The serial murders that shook Melbourne

Case 252: Margaret Maher, Mersina Halvagis & Nicole Patterson
** Content warning: serial rapist and killer, sexual assault, stalking **
When Melbourne women Margaret Maher, Mersina Halvagis and Nicole Patterson were found brutally murdered in the late 1990s, police didn’t immediately link the crimes. The killer left behind no incriminating evidence, indicating he was an experienced offender who knew how to beat the system.
Little did investigators know, the story began almost 30 years earlier when a 15-year-old boy knocked on his neighbour’s door and asked to borrow a knife.
CREDITS
Narration - Anonymous Host
Research & writing - Milly Raso
Creative direction - Milly Raso
Production and music - Mike Migas
Music - Andrew D.B. Joslyn
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RESOURCES
For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-252-...
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[@Spartakiss]

"He's a further threat to the community" . Then they released him early multiple times

[@carolball5764]

The Old Bill often get criticised unfairly imo.. Most do a good job at collating all the evidence together , backed by the CPS , only for incompetent old bastards to undo all their good work by dishing out measly sentences .

[@pageribe2399]

A lot of these prison officials are far Leftists and are arrogant enough to think that the rehabilitation program du jour will work. They never seem to learn.

[@cedrics5241]

Judges should be able to be criminally charged and sued for gross malpractice.

[@Loralanthalas]

Lmao. Or just quit voting them back in every single election cycle.

[@arstulex]

That's kind of how it works in Japan. A judge who allows a defendant to go free who then reoffends can be criminally charged for it. It sounds good on paper, sure, but it's really not. You'd just end up one step closer to Japan's awful judicial system, where going to court is basically nothing more than a formality and your guilt is already decided before the trial even begins. Their conviction rate is above 99% for a reason, and it's not because they have the magical ability to only prosecute guilty people. It's important that judges are able to act impartially without any forms of coercion. The threat of punishment if they make the wrong choice would just bias them into guilty verdicts in order to "play it safe".

[@aliciamarcel3620]

@@arstulexif you are found guilty of murder then there should be no degrees of murder. All serve life in prison or death sentence. The convicted could pick out of those two. Then there would be no repeat offenders(murder and rape). Because lawyers are just as horrid as the alledged murderer that he is trying to get the least amount of time in prison as possible.

[@agnescassar7604]

How many times do they need for him to keep reoffending before they lock him up and throw away the keys.

[@bigbowlowrong4694]

@@LoralanthalasJudges aren’t elected in Australia, they’re appointed. I agree that Dupas was treated far too leniently, particularly early in his criminal career. People probably won’t believe it, but our bail and parole laws are much more restrictive now than they were then, particularly for people like Dupas.

[@Emmy-pz3zm]

I am continually disappointed and disgusted in our Judicial system both historically and presently.

[@jerrymarshall2095]

Thank the leftist for your frustrations

[@Emmy-pz3zm]

@@jerrymarshall2095 left wing, right wing, same bird. They have all contributed in some way over the decades. Right now none of them are offering any fruitful suggestions let alone actions.

[@jerrymarshall2095]

@@Emmy-pz3zm nonsense obviously ur a lib,how u like the constant upheaval and destruction of your world

[@jerrymarbury9365]

I'm disgusted by a human that resorts to doing a perverse job like Irene performed.

[@jerrymarbury9365]

​@@Emmy-pz3zmnot true,the left has and is driving this abyss of disorder

[@charliekezza]

This guy is the entire argument for bringing back the short drop

[@richardcranium3579]

Electricity is good

[@user-gt8uf3nd9i]

I agree .

[@cindyshirreffs2099]

Should offenders like this be branded with a red "R" on their forehead? Cancel that, firing squad instead

[@huntlife]

Why think there is rehabilitation when a psychopath enjoys himself?

[@MsLucia4179]

A cowardly one at that

[@coreencasey5109]

The police must have been so frustrated with the judges when they kept letting him out, how many chances does someone get??? The system is broken even today. 😮

[@artfuldodger96]

See.. that's why American prisons aren't so bad. 😄 No one likes our idea until they find out what happens if you don't lock people up for life.

[@lisabelle7553]

I see cops get a lot of grief, especially here in the US, when it's nearly always the courts and the parole system that repeatedly release offenders, after all the hard work police do to arrest them in the first place.

[@jerrymarshall2095]

Leftist have infested everything,and everything is an abyss of disorder, they're coming after ur kids now so they can recruit them to their insane lifestyle

[@PetesTools.BiggestFan]

The police are tyrants

[@user-xo4rx8ov5o]

No different than today, it's time the judiciary is held accountable particularly in Victoria

[@ixizn]

One type of disgust for the kind of person who could do something like this... another kind of disgust entirely for the people who are presumably not evil psychopaths and instead meant to protect people from men like him, yet still didn’t keep him away from the public and put all these women in danger, despite such clear and repeated warning signs. It certainly doesn’t seem like this came out of nowhere. RIP to all the victims and my thoughts go out to all their families and loved ones. They were failed so bad.

[@DinoCism]

I love when Judges are sentencing rapists and say things like "I must have sympathy for you..." Like, must you?

[@Loralanthalas]

Remember kids: police don't need oversight. Judges are FAR beyond ANY oversight. And the government is totally trustworthy everywhere! ❤

[@coeus2604]

They were failed. So many of them shouldn’t have been victims at all because he should’ve been kept inside

[@jpmchausse]

So much evil. Like if you read this in a fictional story you'd be like 'woah that's a bit much.' Except it's real.

[@always_b_natural703]

How many chances does one perp get? How many assessments as dangerous were ignored? Good lord, they knew who he was, and all that perp got was a a slap and then freedom.

[@scottcantdance804]

It boggles my mind that in the cases where he committed home invasion to commit his crimes, the judge actually considered whether the crimes were spur of the moment because of "uncontrollable urges" or whether he planned them out beforehand. That shouldn't matter. All that should matter is what he did, and if what he did makes him a danger to society. What he did was severe, and he was obviously a danger to society. Therefore society needed to be kept safe from him.

[@always_b_natural703]

@@scottcantdance804 Spur of the moment is not a mitigating factor. It means he has no impulse control and dangerous at all times.

[@Loralanthalas]

​@@always_b_natural703actually, the law considers them far less dangerous then those that plan murder or two. Crazy, eh?

[@LaserPeckford]

What the f??? Why did he keep getting out? The law’s for sexual crimes in any place under “British Rule” are a joke! The attitude seems to be that they “probably” learned a lesson and “probably” won’t reoffend. But if they do reoffend it’ll be someone else’s problem.

[@jr7845]

Females do not matter

[@PoetofHateSpeech]

Well Australia isn't under "British rule"... Some things are better under the British system, some aren't...in America you'll get off anything if you have enough $$... Here, when you get court appointed lawyers, they actually pay the going rate for a proper layer and barrister, which for Americans is like a super lawyer...

[@everibarovski7963]

My god this guy was beyond evil definitely a born psychopath. He murdered that many women and I just want to see the death penalty reinstated for men who murder women so brutally. This lunatic can never be trusted and no amount of rehabilitation would cure this sick perverted psychopath. My sincere condolences to all the families who lost loved ones because of this creep. God bless you all. 😢😢😢😢

[@tinahelena9863]

What happens to these men to think it’s ok to hurt women and children? Thank you casefile for your weekly updates.

[@roadwarrior528]

I agree. It's only acceptable to hurt other men.

[@tinahelena9863]

No one has the right to hurt anyone however most of those stories are crimes against women and children

[@SICKBOY1970]

They burn in Hell is what happens to them.

[@jerrymarshall2095]

Women choose these guys and tolerate them that's the reality sweetheart

[@jerrymarshall2095]

@@SICKBOY1970 you bet sick,they will reap what they have sown

[@TheBaronessIsAwesome]

Empty Saturday and a new Casefile episode awww yisssss 😌

[@tammeeDYLM]

YESSSS! I LOVE THIS FEELING!

[@andysmith5997]

Is yis the kiwi spelling or the Oz spelling?

[@jr7845]

Get a hobby, no respect for the deceased

[@kawasakiman8965]

The amount of crimes this man had committed and the courts gave him small sentences that he never completed because he was allowed parole I think it’s time to sue the parole board for allowing a very dangerous man out to roam free,one off his sentences was a minimum of ten years and they let him out on parole after seven years even though the judge said he had to serve a minimum of ten years absolutely pathetic justice system it’s broken.

[@Buy_Me_A_Nightmare]

I’m listening to this about five minutes down the road from Fawkner cemetery, I’ve done some stonework in there. I remember when this happened, this place always has a bad feel about it still to this day.

[@JohnGaltShadow]

Wow! How eerie to have been in the same place that these events happened. Did you do the work before or after this?

[@Buy_Me_A_Nightmare]

@@JohnGaltShadow After, not long though, within a couple of years.

[@meredithisme3752]

Yes my baby is buried there, I hesitate to go there abd definitely not alone

[@Buy_Me_A_Nightmare]

@@meredithisme3752 Sorry for your loss, definitely see if you can get someone to go with you during the day, it’s really well maintained.

[@lowrider81hd]

The amount of people who think they just found a mannequin, always baffles me. But I’m sure it’s merely a defense / preservation mechanism of the mind because the alternative is just too harrowing.

[@charliekezza]

When I unexpectedly came across a baby I just thought he was asleep it wasn't till I touched him and he was cold that it sunk in

[@morticiaheisenberg9679]

​@@charliekezzaOMG. So sorry you found them like that. RIP sweet baby😢

[@morticiaheisenberg9679]

Yeah, it's never a mannequin

[@maryfrancesbeckerhaggerty5353]

My friends and I always joke about this "Mannequin syndrome". Myself, I have yet to come across any mannequins however, I have encountered zombies.

[@richardcranium3579]

Y’all haven’t heard about all the mannequins roaming around? Their everywhere. Woods, ditches, sidewalks, cars. Everywhere.

[@TheKevlarKitten]

I am disgusted at how little the crimes were punished. Would he have actually been punished if the crimes were against men?

[@larbot3433]

I don't believe in the death penalty but there are some people who are truly irredeemable, and do make me question my stance on the death penalty.

[@richardcranium3579]

Remember the victim and what they went through when you advocate for these monsters to be kept alive. Nobody does that. Look up Kenneth McDuff. See what happens when they are left to wander around society. Also remember as long as they are alive somebody is always trying to release them.

[@SuperStrik9]

Casefile Presents is an instant 👍for me.

[@tintinhickey5869]

They just kept letting this monster out of jail after laughably short sentences - the legal system played a significant role in the deaths of the three women ….

[@cherylmclaverty2182]

He should Never be walking this earth Anywhere.

[@debbiemavin1202]

One of the best researched and eloquently presented KZbin channels ……can’t believe you haven’t reached a million subs yet 😮

[@l.palmer6747]

Cannot believe this is the first time I have heard of this monster. I hope someday they find his trophies. Seems like police did good work and many people warned about letting him out but justice theses days seems to protect the criminals more than society at large. Put him in a halfway house next to judge or parole board members. It is easy for this type to not offend when incarcerated. There are no women there.

[@mattheers7007]

Good episode. This guy was a sick person! Crazy how many times he got paroled.

[@danrobinson572]

Great 👍 video CaseFile

[@veganandlovingit]

Violent crims keep getting second chances in the community. Crims in jail sometimes have opportunities to hear information that leads to big financial rewards, for information that should be freely reported. The victims - lose everything, get nothing. Sad state of affairs.

[@meredithisme3752]

Look at Jill Meagher's murderer, long history of violence, his parents warned police about his danger but nothing done

[@amandasiddle6571]

Casefile you get better and better thanku 😊

[@natalieh4354]

Thank you again Casefile... These people are always loved and families are still suffering... Much love to all 🙏🌷🙏

[@queenie859]

Love your content ❤

[@MR-pv7qg]

Casefile rocks true crime stories!!!

[@carolball5764]

Of course a killer should be tried for every death they may have committed Providing enough evidence is produced by the CPS to secure a conviction ..The sentence should run Consecutively , and not concurrently, this ensures that if they get a retrial at a later date and it’s overturned , then that person will still serve life for the other convictions ..

[@SecretSquirrel3251]

Thank you

[@nicholestroup1770]

Just found your channel and I am loving it

[@jennklein1917]

I love this beautiful series 😮

[@ruthstevens8805]

I remember how shocked i was at a murder in a cemetery. RIP to all his victims.

[@lynnedean713]

What happened to his wife? Did he just relocate to north Melbourne when he left prison or did she divorce him or did he divorce her? Yet another predator who has the luck of the devil and kept receiving inadequate prison time. I think the laws should be changed so that a repeat offender gets life because men like him cannot change and many women would have been spared his attempts or get to keep their lives. Your site is one of the best, pure story and no waffle! Thank you for all your work.

[@charatertravels]

I love your show. The way you tell these crimes is perfect

[@audibjornsson6107]

"Prescription glasses with thin gold frame".......Me- Jeffery Dahmer!!

[@wesshirlaw8716]

No one has more rights in Australia than a criminal

[@richardcranium3579]

Only three calls ever disturbed her….. Anybody calling a phone sex line is disturbing.

[@hicmad]

Probably not for people who want such a job.

[@DEATH-THE-GOAT]

What do you with mad dogs?

[@jr7845]

So many disrespectful comments, flipant words with no respect for those slayed by the monster, i suggest you work on your personality and ethics. Thank you for respectfully narrating this henious case, i hope all of the victims rest in peace 🙏

[@MissVanHelsing]

Im being anti social in my room while the housemates party. Now im having my own little Case File party 🎉 whoop whoop

[@kelleyreed9435]

@VanHelsing* YOU GO SWEETHEART !!! NOTHING IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN THE SOLACE OF ONES OWN MIND !!! OR THE COUNTENANCE OF ACTION FROM A RIGHTHOUS MAN!!!

[@MissVanHelsing]

@kelleyreed9435 loool thank you ❤️

[@namedrop721]

That the first judge acknowledged he had premeditated trespassing with intent to harm, threatened a baby, and violently raped a woman, all planned and all reinacting a prior incident And he didn’t get a very very long time in captivity What kind of law is that? What kind of judge?

[@ivanfranco2363]

Great tesearch

[@rhondamcewananderson3968]

Casefile ❤️👍

[@jaccusefashion]

How many women had to suffer before the justice system said .."lets not play this silly experiment anymore" ?

[@kltil5082]

With this one man? 30 years of crimes. Overall? The experiment is still going.

[@MsHburnett]

what a menace, the judicial system is complicit

[@80mphisntfastenuff]

How, how the actual **** did this monster keep getting paroled? Judges and parole boards must be held accountable.

[@imacarrot6570]

Rehabilitation doesn't work.

[@Jean-rg4sp]

*Australia is a scary country.*

[@robyn7287]

Never realised that Australia had so many serial killers. I always thought we had managed to escape from this sort of animals 😮

[@meredithisme3752]

We definitely need accountability for the judiciary and parole board.

[@user-mt4ku7jw1y]

He needs locked up for life the maniac

[@wiebkescantick947]

This man was truly allowed to continue his crimes strictly by the judicial system! I can't believe that it took them 30 years to finally give him a sentence he actually deserved! He wasn't even intelligent enough to get away with his crimes on his own.

[@kltil5082]

"Peter Dupass was an unusual case for the criminal justice system. He was deemed too dangerous to be let out in public, but too sane to be institutionalized". Um what? How is that an unusual case exactly? It's called PUT HIM IN PRISON.

[@NUrea7524]

My God ! This is terrifying . What year was it ? Maybe I missed it mentioned .. I lived in Armadale 2001 before going back to UK .

[@JohnGaltShadow]

I’m a new Casefile listener and I’ve noticed that there seems to be a pattern in these stories that people in Australia don’t report or help people that they hear or see in what seems to be pretty obvious distress. Is it a cultural thing? I get not wanting to risk getting hurt by going into a dangerous scenario but seems like they don’t report it either. Real question. I’m puzzled.

[@PoetofHateSpeech]

Come on, there's videos of assaults happening in America where everyone just sits there and watches...especially if the criminal, is well darker skinned... Hell there was one of the said people graping a white girl on a train in the states and no one helped her

[@tinahelena9863]

No it isn’t but it’s the same every where keep listening

[@maryfrancesbeckerhaggerty5353]

People here in the USA do not call police either in many situations. They "disregard" the cries or screams.

[@russelladams8492]

Not for people that drift off!!!!!

[@PutinsMommyNeverHuggedHim]

😂😂😂

[@TheImprintsOftime]

Nice

[@heavymetalredneck7973]

The detectives involved in his original rp case's should've made him "disappear" being they knew what he was and what he would do when given the chance. I think that happens more than we think, the cops taking out the trash without the court's involvement.

[@morganosborne9258]

It is sad that in the assessment of likelihood of reoffending, the laws are limited in the suitable penalty. There truly is no specific answer within the level system for every type of criminal. In a case like this one, that inability to mold a custom fit for penalty to crime/likelihood of reoffending proved detrimental to society. Thankful he is now in for life

[@richardcranium3579]

He’s in for life until they turn him loose. They always do

[@rashone2879]

Too gross, sorry.

[@l.palmer6747]

Two rules: it's never a mannequin and duct tape is bad.

[@calamityj3634]

People buying bleach and rope at Walmart at 2am are also red flags😳

[@JohnGaltShadow]

And don’t hitchhike

[@JohnGaltShadow]

@@calamityj3634and suitcases and cleaning supplies

[@alabama.worley]

This pos's tactics remind me of how Lucy Letby behaved upon being confronted with a plethora of irrefutable evidence.

[@morticiaheisenberg9679]

We have a saying out here with us true crime fans in America "It's never a mannequin".

[@2008betwixt]

So many victims, if the death penalty was in place, many lives would have been spared.

[@DreamsOfFinland]

warning on this one did not prepare me. Feels like normalizing the eternal hate of men for women and how we live in fear. Could not go through with podcast.

[@edstar83]

WTF

[@kermitdfonzz2138]

Its never a mannequin

[@rosered103]

I'm almost at a loss for words after hearing this story. I think men make these laws. Because statically they are not raped. So they do not know the trauma women face when they are. Rapists generally escalate to get a longer dopamine high. First Rape should = 1 year max. With compensation to the victim. 2nd rape = 5 years with compensation to the victim. 3rd rape = life without parole, with compensation to the victim.

[@leahstone9308]

You think that rapists should only get one year in prison? That’s insane.

[@PutinsMommyNeverHuggedHim]

you know there’s a TON of guys who wouldn’t mind spending 1 yr in prison just to satisfy the urge. your law would create a huge number of one time rapists

[@asmalik100]

Hate the robotic narration in casefiles. I always start an episode hoping I’ll be able to listen all the way but never happens.

[@hicmad]

It's a lot better if you speed up to 1.25 but it's still very monotonous.

[@user-gt8uf3nd9i]

I dont think theres anthing wrong with his voice.i love it ❤

[@staystrong8966]

The one thing we have all come to understand- it's never a mannequin.

[@quickchris10]

In what year is this set. I guess show notes do say '90's. I mean, I backed up to beginning a couple of times and never heard a year given. It just said, it was Melbourne and Irene was job hunting. The next chapter does say 1997 when the McDonald's find the body on Clifford's Road. Why did Margaret not use neighbor's phone to call a locksmith, or did she not stay with neighbor, I wonder. Why fly off the handle and go hitch-hiking when locked out? Makes no sense. Or just break a window.

[@Menstral]

Nanny States are absolutely clueless about human nature

[@loyisad1211]

It's not human nature to murder people weaker than yourself. That's a unwanted uselessgenetic mutation of humanity-the dregs of society.

[@PutinsMommyNeverHuggedHim]

more like male judges

[@DarylDean82]

Depo provera??? Why did they give him birth control to curb his "desires"???

[@chicagogyrl4846]

They didn’t love each other, so why in the hell did she marry him??!! 😂🤣

[@twelvesmylimit]

13:54 bookmarked to continue.

[@TheSonicdruid72]

True Crime Rule number 1… it’s never a friggen manikin!

[@jerrymarshall2095]

Calling a prostitute a sex worker is like calling a drug dealer a pharmaceutical distributor.

[@alasskaluna2446]

Why am I not surprised to see this comment from you lol… you’re right, would be better to just call them prostitutes or better still hookers and whores, right? How dare we show them any modicum of respect! Not at all surprised that this is the attitude of a man who likes patronizing random women on the internet by calling them “sweetheart” and blames everything (including male violence itself probably) on “lefties”. Found the bitter misogynist. I bet you enjoyed listening to this episode immensely! Seriously, horrific crimes committed against these women and all you can do is victim-blame (even though in this case the women were strangers) and criticize use of the term “sex worker”. Living in an equal society (at least more than it used to be though we’ve still got a very long way to go) must really grind your gears..

[@maryfrancesbeckerhaggerty5353]

😂😂😂

[@helmutsecke3529]

Your speech impediment makes it impossible to stick around. Put me down for 49 seconds mate. Cheers.

[@enawebster2059]

What speach impediment

[@Matt-ur3dm]

Do you mean accent?!

[@PutinsMommyNeverHuggedHim]

sounds like you have a hearing impediment 😂 i suggest an audiogram and tympanometry

[@maureenhawes1598]

I love the accent! Some people and the non existent complaints they make, hmm maybe we should analyze the listener??😮😮

[@JohnGaltShadow]

What?! His voice is super smooth. WTAF are you talking about?

[@SamSam-md1jd]

This monster wen should of got life the first time