.K.

[@henrihenry4149]

One of the best if not the best podcast on this case... On channel 4 next Sunday night at 22.00pm there is a new documentary starting about this case...

[@sentimentalbloke185]

Ch 7 in Australia is going to show it, they've advertised it as upcoming without giving a date. Has any info leaked to the media ahead of the doco?

[@birdswont]

Did you watch it? Compelling I thought and throws Joanne Lees` version of events into question once again.

[@hskerfan402]

Thank you for converting to miles!! Great show!

[@Jolenesmart1980]

Pretty much everywhere bar America uses miles

[@clasmath]

@@Jolenesmart1980 .... the entire continent of Europe except Britain disagrees with that lmao. Almost the entirety of Europe uses kilometers

[@yoshita4140]

@@Jolenesmart1980 all of Asia too lol

[@NickolaiPetrovitch]

@@Jolenesmart1980? I think you mean the opposite. Everywhere outside of America uses KM.

[@coreencasey5109]

Why would you wait 3 weeks to report to police.? RIP Peter wherever you are resting.

[@32446]

Loves Cooper Pedy and the lunar landscape around there. Totally unforgettable experience when I visited.

[@billie6814]

That's so cool. Do you mean stargazing? Have you heard of the Warrumbungles?

[@serwombles8816]

I remember this occurred qhen i was a young teenager and how unlikeable joanne came across the television. Now im older and do wonder if she was like that or whether that was intentional of the media

[@kakusingh8151]

Well told really enjoyed this ..thank you x

[@jomcmenamin4579]

Pleasent modulated voice narrating a suspenseful well documented murder case

[@richardblades6246]

Great episode!

[@jodyburrows1253]

I once spoke to Joanne in a nightclub in huddersfield, she seemed a nice person

[@EuphroseneLabon]

Excellent. Very informative.

[@MsHburnett]

i ve never lhrw this stoty. Ive been to broom twice. Like townsville, unsafe for single women. Another blond tourist and i soent the night hiding in the sugar cane feild to avoidd the men from the pub who were huntng us. 1980s

[@PoetofHateSpeech]

As someone who lives in Australia, imagine leaving Europe to go to Asia and Australia 🤮🤮

[@seymore1532]

Please do more Aussies crime stories

[@PoetofHateSpeech]

Listen to the Aussie thinking that 11c is cold....Buddy I was out having cigarettes and coffee at 6am in England in the winter with just shorts and a t shirt. I was fine

[@rogerpattube]

Omg what an epic nightmare for Joanne. Christ.

[@annettewebster9678]

The real story is greater than fiction. Unbelievable.

[@Warewolfgirl1]

Pro tip; don't drive the Stuart Highway at night. Also between Barrow Creek and Tennant Creek, there is the Devils Marbles (which is believed to have spirits known to abduct people) and a town known as the Alien capital of Australia.

[@adow555]

You are right! There's alot of nomadic, reclusive, wolf creek type Europeans who live in the bush, desert, and never coming into contact with civilisation.

[@leannebishop7880]

As for alien it's not a town it's a road side stop but I've seen two different ufo sightings years apart my self in Tennant Creek so I know it's true they are really real

[@leannebishop7880]

@@adow555 I'm sorry but your wrong NT people are the nicest in Australia it's my home state 40 years of it

[@leannebishop7880]

The people live in bush are aboriginal people they don't mess with white people they are nice people and other people in bush they good hard working station people with kids good people NT people are the nicest people in Australia

[@adow555]

Don't blame yapa, or anangu for any abductions, there's some fucken crazy people out there with the wrong intentions, evil intentions!!!! It's a massive country out there, I reckon there still alot of unexplored country out there, and that's where they are! Can't find them but some how they find you.

[@anneloving8405]

Im not so sure that Peter F was unalived.just my opinion and a few others just quietly too🤔

[@robyn7287]

Found guilty by media and gossip. Police weren’t much better. It seems that Northern Territory just can’t believe that horrible things happen there. We know better 😮😢

[@sallie6]

a really good listen but you have missed out so much! White socks were put on Lees feet at Barrow Creek pub & it was noticed how clean her feet were with hardly any scratches! Nothing from hiding the scrub on her clothing for hours? Robin Bowles (author of Dead Centre...highly recommended) said she did a re-enactment on the same date & timeframe at the same spot where Lees claimed she hid and Robin was absolutely covered in evidence she was in that bush/scrub! Why didn't Lees? The girls at Barrow Creek pub commented on how fresh she looked for being out there for hours. You haven't mentioned how rude Lees was to the people who looked after her. You haven't mentioned Heppi's statement where he says 'Gary came over before that Falconio bloke'...you haven't mentioned Murdoch told his father Hepi was on the same road 20 minutes in front of him that night....why didn't you mention that? You haven't mentioned Atkin's Statutory Declaration either...now that was very interesting yet he was not called as a witness. Where's Pete's belongings...an assumption they were returned to his parents but nothing confirmed? Was there any official search for Pete and a description given to the press & on all news channels for people to look out for him and this is what he was wearing?? Only the attacker's image? She was cool only because she would have been so relieved Pete was now out of the way (poor Pete) so she could continue her sneaky romance with Nick. That's not rocket science is it! She was evasive because she was hiding a lot of the event...especially the most important part which was she KNEW & WITNESSED what happened to Pete and has had to shut her mouth or else! Strange how the Falconio's have never written a book to make thousands! So are we to believe that the attacker not only left his own truck with a dead body inside back at the scene while he carefully & methodically wiped the Kombi clean and so honest he didn't even touch anything in the back of the Kombi? brushed all his footprints away where the Kombi was reversed into the bush? walked hundreds of mtrs back to his truck and along the way he brushed away all of his footprints away too? Left a witness hiding in the bush not far from the scene & not a heavy bush area at that, knowing full well she could be rescued at any moment & a police search would follow? come on.....

[@paulmcmahon6875]

Was wondering about the footprints myself. If he walked past the bush she hid behind 3 times and searched for her you would think his footprints would be all over the area to. They only mentioned hers. Have not read that book, will do so though. I thought it sounded dodgy. Cheers for the depth of your comment.

[@Yom_Bristol]

@@paulmcmahon6875 Why the fuck would murdoch do 28 years instead of admitting to a single drug deal with travelers? He simply had no good explanations for any of it.

[@paulmcmahon6875]

@@Yom_Bristol even if he'd admitted to a single drug deal with travelers, ( these travelers in particular. ) he'd still be in the same situation. If anything, it wouldn't help his case, only put him on sight, still with no good explanations and proof positive he was there or had met them by his own word. Not sure what you're getting at Yom. Maybe he chose 28 years as opposed to getting silenced for implicating other people. Speed dealers and their associates probably arent the most forgiving people.

[@intelligencelimited2708]

Your post is more interesting than the podcast itself. Will find the book.

[@annettewebster9678]

Not to mention the truck driver who saw him getting shoved in a red car. He couldn't stand up or was already dead.

[@kiwiredbeard7632]

A lot of innuendo in the lead up and statements stated as Joanne’s testimony however not mentioned by Joanne lees in her police statement’s . Keep it to the facts and dissect those and their validity not attempt to sensationalise the case .

[@Free_Ranger_CT110]

A good well narrated podcast. I'm wondering why there was no mention of the owner of Aileron roadhouse & workers there, who stated they saw Peter & Joanne at this roadhouse just outside Alice. And supposedly Joanne talked to man who she seemed to know. With her supposedly amazing attention to detail why would this have been omitted?

[@cynthiagibson3069]

At least he had sense enough to know he wasn't fit for society.

[@deemor5013]

Excellent! Thankyou.

[@pyewackett5]

Pardon me , but rain gives us a unique attitude - a uk resident .

[@vmm5163]

Newes, Sack and Sugar, Jamara 😁👍 such a memorable illustration!

[@pyewackett5]

@@vmm5163 Good day. How observant of you ! You are a most knowledgeable & excellent person 💜

[@ManicMangz]

Goes looking for case 19 after it being mentioned here - but it's not there

[@elliebellie7816]

Just a couple of thoughts....if Falconio had been shot while at the back of his vehicle, isn't it likely there would be blood splatter, bone and skin fragments on the back doors/windows of his vehicle? I haven't heard of any evidence being found there. Secondly, if Murdoch had driven the Falconio vehicle off the road after the murder, wouldn't there be more than "trace" evidence of his DNA on the steering wheel, gear shift, door handles, etc.?

[@humble7736]

Or That Joanne was planning on meeting another bloke she had been phoning and emailing daily ?

[@anneloving8405]

A lot of people in aust.believe that peter falconio is still alive, including some police.mmm they have never found a body.

[@markkofi8522]

@@anneloving8405 Really? In that area of Australia there's plenty of places to dump a body.

[@wj5427]

No there wouldn’t be if he wore gloves and cleaned the car

[@memorywarrior8752]

Hi everybody, just a question - if it didn't happen as Lees suggested, what is the alternative theory. Is the theory that she hired somebody to kill Peter Falconio?

[@lyndoncmp5751]

The alternative theory has not a jot of evidence to support it.

[@sentimentalbloke185]

The general theory is that it was drug deal gone wrong.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

@@sentimentalbloke185 Yeah with no evidence to support it.

[@sentimentalbloke185]

@@lyndoncmp5751 The guy asked a question & I was answering it for him.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

@@sentimentalbloke185 And I went further. No real evidence for any of the alternate theories no matter what they are.

[@taracoff6832]

This many likes is simply not good enough come on people

[@sentimentalbloke185]

Whilst something bad happened to Joanne Lees that night (and there's little doubt Falconio is dead), she's not telling the truth. There are too many anomalies, too much vagueness, too much changing of her story. Best guess is that it was a drug deal gone wrong.

[@fruitcake4t]

a drug run gone awry i reckon, probably tried to double cross old Brad and paid the price

[@sentimentalbloke185]

Yep, it could've been someone else, or it could've been Murdoch, but I suspect there was more than one perpetrator.

[@BurtonRdForever]

He's still alive. Life insurance scam. Or like your good man said that they've got talking to Brad at or outside the Red Rooster and wanted to buy some weed, arranged to meet in the middle of nowhere later on and it's gone tits up.

[@mrc6176]

Do you think? Brad has gone to the bother of kitting out Ute for 10 kilos and long range tanks, route to avoid cops etc, I can’t see him doin deals randomly along road it wos worth to much at Broome I can’t see it or this pulling up threatening cars on road, why after all the effort it dosnt make scence to me

[@sentimentalbloke185]

@@mrc6176 Good call. My guess is the deal, if it happened, was down down south or even as far back as Sydney where Falconio modified his Kombi. The Lees scenario makes better sense if there was more than one perpetrator, though. They let her go, telling her not to contact the cops for a few hours to give them a head start. She knew Falconio was dead but she had to invent an abduction scenario to make it appear a random attack & that's where she's tripped up.

[@stevebbuk9557]

Do you think Murdoch buried Peter Falconio in the vicinity of the incident that night in July or put his body in the Toyota and disposed of it sometime thereafter?

[@kiwiredbeard7632]

The case against Murdoch is very weak mate . The smoking gun dna evidence gathering and processing processes have been abandoned by some global institutions because of its inaccuracies. The NT police are a joke and couldn’t organise a chook raffle let alone a murder investigation of this complexity . Don’t you think it raises concerns about her versions of events in her statement that she had been smoking cannabis that night (a mind altering substance) and her original statement was she was forced between the front seats into the back of a ute then changed to slid into the back of the ute through a canvas section at the rear ? Quite a significant change eh , especially when the claimed servo video evidence is of a landcruiser with no cab to rear access and of a man who is clearly not tall enough to be Murdoch not that his face was even visible.

[@stevebbuk9557]

@@kiwiredbeard7632 But that man on the petrol forecourt never came forward to eliminate himself from a murder enquiry. Plus there's the ties which were matched to Murdoch's house. I agree it's circumstantial and she doesn't come across as a sympathetic character, but she had been through an ordeal and her boyfriend was missing, never to be discovered alive again.

[@kiwiredbeard7632]

@@stevebbuk9557 mate it’s not the man on the forecourts job to eliminate himself in the meantime we’ll just say it’s Murdoch , … also the cable ties are a generic item found in every hardware store in Australia . Not really a unique item …and the hair tie had no dna evidence on it ….i thinks there’s elements of truth to her timeline but I think there’s but she’s leaving out along with conflicted statements making her an unreliable witness . Not good enough in my opinion to basically lock someone up and throw away the key .

[@stevebbuk9557]

@@kiwiredbeard7632 But the man captured on CCTV bore a resemblance to Murdoch. The country is not overpopulated like mine and he could have easily come forward to eliminate himself. Plus there was Lees' DNA on Murdoch's T-shirt.

[@kiwiredbeard7632]

@@stevebbuk9557mate Murdoch is almost 6’6” , you can easily see his height against the doorframe that the bloke in the footage is too short and his face is not recognisable at all . I really don’t know why the defence did not provide expert measurements on this as now have been done by an expert on the dead centre series . Also what about the attendant working that evening ? Did he get presented a line up ? You would remember a man of that height had he been there . There’s nothing to say that the bloke in the footage is the bloke neither , if he came forward he could be sitting where Murdoch is right now for simply being at the wrong place at the wrong time …. DNA is not as definite of a science as assumed , the DNA evidence was of a low copy DNA , the likes of which is not recognised by a number of law enforcement agencies globally . Historically The NT police don’t have a good track record on investigations of this nature .

[@martinezlucia101]

Living a true crime episode and listing to hundreds if not thousands of them . I’ve learned one important thing…. Everything truly horrific happens in august!

[@lisasmith4296]

Or start of June

[@srahhh]

In Australia specifically or worldwide?

[@georgevenet-sanos1847]

You say they were north east and driving west to mount isa ? Doesn’t make sense?

[@PoetofHateSpeech]

I think she did it...As shown by her cheating..you can trust no b$tch... And she says it's just a blip...

[@user-zm6mh2ji1h]

Proof she cheated

[@PoetofHateSpeech]

@@user-zm6mh2ji1h if I remember the episode properly, they said she did lol

[@chicagogyrl4846]

Why did the detective go alone to the crime scene??!

[@Johnconno]

He was having personal problems and needed to be alone.

[@LouHillierPsych]

To get into the mind-set of Joanne Less maybe, to get a sense of what she experienced.

[@user-mt4ku7jw1y]

Murdoch did it no do u bt, wicked man

[@leejohnstone4663]

Why wasn't Peter Falconio's clothes passport driving license insurance not listed in the official police files?

[@thornbird6768]

Maybe he put them in the safe he made !!

[@paulsoutbackgardenaustrali7674]

Living Downunder here...can be a Nightmare...u must be prepared. CARRY...and able 2 fight back..😁😃😄😄😇

[@JimMilton-ej6zi]

Abbos shouldn't have any more claim to land than others. The whole idea of "x was here first, it's theirs" is a fools errand because there were certainly people there before the abbos so should that person who had ancestors there before them be considered the rightful owner and the abbos land thieves? Simplest answer is that the abbos conquered their previous owners and the Europeans conquered the abbos.

[@darrinjordan2618]

Mad max was filmed 65kms out of Broken Hill.?

[@gullwingstorm857]

He said Mad Max 3.

[@clint.2309]

Who moved the kombi to where it was found?

[@Solar_Power]

Why do you ask?

[@supersquats]

Murdoch moved it.

[@Warewolfgirl1]

@N&C MINKING You're on the wrong crime. This is an Australian crime. Not an American one.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

@@supersquats Yes. Joanne said she heard a vehicle being moved north a ways. That was the kombi. Then he came back to his own vehicle, looked again and went.

[@sallie6]

@@lyndoncmp5751 and didn't leave ONE footprint around the kombi or walking back to his truck with a dead body inside? hmmmmm.....

[@Pa-tk1dx]

Lees knows who did it and it was probably her.

[@annegiorgio5602]

Ridiculous comment, you sound like those who went after Lindy chamberlain

[@wulfsorenson8859]

Erm no. It’s more likely to have been you.

[@maxinegrears2944]

Why is is he even getting out of prison???? He should NEVER be released

[@benitolonard4441]

What I've read is that he cannot be released until he tells where the body is. If he didn't do it, and therefore doesn't know where the body is, he is screwed.

[@TheNinjaWallaby]

LOL Albany is not isolated. Grew up 50ks north of there. Tons of towns around that area.

[@meganmurphy142]

I want a job narrating 😊

[@catherinegrace2366]

Do it!

[@KeepingTheFaith123]

Surely if he transported the body in his truck then there must have been blood or DNA etc once police checked Murdochs truck?

[@ngairemartin9753]

Cruel callous 👿 Rot

[@anitaholst7671]

Why do people insist on going to places with lots of crime? Stupid.

[@PoetofHateSpeech]

And go to places like Australia and Asia...I live in Australia and I don't understand why someone would come here instead of staying in Europe. These days, people go to dangerous places because they are brainwashed that all people are the same. I'm always hearing of European women who end up dead because they think it's a good idea to backpack around Africa or the Middle East 🤦

[@Pa-tk1dx]

There are things you claim Lees wanted but you vcant know that. Lees may have claimed such things but she is a liar and has been shown to be deceptive

[@Johnconno]

So it was a Dingo driving the white truck?

[@Warewolfgirl1]

Also, it's pronounced Tea Tree :)

[@leannebishop7880]

No that's further down tee tree is a different road stop from barrow Creek

[@tobypage2372]

Dude that is ballshit she worked at Allied carpets then worked for Thomas cook.I know i meet her in 1998

[@cynthiagibson2286]

Wheres the body?

[@markkofi8522]

Down some disused mine shaft or in the stomach of a croc.

[@cynthiagibson3069]

The oj Simpson defense

[@marktrezise7312]

There is currently creepy music

[@chicagogyrl4846]

Where did these people get the money for all this travel??! Their parents must be rich, and thus funded.

[@Andrew-ri5qo]

Probably savings, work, loans and good budgeting. Not wasting money on garbage they don't need. I travelled the world staying in hostels and living on a budget through student loans and not wasting money on shite.

[@TheNess667]

Considering all the hitchhiker murders youve probably heard about, Australia used to have a reputation for being great for backpackers on a shoestring or a working holiday. People used to cut costs by hitchhiking, camping by the roadside and staying in the numerous cheap backpacker hostels and sometimes would supplement their income by doing fruit picking and other seasonal work. Unfortunately this also led to backpackers being easy targets for abductions and weird murders.

[@32446]

I went to Aus and I worked and travelled intermittently. I wasn’t funded by my parents and did it all myself. I bought a greyhound bus ticket and stayed in cheap hostels. When I ran out of cash I worked and saved again. Easy!! Some of your comments are very bizarre.

[@jennklein1917]

They both worked! Don't you listen?😮

[@michaelwilson3165]

4z

[@chicagogyrl4846]

What in the world you talk about for 12 freaking hours??!

[@32446]

Whaaat??

[@unarammer2003]

you can see for hundreds of miles because the earth is flat...

[@anonymous-sg9ph]

Joan is for the streets

[@jom9494]

Just remember Australia is a penal colony...

[@bearcatracing007]

Was, just like the British sending the convicts to America first.

[@annettewebster9678]

You on to it. ? How does one get in touch with Casefile please.? Happy New Year to all.🤍