A child killer hides in plain sight | Forensic Files

[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
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and for a more detailed list of content warnings please the show notes for this episode on your app or on our
website today's episode involves crimes against children and won't be suitable for all
listeners at about 7:40 on the morning of Tuesday December 21 1982 Frank Church headed out of his home in Westborn Grove
northcut and walked towards the front gate the rubbish bins had gone out for collection the previous night and Frank
was going to bring his empty one in as Frank exited his front gate he noticed his nextdoor neighbor Maran standing on
the footpath outside of her home while Frank had resided on westborne Grove for the past 27 years
Maran and her 6-year-old daughter Bonnie were relative newcomers they'd moved into the inner
city Melbourne Street about 2 years ago although their Victorian Terrace houses sat quite close to each other the
residential Street was wide and fairly quiet Frank didn't really know Maran or Bonnie except to exchange pleasantries
whenever they bumped into one another as soon as Marian spotted Frank she called out to him shouting Frank
Frank as Frank looked at the young mother he noticed how distraught her expression was and that her face was
stre with tears concerned Frank approached Maran as he neared her she leaned into
him collapsing into his shoulder and cried my baby is dead what do you mean your baby is dead
Frank asked Maran replied that her daughter Bonnie had been [Music] stabbed shocked Frank told Marian he'd call the
police Marian said that she'd already done so then continued to sob and scream as she leaned heavily on Frank seemingly
unable to support herself Frank's wife Mavis was just getting out of bed when she heard
Marian's distraught cry Frank began to call out mavis's name asking for her help Mavis quickly pulled
on a dressing gown and ran outside to investigate she only knew Maran to say hello to in the street but now the young
mother was a sobbing Rack in Frank's arms it's her little girl Frank said without hesitating Mavis ran towards
maran's home the front door was wide open Mavis looked in into the first room but that
appeared to be maran's bedroom along the right side of the house was a long hallway while a second o-shaped
passageway LED from Marian's room to the home's left side Mavis hurried down the
hallway looking into each room as she passed the second bedroom was a guest room that appeared to be empty but the
third was clearly Bonnie's children's clothing and toys lay on the floor a single bed was pushed
up against one wall while a bunk bed sat opposite on a bedside table was a lamp which was switched
on lying on her back in the single bed was 6-year-old Bonnie Clark her arms were straight by her
sides and she was naked with a blue Duna bunched around her waist and covering the lower half of her
body Mavis immediately noticed how incredibly pale Bonnie was she had a bloody wound just below her chest
hoping she might be able to save the girl via resuscitation Mavis lifted the back of Bonnie's neck Bonnie's skin was
ice cold next Mavis felt for a heartbeat she found none realizing that Bonnie was dead
Mavis immediately dropped her hands and hurried from the room meanwhile outside on Westborn Grove
two con pulled up in their patrol car having responded to Marian Clark's call as they pulled up at her house they saw
Marian standing on the footpath still being held by Frank Church Marian suddenly pulled away from
Frank's Embrace and kicked out at a small Terrier standing nearby why didn't you bark you always
bloody bark why didn't you bark she screamed at the dog the constables rushed to 6-year-old
Bonnie's bedroom it looked like an ordinary children's bedroom except for Bonnie lying cold and
still in her bed the constables were joined a few minutes later by two paramedics who
confirmed that Bonnie was deceased furthermore riger mortise had set in indicating that Bonnie had been
dead for some time she had been digitally raped and suffered injuries to her janitors there was no Seaman found
at the scene com pressions to Bonnie's neck pointed to Suffocation a 3 cm Stab Wound was
visible in her chest but there was only a small amount of blood around it beneath her body the mattress was soaked
with water Bonnie's bed was kept pushed up against one wall and her pillows lay against this wall instead of beneath
Bonnie's head when police pulled the bed away they found her pajamas stuffed beneath the pillows between the mattress
and the wall the pajama top was heavily stained with blood Bonnie's Underpants had been cut
with two slashes made by either a knife or scissors extending from the elastic waistband to the bands where each of
Bunny's legs would go given the amount of blood on bonny's pajama top it seemed strange there was
so little around her actual wound it appeared that after the killer stubbed Bonnie they had rolled her over
onto her stomach then removed her pajamas and washed her with water which soaked the
mattress faint smearing across Bonnie's torso indicated that her body had been wiped
[Music] clean Frank and Mavis Church ushered Mariam back to their home to comfort her
while the police remained at the Clark residence with Bonnie at 8:05 a.m. one of the
constables called northcut police station to request detectives from the crime investigation Bureau attend the
scene along with crime scene investigators almost 15 minutes later the detectives arrived and took note of
the properties's layout a crime scene investigator noted there was no sign of forcible entry the
long single fronted weatherboard house had three bedrooms one after another flanked by two
hallways after the third bedroom which was Bonnies there was a living room with a couch and a television set a small
coffee table was cled Ed with cups and empty bottles including one beer bottle and one soft
drink at the rear of the house was the kitchen laundry and bathroom Another Empty beer bottle was found in the
laundry a sliding door in the kitchen led to the Back Garden where there was an ouse a Hills hoist washing line with
the dry clothes hanging from it two empty beer bottles and a set of tall Double Gates that led to a
lanway these were closed and there were no prints or marks on either side to suggest that someone had climbed
them Maran said that neither She nor Bonnie ever went into the laneway or used the back gate at all she also
explained that while the front door was always locked she never completely closed the rear sliding door it was
always kept slightly a jar so that one of the family's dogs a small Terrier named Troy could go outside whenever he
needed Troy slept on a couch in the living room while Bonnie's dog a poodle chihuahua cross named mumi slept in
Bonnie's room on the bunk bed in the kitchen a Cutlery drawer was slightly open prompting investigators to
wonder if the killer had used one of the household knives to stab Bonnie but no weapon matching her injury
was recovered Maran Clark briefly spoke to detectives in her home while B's body
still lay in her bed before being formally interviewed in the Presbytery of a church that also sat on westborne
Grove according to Marian the previous night had been peaceful the only hiccup had been that Bonnie didn't want to go
to her own bed she had asked Maran if she could sleep with her instead Bonnie was afraid of the dark for that reason
she always slept with her bedside lamp on and kept the door slightly ajar Bonnie's pet dog mumi would also
keep her company by curling up on the bunk bed in her room but this wasn't always enough to calm the little
girl Maran had been tired and reluctant to agree to Bonnie's request the leadup to Christmas was always a busy time but
this year Marian's schedule was particularly hectic she worked as a nurse and was undertaking extra
full-time studies with final exams as a single mother with no partner to help carry the load these commitments had
left Maran extra Keen for a good night's sleep pointing out that it was only four
more days until Christmas Maran had encouraged Bonnie to go to her own room stating sleep in your bed Santa won't
know where to find you Bonnie agreed and at 8:30 that night Maran tucked her in Maran had gone to bed before 11:00
p.m. only getting up once during the night at around 1:30 a.m. to go to the toilet she had checked in on her
daughter as she walked by her room Bonnie had been awake and asked her mother for a drink which Marian got her
both mother and daughter had gone back to sleep straight after shortly before 700 a.m. Maran had
been woken by the telephone ringing it was the nursing agency that employed her asking if she could come in for a shift
right away Maran accepted and immediately began getting ready as she made her way to the
bathroom she glanced in at Bonnie's room she saw Bonnie was still asleep in her single bed her Duna pulled over her
up to her chin Maran dressed and made breakfast by 7:45 there was still no sign of Bonnie stirring so Maran went to
wake her as she approached Bonnie's bed Maran in stly knew that something was wrong
Bonnie was lying completely still and her face was extremely pale Maran reached for the bed's Duna
and lifted it underneath Bonnie lay on her back her arms beside her she was naked her neck appeared bruised and
there was a hole in her chest Maran said she immediately knew her daughter was dead
distraught she phoned the police unable to stay in the house where her daughter lay dead for a moment
longer Maran rushed out into the street as she stood on the footpath outside she saw her neighbor Frank
church and ran to him for Comfort Maran was adamant that an intruder must have broken into the home
in the middle of the night and killed Bonnie while Maran was sleeping the case was aign to lead
homicide investigator detective senior Sergeant Eric Lily detective Lily was dubious of
maran's version of events for starters according to both Maran and her neighbors neither of the family's dogs
had barked at all during the night yet whenever a stranger came to the house both dogs were known to bark
incessantly any Intruder also would have had to navigate a very difficult layout
to reach Bonnie's room with the home's front door closed and locked it seemed the perpetrator must
have entered by the rear sliding door that was always kept slightly open but hanging at the back entrance to the
house was a beaded curtain which made noise when walked through or pushed aside along the hallway that led to
Bonnie's room were a number of hanging plants suspended from the ceiling an intruder fumbling in the dark
would have been caught off guard by these and found it difficult to access Bonnie with without waking her mother
yet Maran insisted she'd heard nothing none of the neighbors reported seeing a Prowler in the area or hearing
anything suspicious either everything was pointing to a perpetrator who knew the home
well the only people who lived in the residence were Marian and Bonnie Marian said she'd left Bonnie's father Dennis
due to his alcoholism and occasional violent outbursts although this description
might have made Dennis sound like a possible suspect he had a solid Alibi for the night of December 20 and was
quickly ruled out of the investigation but there was something about Bonnie's mother that gave
detective Lily pause although Bonnie's murder looked to have a sexual component there was no
Seaman present and the assault of Bonnie had been digital these factors led detective Lily
to suspect that a woman was behind the crime and the most obvious woman was Maran perhaps something had happened
which caused Marian's temper to flare she had snapped and killed Bonnie in an angry rage then tried to cover up her
actions by staging the sexual assault there were other elements to the crime scene that caused the detective to
consider Maran Clark to investigators the number of empty beer bottles recovered around the
property Poss indicated poor parenting and loose morals detective Lily didn't beat around
the bush during his very first conversation with Maran in her Lounge room while Bonnie's body lay Dead one
room over he said you did it didn't you tell us now we can help you Maran fiercely denied killing her
daughter replying no I didn't do it I don't understand why why you say that because you don't know
me detective Lily wasn't [Music] dissuaded the crime scene yielded little physical evidence Searchers of the house
and neighboring Properties by a total of 32 officers failed to uncover the weapon
used to stab Bonnie nor did detectives find Whatever item had been used to wash and wipe down her body after the murder
a white coat with a small blood stain on it was found in a laundry and was initially thought to be
important but this was later ruled out as having nothing to do with the crime the house and items within it were
dusted for fingerprints everything came back as belonging to Marian Clark her daughter
Bonnie and two of Marian's acquaintances who were known to visit the home there were no prints to indicate an
unidentified offender as detective Lily dugged deeper into the case his suspicions against Maran grew
stronger While most who knew her described her as a loving mother a couple said she could be physically and
verbally abusive towards Bonnie Maran also had a history of depression she'd attributed this to a difficult period of
adjustment she'd gone through after moving to Melbourne from country Victoria however she had recently made
phone calls to a parents helpline as she was Finding single motherhood difficult
to detective Lily this hinted at someone who wasn't coping he made several requests to
interview Marian again and she always obliged each time she spoke to him he used an increasingly adamant and
assertive tone after interviewing Maran on two more occasions for a total of almost 5
hours detective Lily asked if she would be willing to be hypnotized he suggested that this might reveal if
there was something she was subconsciously hiding about the night of Bonnie's murder Maran agreed but then police were
contacted by a solicitor that she had retained Marian was withdrawing her consent and wouldn't be participating in
the hypnotism session after all this was Clear Proof to detective Lily that Maran was guilty but without
any forensic evidence or a confession from his suspect there was little more that he could
[Music] do in February 1983 2 months after bonny's murder a young reporter for the
local northcut Leader newspaper approached the suburbs homicide squad for a story journalist Ian Monroe was writing
an article about several unsolved murders in the area and one of the cases he wanted to cover was that of Bonnie
Clark Ian spoke with one of the the northcut detectives but when he raised Bonnie's murder he was reassured that
there was no need to further publicize that case the police already knew who was
responsible yet months continued to pass with no breakthroughs occasionally names of
other possible suspects came up detective Lily interviewed at least one other individual in connection with
Bonnie's murder but this led nowhere and he remained convinced of Marian Clark's
guilt in February 1984 an inquest was held into Bonnie's murder detective Lily gave evidence
while Maran Clark was absent her lawyer attended in her place the coroner found that 6-year-old
Bonnie Clark had been killed by an unknown as salant no recommendations were made that
anyone be charged and the case continued to languish [Music] meanwhile Mary and Clark was
experiencing unimaginable grief Bonnie's death felt like a nightmare that she kept waiting to wake up from as well as
struggling with the loss of her daughter Maran was overwhelmed with guilt for not
allowing Bonnie to sleep with her that night as she'd requested one day Marian was driving
somewhere when she was suddenly overcome by the need to pull over when she did she burst into
tears from that moment on the loss of her daughter finally seemed real at the same time that she was
processing Bonnie's murder Marian felt as though all lies in Melbourne were on her being in crowded spaces and catching
public transport became unbearable it seemed like everyone was staring at her judging her for being quote the worst
kind of woman and mother sometimes when her phone rang at home she would hear an unfamiliar voice on
the other end strangers calling to abuse her you did it just admit it some of them said Maran just hung up on
them every day she half expected the police to arrest her she felt as though detective Eric Lily was biased against
her purely because she was a single mother Maran would later tell a reporter from the Sunday newspaper quote I
honestly reckon he hated single mothers he had a real thing about single mothers when the detective asked Maran
to undergo hypnosis she instinctively agreed but she later riged at her sister Jill's
encouragement Jill warned Maran that her distress might make her vulnerable to suggestion and advised she retain a
lawyer instead Maran was stunned upon learning that some people were reportedly accusing her of being physically abusive
towards Bonnie she had yelled at her daughter on occasion as a form of discipline but never hit
her on one occasion detective Lily told Maran nobody's going to believe you you're just like Lindy
Chamberlain this was a reference to the mother of baby aaria chamblain who disappeared during a family camping trip
in mid 1980 as covered in episode 136 of case File Lindy had been convicted of murdering her daughter just 2 months
before Bonnie was killed despite asserting her innocence from the start years later she would be released and
acquitted at the time Marian knew that if it was possible for Lindy Chamberlain to be arrested the same thing could
happen to her Maran dropped out of her university studies she contemplated suicide
living with her grief felt impossible the only thing that stopped her from taking her own life was the
thought of how detective Lily would interpret such an action in a 2006 interview with the
Sunday age Maran said I thought no as soon as you do that that bastard's going to turn around and
say guilt got her and he was not going to do that to Bonnie they would have shut the book and I wasn't going to let
them do that she was worth more than that during the first couple of years after Bonnie's death Maran kept waiting
for the pain to subside she expected that one day she would wake up and feel normal
again but on the third anniversary of her daughter's murder Maran realized that was never going to happen quote I
realized that it was never going to go away and I was going to have to live with it and I better get cracking on
this because it was ridiculous it was time I started to live for me and by living for me I would be
living for her too while attending a Catholic Retreat Maran met a man who she later married
and changed her name to Maran Wishard she left Melbourne for a quieter life in one thy a Seaside town almost 150 km
away Maran and her husband went on to have four children together framed pictures of her babies were kept on a
dresser in the family's Lounge room and in the middle was a single photo of Bonnie holding her pet dog
mumi Bonnie's father Dennis Clark was also grappling with the mystery of what had happened to his daughter almost two
decades past with no developments in the case over that time Dennis's Health began to deine line and he was diagnosed
with cancer aware that he didn't have long to live Dennis was desperate to see the
case solved before he died one day in 2001 Dennis was reading the newspaper when he saw an article
about Victoria police's new cold Cas Squad he decided to reach out to them directly and phoned detective Ron idles
who had been mentioned in the article the detective paid a visit to Dennis's home and Dennis showed a photo
of his daughter he explained his need to see the case resolved detective ID promised he would
take a look at Bonnie's case File together with his colleague Tim day the detective dug out the original case
report and poured over its Pages they also went to the media which was something their predecessor Eric
Lily had refused to do not long after detective idles met with Dennis he spoke with the herald son
newspaper and they ran an article about the 1982 Cold Case one person who read the article was
a woman in her mid-20s named Kylie Ward Kylie had a particular interest in the case she had been a friend of
Bonnie's and had always wondered what had happened to the little girl she used to play with she also had her own
suspicions about who might have been involved throughout 1982 Kylie used to go over to Bonnie's house to play after
school from January through to September of that Year Bonnie and Maran weren't the only people living there struggling
to make ANS meet as a newly single mother Maran had to let out the third bedroom to a border a 28-year-old man
named Mal there was something about Mal that made Kylie uncomfortable she knew he made Bonnie
feel the same way Bonnie had told Kylie that M was really creepy he looked at her a lot and sometimes he would make
Bonnie sit on his knee Bonnie tried to avoid him as much as possible and Kylie noticed how
cautious she seemed in his company even though Mal had moved out 3 months before
Bonnie was killed Kylie had never been able to shake the thought that he might have been the
killer after reading that Victoria police were reinvestigating the case Kylie reached out to the authorities to
report what she knew case detective Tim day had been going over and over Bonnie's case File
but when he received Kylie Ward's tip off he couldn't remember reading about a border named M after combing through the
pages again he finally came across the name Mal Clark who was no relation to Bonny Clark or her
family he was the most recent of several borders who'd resided with with Marian and Bonnie and had left 3 months before
Bonnie's murder Mal had moved into the house next door for about a month before leaving
for his parents' house in the nearby suburb of Brunswick because he couldn't afford the
rent it turned out that Kylie wasn't the only one who'd suspected him Bonnie's mother Maran had mentioned him to
detective Eric Lily immediately after the Murder She noted that he was the one other person who was as familiar with
the home as she was because he had lived there for 9 months both dogs knew him well and didn't bark at him M knew the
layout of the house and the family's routines Mal had been spoken to by the original
investigators he'd said he had an alibi for the night in question he'd been working at the cinema where he was
employed as an assistant projectionist the police in 1982 had ruled him out and gone back to the Dr
drawing board detective Tim day decided to search the criminal records Branch for
any mention of a Mal Clark he couldn't find anything the closest he could find was
an offender named Joe Clark who had been convicted of two separate violent crimes
committed in the years before and after Bonnie's murder in June of 1980 Theresa Crow was
a 22-year-old Who loved to dance a friendly outgoing and vivacious young woman one of her favorite things to do
was go to a disco named chases in the inner city Melbourne suburb of pan Theresa became a fixture at chases
which led to her meeting a wide circle of friends she was something of a social butterfly rushing from one group to the
next and greeting those she knew with a big hug on the afternoon of Thursday June 19
1980 Teresa visited her friend Zena at Zena's workplace and mentioned that she had an upcoming date at an expensive
restaurant she seemed happy and excited Zena asked if Theresa would like to come over to her place later that
evening Teresa said she had to drop in at the pizza shop where she worked to see if they needed her that night if
they didn't she would come over when Teresa didn't show up that night Zena assumed she was working
the pair had made plans for the following afternoon but Theresa failed to show for those too although Zena was
upset that her friend had stood her up she didn't think that anything was wrong several days went by with no word
from Theresa almost a week later on Wednesday June 25 Theresa's employer grew concerned when she didn't pick up her
wages her landlord Simon was contacted and decided to go check on her Teresa rented a small Factory Loft space just
down the street from the Chasers disco she loved to go to a few days earlier Simon had left a letter that arrived for
Theresa on the ladder that led to her apartment as he approached the ladder to check on her now he noticed the letter
was still lying there untouched Simon climbed up to the trapped door that led to Theresa's Loft
he clambered into the apartment which was a small cluttered Studio space a few pictures hung from the brick walls
there was a television in one corner and a rack with Theresa's clothing in the other hanging from the middle of the
room was a love seat style couch suspended from the ceiling with ropes and lying on the floor next to the couch
was what looked like a mannequin tightly swaddled in a white blanket Simon approached the mannequin
and lifted a corner of fabric that was covering ing its head to his shock the face underneath was
real police were summoned after photographing the scene they carefully unwrapped Theresa Crow from the
blanket underneath she was completely naked with her arms folded across her chest whoever had killed her had
carefully posed her before wrapping her like a mommy there was a horseshoe shaped cut to her left cheek es to her
neck and a number of other small grazes bite marks and abrasions on her body most notable was a long dark
incision that stretched from her throat to her groin it cut through all of Theresa's
layers of skin judging from the lack of blood this cut had been made postmortem an autopsy would indicate
that the cause of death was asphixiation it was difficult for investigator is to determine when
exactly Theresa had been murdered her body showed very few signs of decomposition even though she hadn't
been seen for almost a week however the cold winter weather could have played a role in preserving her remains there was
some indications that Theresa had been attacked at night just as she was readying for bed her face was clean of
makeup and the contact lenses she wore during the day were found in a container on a dresser
a nighty was lying on the floor near The Swinging couch some cushions on the couch were
crumpled as though someone had been lying on them there was also a seamen stain investigators came up with a
theory based on this evidence one evening shortly after Theresa was last seen she was at home either in bed or
preparing to sleep when someone showed up unexpectedly at her apartment Theresa let the visitor in he
subsequently attacked and sexually assaulted her police believed the perpetrator had
struck ter raser in the face with a solid object causing the horseshoe shaped cut to her face then removed her
NY he then pinned Theresa Face Down On The Swinging couch during the struggle the attacker bit Theresa's back and she
sustained several other bruises and grazes Theresa's throat was also pressed tightly against one of the Couch's
wooden armrests which ultimately caused her to asfixiate after Theresa died her Killer
cut down the middle of her body for reasons unknown then carefully wrapped her in a
blanket the bizarre mutilation and posing of Theresa's body prompted detectives to look into whether the
killing could be occult related no evidence was found that confirmed this several hundred individuals were
interviewed by investig ators and they looked into Theresa's personal relationships and Social Circles
carefully they couldn't find anything that pointed to a particular suspect the case gradually went
cold more than 3 years later on Friday August 26th 1983 25 year-old Jane not her real name was suddenly woken in the
middle of the night in her Brunswick home she had heard a creaking sound just outside of her bedroom it was the
floorboards it sounded as though someone was crawling along their hallway on their hands and
knees Jane was scared her husband was working the night shift at his job and the noise was too heavy to be the
couple's 5-year-old daughter who was asleep in her room Jane reached for the rotary phone
by her bed as she picked up the receiver and began to dial for the police she suddenly felt a huge weight as a large
heavy set man pounced on top of her he was holding a knife which he stabbed into one of Jane's legs causing a
significant injury then he let go of the knife and wrapped a hand around her throat he used his other hand to smother
Jane's mouth preventing her from screaming desperately fighting back Jane bit down hard on the man's
thumb let my thumb go he demanded Jane ignored him so he squeezed her throat this prompted Jane to stop
biting feeling more confident the man warned her not to make any wrong moves or he would kill
her the man pulled Jane down to lie on the floor with him and began to talk he said he'd just escaped from prison and
that three of his friends were waiting outside her home for him the man told Jane that he'd cut off another woman's
breasts then he demanded she remove her NY Jane didn't understand his request as
she had been sleeping naked and had nothing on the man began to sexually assault
her as he did so Jane heard her daughter calling out to her perhaps woken by the commotion the
little girl had come to her mother's bedroom and was leaning over the bed looking at her mother and her attacker
lying on the floor hoping it was too dark for her daughter to make out the man's features
Jane explained that she and daddy were just playing a game and told her to go back to
bed after the little girl left the man grabbed a Jane's throat and said how easy I could kill you I could
cut you up like the other girl terrified of what the man might do Jane replied I'll do anything you want
but please don't hurt my daughter over 3 hours the man raped Jane repeatedly at knife Point while telling
her in detail about other violent sexual assaults he'd committed he also bit her
repeatedly Jane tried to memorize details about the man so she could report them later it was too dark for
her to see him but she felt the texture of his hair it was coarse and Sandy the men finally left just before 6:30
the time Jane's husband always returned from his night shift but first he cleaned up the scene removing evidence
of his presence before departing he told Jane if you have a baby I don't want you
to get rid of [Music] it Jane reported the assault to the police providing a statement with an
immense amount of details a few few days later two Brunswick detectives began door knocking
the neighborhood to see if anyone had seen or heard anything on the night in question next door to Jane's home was a
block of flats some of which overlooked her house detectives Mark Harris and Wayne McDonald meticulously made their
way through the building eventually knocking on the door of one second floor apartment it was answered by a tall
heavys set man in his late 20s with distinctive wiry hair both detectives immediately noted that
the man's hair and build were remarkably similar to what Jane had described as they explained why they
were there and began to ask if he'd noticed anything suspicious there was something strange about the man's
demeanor that also gave them both Paws he also had an injury to one thumb consistent with a
bite the detectives left and returned with a search warrant once inside the man's home they
noted that his Lounge room window had a clear view of Jane's backyard a washing basket full of dirty
clothes contained several blood soaked garments the blood would prove to be Janss and then while flipping through an
old diary from the Year 1980 the detectives found something else several newspaper clippings about a
murder that had been committed that same year the murder Teresa [Music] Crow the man's name was Joe Clark he was
arrested and taken to the local police station where he agreed to a medical examination following the examination
Clark abruptly told detective Mark Harris that he had something to tell him he announced quote you were right it was
me I went next door and had sex with the woman Clark confessed that he'd been fantasizing about Jane for some time and
had been watching her from his flat he said he was frustrated because quote I have never been able to get sex
from any woman voluntarily sick of paying to see sex workers he decided to attack Jane at a
time when he knew her husband wouldn't be home he'd lied to her about being a prison escape with friends waiting
outside hoping to both scare and trick her Clark made a full confession about the rape confirming the same details
Jane had provided the homicide detectives who'd been working on Theresa Crow's case 3
years earlier were notified about the arrest Clark had told Jane that he had cut up a previous victim this detail
combined with the clippings about Theresa's murder found in his home was the best lead that the Cold Case had
ever had when detectives from The Crow case arrived to interview Joe Clark he made
another prompt confession Clark had met Theresa crow in 1975 when he was 21 and she was
17 the pair were introduced by a mutual friend and Clark was instantly obsessed he began stalking Teresa at the
discos she was known to frequent Clark's fixation with Theresa grew over the next 5 years culminating
on the night of Thursday June 19 1980 when he saw her at Chase's nightclub and proposed that they get
married Theresa who didn't know Clark well had laughed at his suggestion then given him an annoyed look she left the
nightclub shortly after and Clark followed her home Clark told the detectives that he
climbed the ladder that led to her loft apartment and knocked on the trapo entrance Theresa had answered the door
in a nighty and let him inside it wasn't the first time he'd been there once Theresa had let him
sleep on her couch when he was too drunk to go home Clark claimed he made them both a
coffee and that when he carried Theresa's drink over to her she removed her nighty then she lay Face Down On The
Swinging couch suspended from the ceiling and he lay on top of her still fully dressed Clark said he bit ter Ra's back
as part of a consensual sexual encounter as he held her arms she started to struggle Clark wanted to have
sex with Theresa but she refused so instead he masturbated while lying on top of her before falling into a deep
sleep when he woke still lying on Teresa she was still and wasn't breathing panicked Clark moved her to
the floor and tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when this didn't work he used a sharp piece of metal to mutilate
Theresa's body in an attempt to throw police off making the accidental death look like an occult sacrifice
instead then he cleaned the apartment locked the door behind him and threw the key down a
[Music] drain the detectives didn't buy Joe Clark's story for a second they believed
he'd attacked Theresa like he'd attacked Jane removing her nighty himself then sexually assaulting her after forcing
her face down onto the couch with his hand holding her head down against the arm of the couch he had cut off her Air
Supply killing her Joe Clark was subsequently convicted of Theresa Crow's manslaughter and
sentenced to 15 years the longest manslaughter sentence ever imposed in the state of Victoria at that
time Clark later appealed the severity of his sentence and it was reduced to 9 years with a minimum of seven for raping
Jane he was given an additional 4 years almost two decades later in 2001 detective Tim day was reading about Joe
Clark's crimes while looking into the Cold Case murder of 6-year-old Bonnie Clark he'd gone looking for records of
someone named Mal Clark who'd been named by a friend of Bonnie as a possible suspect according to Bonnie's childhood
friend Kylie Ward Mal Clark had been a border who had lived with Bonnie and her mother his behavior had been creepy and
Bonnie had told Kylie that she didn't like him as detective day examined Joe Clark's file one detail stood out to him
his occupation at the time of his arrest in 1983 was listed as an assistant projectionist at a greater Union Cinema
Mel clarkk had also been an assistant projectionist at the same Cinema some further digging revealed Joe
Clark's full name Malcolm Joseph Thomas Clark he was the same person as the Border who' rented a spare room from
Marian Clark just going by a different name Bonnie had been killed in December of
1982 this was 2 and A2 years after the murder of Theresa TR and 8 months before the rape of Jane that led to his
arrest there was something else in 1983 when detectives investigating Jane's rape had searched
Malcolm Clark's Home they'd found some children's socks and underwear purchased from a budget store and a greeting card
addressed to Bonnie Clark just as they'd informed investigators working the Theresa Crow
case about the clippings relating to her murder the Brunswick detectives had notified the northcut investigators
about the possible connection to Bonnie Clark at that time detective Eric Lily was still in charge of Bonnie's case
he'd briefly spoken to Malcolm Clark shortly after Bonnie's murder but had ruled him out as a suspect convinced
from the start that Bonnie's mother Maran was the killer after hearing from his Brunswick
colleagues he agreed to meet with Clark again Clark explained away the greeting card as something he'd written for
Bonnie while she was still alive but never got around to sending and Mar and Clark couldn't say with any certainty
that the children's underwear found in his home had belonged to Bonnie detective Lily told his
colleagues in Brunswick that Bonnie's murder didn't fit the mo of the offenses Malcolm Clark was convicted of and said
they remained certain that Marian Clark was the culprit but but in 2001 Cold Case
detective Tim day was struck by the similarities between all three crimes all involved some kind of sexual
assault all of the victims had been attacked with a knife and all of the crime scenes had been
cleaned every one of the victims was known to Malcolm Clark in some respect and he was familiar with their homes and
routines on the day of Bonnie's murder Maran had actually told detectives about Malcolm Clark insisting that they speak
to him investigators had tracked Clark down but ruled him out after he provided an alibi that had been at the cinema
working detective Tim day couldn't find anything indicating the original investigators had verified this Alibi
almost 20 years later detective day wondered if he could finally do so it took some time but the detective
managed to track down shift record records for greater Union Cinemas in 1982 these confirmed that Malcolm Clark
had been employed by one of the company's movie theaters in December of 1982 he worked a shift there from 9:25
a.m. until 4:25 p.m. on Monday December 20 1982 finishing well before Bonnie Clark
was attacked later that night Malcolm Clark had the following day off and hadn't returned to work
until Wednesday December 22 his Alibi for the time of Bonnie's murder was [Music]
invalid by early 2002 Malcolm Joseph Thomas Clark was a free man now 47 years old he'd received parole 8 years earlier
in 1994 and had buil a new life for himself post prison sentence he was working as a personal
care attendant had gotten engaged to a girlfriend and spent his spare time exploring his passions and
hobbies Clark was a train Enthusiast and had a particular interest in puffing Billy a Narrow Gauge Heritage raway that
winds through the foothills of Victoria's dandong ranges it opened in 1900 and is one of
the most popular steam Heritage Railways in the world today beginning in the town of belgrave
and terminating in janbrook puffing Billy attracts families and tourists from Australia and all over the world
Malcolm Clark was also drawn to the steam train and in the year 2000 he took up a position as one of puffing Billy's
volunteer guards he received no money for the role but didn't mind being a part of the
iconic raway was payment enough one day in March 2002 Malcolm Clark was at puffing Billy's starting
point of belgrave train station when he struck up a conversation with a fellow train Enthusiast
there Phil was a tough-looking character who looked like an aging biky but he was
as passionate about puffing Billy as Clark was the two men hit it off and over the next couple of months they
built a friendship it soon became evident that Phil was part of a gang that was involved D in organized crime gradually
Clark began to join Phil in some of his illegal Ventures accompanying him when he
burgered a factory going to brothel with him to collect a large amount of cash and secretly snapping photographs of a
woman engaging in an adulterous affair on Friday May 17 2002 Phil took Clark to a hotel lounge where a number
of his criminal Associates were gathered he pointed these individuals out to Clark and provided descriptions
of them one was a corrupt police officer another was Steve the head honcho who Phil had to answer to known as the
boss Phil confided in Clark that Steve was scoping Clark out for a big job that was in the
works a couple of weeks later Phil took Clark on a different errand that involved meeting up with the corrupt
officer at the back of Victoria police's headquarters in St Kilda Road Melbourne
despite having seemingly gone on the straight and narrow since his release from prison Malcolm Clark appeared to
enjoy his new proximity to organized crime after assisting Phil with robbing some jewelry Clark was told he'd receive
$8,000 in payment this was in stark contrast to what he made in his job as a personal
care attendant which had been one of the only positions available to him with a wedding and a honeymoon to plan Clark
was appreciative of what the extra cash could pay for on Sunday June 2 an article was
published in the herald son newspaper about the Cold Case murder of Bonnie Clark its headline read DNA evidence
could hold the key to solving a 20-year-old child sex murder case Malcolm Clark read the
article it was a followup to a story about the case that had run the previous year and it featured brand new
information according to homicide Squad detective Ron idles investigators were now pursuing a line of inquiry that
indicated Bonnie's killer may have been a border who resided with the family they were aware of around 12 to
14 people who had rented rooms in the house prior to Bonnie's murder and planned to interview all of
them thanks to recent breakthroughs in DNA technology they were hopeful of identifying the perpetrator through some
hair samples cigarette butts and fingernail scrapings that had been saved from the crime
scene the following evening Malcolm Clark returned home to find a calling card had been left at his
residence it belonged to detective idles he'd paid a visit while Clark was at work and left a message with his
fiance Lynn he wanted Clark to come down to the station for DNA and polygraph testing this news sent Clark into a
Panic he phoned his friend Phil right away after telling Phil about the situation Clark assured him I can tell
you I had nothing to do with it Phil didn't seem phased by the Revelation that his new friend might be
a suspect in a child murder case he told Clark quote if you have done it I don't give a
rat's ass but we have got to know the full story so we can put wheels into motion
what's the polygraph going to say have you got anything to hide Clark insisted that he
didn't if you have we can make it go away Phil added Clark continued to deny any
involvement in the crime but Phil was persistent he told Clark that he could help him get rid of the issue due to his
Connections in Victoria police but only if Clark was completely honest I had just got my life worked out
getting my interests back Clark complained I never expected this to turn up you have got no idea how I am feeling
at the [Music] moment the following day Clark opened up to Phil some more about how he'd been a
border in Bonny Clark's home and had stayed in touch with the little girl even after moving out when he'd briefly
rented a room in the house next door to Bonnie he'd sometimes chat to her mother
Maran over the fence Clark claimed that sometimes Bonnie would be home alone which made her
scared on those occasions he invited her in and she would sit in a bean bag and watch television for a while before
heading back home upon maran's return Clark said he hadn't seen Bonnie after he moved back in with his parents
in October of 1982 2 months later on December 21 he'd been at home watching the news when he
saw a broadcast about Bonnie's murder the night before that was the first he knew of Bonnie being
harmed Phil said that if Clark was now a suspect then he wanted to help him he cared about Clark and enjoyed working
with him but the problem was word had already gotten back to Steve the boss that Clark might be in
trouble Steve needed this matter resolved and in order for that to happen Phil needed all of the information so he
could help Clark beat a police polygraph test if Clark wasn't being completely honest about the situation Steve would
abandon him without a second thought and Clark wouldn't receive the $8,000 from the jewry host that was still being held
for him a couple of days later Phil took Malcolm Clark to meet with Steve for an
official job interview at a hotel in Crown Casino in Melbourne CBD the pair went into a private Suite
where Steve and another associate were waiting for them Clark sat down on a couch in front of a
low coffee table while Steve sat opposite Steve greeted Clark and Phil then quickly got down to
business he was eager to have Clark join them but only if he could trust him 100% being part of their gang would be
highly lucrative for Clark he could quit his low-paying job and earn enough money
to buy his own train if he wanted the only problem was that homicide investigators were now looking
at Clark as the number one suspect in the 1982 murder of a 6-year-old girl Steve told Clark that he couldn't have
any more police heat on him if he tried stating you at the moment are [ __ ] red hot
right he produced a document for Clark to look at it was a three-page confidential police report stamped with
the Victoria Police seal and dated May 15 2002 less than 1 month earlier Clark scanned the documents
Pages they detailed the latest status of the Bonny Clark investigation and how it
seemed police finally had the suspect's DNA via some items recovered at the crime scene now they just needed a
sample of Clark's DNA to compare Steve told Clark that detectives could force him to provide a sample via
a court order but Steve's corrupt police connections could make the matter go away
entirely it would cost $5,000 which Steve was willing to pay but only if Clark told him
everything I am telling you this is not going to go away Steve said you can deny
it till the cows come home I can't have you hanging around with us you can see why can't
you yes Clark replied he was silent for a long time then he finally began to speak [ __ ] hell it was an accident
she [Music] died Malcolm Clark told Steve that late on the night of Monday December 20 1982
he had been out drinking at a pub in Brunswick for some reason he' had drunkenly decided to go to the home of
mar and Clark to quote play with Bonnie he left the pub and either walked to Mar 's house in northcut or caught a
tram there very familiar with the area he walked down the laneway that sat at the rear of the property and clambered
over the fence into the backyard Clark entered via The house's rear sliding door and headed up the
passageway to Bonnie's bedroom her bedside lamp was on and her small pet dog was sleeping on the top
bunk across from Bonnie's single bed Clark walked over to where Bonnie lay sleeping and began to sexually
assault her she woke and opened her mouth to scream but Clark grabbed a pillow and pressed it over her face he
used his other arm to pin her down Bonnie raised a hand in protest but eventually her arm went limp and fell
back down this caused Clark to panic he claimed he hadn't wanted to kill Bonnie he just wanted to keep her
quiet Clark happened to have a small carving knife which he said he carried for protection due to issues with some
local youths he told Steve that when Bonnie went still he impulsively stubbed her
quote I think I may have had the knife and I may have I think I may have just shoved it
into into the side of her chest wall when the wound didn't spurt blood upwards Clark believed this confirmed
Bonnie was already dead when he stabbed her Clark claimed he had an undressed Bonny but he had cleaned up with a cloth
or towel which he took with him afterwards then he pulled her bedding up over her body up to her chin before
faying out the back in all he estimated he had only been in the house for about 10 to 15
minutes he washed his clothes the next day and eventually threw away his shoes but couldn't remember what he did with a
knife it had a sheath that he was worried he may have left behind perhaps the DNA had come from that Clark
speculated or maybe from his saliva he knew that no Sean was left at the scene prior to the DNA Revelation Clark
had been confident that he' never be suspected as he had never done anything to Bonnie prior to that
[Music] night after listening to Malcolm Clark's confession Steve said he had to make
some phone calls and that Phil would take Clark to go get a coffee in the me time Clark and Phil got back into Phil's
car as they drove Phil told Clark that he had to collect something from the corrupt police officer they knew he
began heading towards the police headquarters in St Kilda road driving to the rear of the building as he'd done
previously already standing there waiting to arrest Malcolm Clark where detectives Tim day and Ron
idles after detective day's digging the previous year left him convinced that Malcolm Clark was the prime suspect in
Bonnie Clark's murder he began to push for an undercover operation the Canadian model or Mr big
was the name given to a practice in which undercover detectives trick suspects into confessing to their Crimes
by recruiting them into fake gangs the procedure was originally developed by the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police or RCMP during the 1960s and it eventually made its way to law enforcement agencies in other countries
including Australia the Canadian model was employed in the case of missing Queensland child Daniel morham covered
in episode 54 of case File it's a controversial practice that has come under scrutiny at times but has been
upheld by the Australian courts when detective Tim day needed a confession from Malcolm Clark to solve
the bnny Clark case the Canadian model appeared to be the ideal approach a strategy was devised and
dubbed operation Marauder as part of operation Marauder an undercover officer approached Clark
as Phil and the operation unfolded from there for months officers had been working their way into Clark's life
building trust with him and recording their interactions The Herald Sun News article
about a DNA breakthrough was planted to Spook Clark and Phil had deliberately brought it to his
attention in truth no DNA was able to be gleaned from the crime scene at all the Victoria Police case progress
report that Steve showed him was fake and similarly designed to scare Clark his ultimate confession had been
filmed via covert cameras and microphones set up throughout the hotel room once Clark was done the officer
posing as Phil drove Malcolm Clark to Victoria Police Headquarters to be arrested at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday June 6
2002 detective Tim day began recording a formal interview with Malcolm Clark faed with his confession to the
fictitious crime gang he finally ditched his false eliy he gave a detailed description of
Bonnie's murder as he recorded including her bedroom adding that he had been drunk as a skunk
he admitted to digitally raping the six-year-old smothering her and stabbing her Clark insisted it had never been his
intention to kill Bonnie quote God knows why I went round to that place and whatever happened had happened
and when I came to my senses I realized that Bonnie was deceased malol Clark was subsequently
charged with the murder of Bonny Clark and taken away to be held on Rand [Music]
by the time Malcolm Clark's trial began in Victoria's Supreme Court 2 years later he had riged his confessions and
was pleading not guilty the now 49-year-old Clark claimed that he'd only confessed to killing Bonnie because he
believed that was the only way he was going to get hired by the organized crime gang when the undercover officer
he knew as Phil took him to Police Headquarters and he was arrested and interviewed there Clark thought this was
an extension of his hotel room confession his lawyer argued that Clark had believed detectives Ron idles and
Tim day were corrupt officers on the gang's payroll not appreciating the reality of the situation he kept up the
charade instead of requesting a lawyer and maintaining his right to silence to support their argument that
Clark had made a false confession his defense pointed to some discrepancies between his statement and the crime
scene Clark had claimed he'd left Bonnie fully dressed in her pajamas but she was
found naked with her pajamas wedged between her bed and the wall Clark said he'd smothered Bonnie
yet there were bruises on her neck that indicated strangulation or that she'd been grabbed
roughly the defense argued that Clark was able to provide some correct details due to his familiarity with the victim's
house and reports he'd heard in the news however the prosecution pointed to details that were withheld from the
media that Clark had correctly described these included the fact that Bonnie was digitally raped the lack of
seen at the scene the stab wound to Bonnie's chest and the specific way it had blurred at least one media report which
Clark claimed to have read had actually stated that Bonnie was killed by strangulation however Bonnie's autopsy
was more consistent with Clark's claim that she was smothered and didn't struggle under cross-examination Clark
amended his story somewhat claiming the information he decided had actually come
from conversations he'd had with detectives 20 years earlier while incarcerated for his previous
crimes he named the case's original lead investigator detective Eric lily as one
of these detectives and said there were others he didn't want to name detective Lily did did briefly
speak to Clark following his 1983 arrest but no report of this interview was made
and Clark wasn't asked to provide a formal statement the prosecution suggested that
any discrepancies between Clark's confession and the crime scene were down to Clark forgetting some details due to
the passage of time his claimed that he'd believed he was still talking to gang members was
impossible due to the detectives explaining that they were from the homicide Squad and and cautioning him
before commencing their interview the jury of nine men and three women weren't told about Malcolm Clark's
previous convictions for manslaughter and rape they heard nothing about his prior victims or the similarities
between their cases and Bonnies on Thursday June 17 2004 the jury delivered their verdict
guilty Malcolm Clark was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 25 years after learning his fate Clark
turned around to look at the public Gallery he found detective Tim day and one of his undercover officers amongst
the crowd and glared at them with an enraged expression mouthing silent threats they stared straight back at him
in [Music] reply two months after Malcolm Clark was sentenced Bonny Clark's father Dennis
passed away he had been battling cancer for years but lived long enough to finally see Justice for his
daughter at the time of Clark's conviction Dennis told one reporter quote it's the best news I have ever had
after 21 years I am so glad I just think I'll get on with my life a lot better and not look at everyone and say this
isn't the person now I know for Bonnie's mother Marian Wishard Clark's conviction was particularly
gratifying as well as knowing her child's killer was finally being held accountable Maran was freed from the
suspicion that dogged her ever since the original investigators set their sights
on her in the Years prior to the Cold Case team taking up Bonnie's case police officers had occasionally called Marian
to check in but but it had never felt like they were following up with the victim of a
crime it felt like they were sending a subtle message that she was still their top
suspect during the 20 years following Bonnie's murder Marian had often woken in the middle of the night haunted by
the thought that Bonnie's killer was free to harm others her fears were confirmed upon finally learning who the
murderer was Maran was distraught that the lack of police attention on Clark had allowed
him to brutally rape at least one other woman in 1983 she had tried to tell investigators
that Malcolm Clark could be a suspect immediately after Bonnie's body was found but she hadn't been listened
to Marian Wishard passed away in 2018 from pneumonia before her death Marian spoke
with the journalist Ian Monroe who was now working for the Sunday age during the interview Marian
reminisced about her daughter describing Bonnie as a very strong willed funny little girl Marian
said one of her favorite memories of how attached Bonnie was to an imaginary friend she named
chitty on one occasion the mother and daughter were on a tram when Bonnie suddenly panicked because chitty hadn't
boarded with them to soothe her daughter Marian asked the driver to stop then pretended to fetch chitty from the
street outside all of the other passengers had laughed as Maran put chitty down beside
Bonnie reflecting on the daughter she'd lost Maran stated she's there all the time there
really isn't a time when Bonnie's not with [Music] me [Music]

Case 271: Bonnie Clarke

*** Child victim, child sexual assault, sexual assault/rape ***

When six-year-old Bonnie Clarke is murdered in her bed in the middle of the night just four nights before Christmas in 1982, Melbourne detectives are certain they know who’s responsible: Bonnie’s mother, Marion.

Yet Marion insists an intruder must have broken into their home while she was sleeping. It would take 20 years, two other crimes, and an undercover investigation for the truth to unravel…

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

SOCIAL LINKS

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-271-bonnie-clarke

Brief Summary

The episode details Bonnie Clark's murder, investigation, and Malcolm Clark's eventual conviction for the crime.

Key points

A Tragic Morning. On December 21, 1982, Maran Clark discovers her daughter Bonnie dead in her bed.
The Investigation Begins. Detective Lily suspects Maran Clark may have been involved in her daughter's murder.
Maran's Struggles. Maran grapples with grief and accusations after Bonnie's murder, feeling judged by society.
Maran's New Life. Maran Wishard marries and moves to a quieter seaside town, starting a new chapter.
Dennis's Desperation. Dennis Clark, Bonnie's father, seeks closure on his daughter's case as his health declines.
Jane's Night of Terror. Jane is attacked in her home by a man claiming to be a prison escapee.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

My baby is dead!

Maran's heartbreaking revelation to Frank Church.

2:07WatchFeb 10, 2024

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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