The arrest of Ivan Milat: A chilling moment in history (Part 4/5) | Forensic Files

[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website at 6:36 a.m. on May 22 1994 police
negotiator detective Wayne Gordon dialed through to the telephone located inside the home of
Ivan Milat the early morning call stirred Ivan from his sleep and when he picked up detective Gordon introduced
himself and advised Ivan that his cinnabar Street property was surrounded by heavily armed officers enacting a
search warrant in relation to an armed robbery ivan was instructed to wegg's at the house via the front door turned left
and to then walk through the front gate with his arms raised dumbfounded Ivan responded okey dokey just let me
put me pants on five minutes ticked by but there was no sign of Ivan detective Borden called the house once more and
Ivan's partner chillin derp answered before handing the receiver over to her boyfriend when asked why he hadn't
followed orders Ivan expressed his disbelief about the entire situation certain the negotiator was one of his
workmates playing a prank detective Gordon responded no mate on from the police it's no joke
this is real still unsure Ivan queried why didn't you knock on the bloody door or something
Gordon informed him that it was standard police procedure to first make a call to
ensure the safety of all concerned Ivan chuckled still in disbelief and to told the negotiator he couldn't see
anybody outside his window Gordon once again ordered him to walk outside and to turn left at the gate but
this command only amplified Ivan's doubt as he didn't have a gate on his property
nevertheless he announced alright I'll play your little game but I'm not real keen on this officers
covering being a perimeter of the premises radioed through to their command post advising they could hear
movement inside the garage including what sounded like a car door opening and closing they expressed
concern that Ivan was planning an escape by 648 a.m. their suspect still hadn't emerged from the house so detective
Gordon phoned for a third time Celinda answered again saying we are coming out now he's just trying to find
his keys he always loses to them in the morning a few minutes later Ivan Milat walked
out of the house with his hands up [Music] [Music] ivenn complied with orders to get on the
ground as two heavily armed police officers placed him in handcuffs cylinder exited the premises soon after
and was escorted to a waiting police car detectives showed ivan a copy of their search warrant informing him that they
were making inquiries in relation to the 1990 armed robbery of english backpacker
paul onions adding that they would also be asking questions in relation to the seven murdered backpackers discovered in
Belanger Lowe State Forest Ivan responded I don't know what you're talking about
superintendent cliff small was overseeing the raid from the police command post once Ivan's house was
cleared and it was confirmed that no one else was inside he gave the go-ahead for
officers to proceed with the next step Ivan was lifted to his feet and taken inside his home to give detectives an
impromptu tour and explained the purpose of each room he was then left in a living room under
the dutiful watch of two detectives his other officers initiated a full-scale search of the property
police were equipped with a list of over 100 items to be on the lookout for ranging from weapons and ammunition to
the various items of clothing jewelry and camping equipment the seven Allegro victims were in possession of at the
time of their disappearance as the search of Ivan's bedroom commenced police discovered a driver's license
displaying Ivan's photograph alongside his brother Michael's name and personal information there was also a postcard
written to Ivan dated just days after the disappearance of British backpackers Joann Walters and Caroline Clark that
began with the words hi Bill the false name he had given to Paul onions an envelope in his bedside drawer contained
foreign currency including New Zealand Dollars and Indonesian Rupiah with print dates that didn't coincide with the time
live and was known to be living outside of Australia German backpacker Simone Schmidt all had returned from a trip to
New Zealand just before her disappearance and two German couple Gabor Naga Bella and Danny a hub she'd
had travelled to Australia via Indonesia Ivan denied owning any firearms or keeping any on his property yet a large
array of ammunition was discovered throughout his house a cupboard in Ivan's bedroom contained two tins during
38 22 caliber bullets and an unused 12-gauge shotgun cartridge similarly four boxes of really brand 22 caliber
cartridges were uncovered in a spare bedroom featuring the same batch number as those recovered from the area array
location in Belen glow near where the remains of gabor Naga Bella and Dania had she'd were found
all of the 22 caliber ammunition found in Ivan's home was suited for use with the Ruger and dan short's rifles fired
by the Berlanga low serial killer a plastic bag carried 32 and 45 caliber Winchester ammunition the latter of
which had a copper Tibbs matching the bullets Paul Onion cited in his attackers revolver the bag also
contained a spent 22 Winchester cartridge with a unique upward indentation a marking caused by a known
firing pin Fault in Ruger rifles manufactured between 1964 and to 1982 the exact same indentation was present
on cartridges recovered from two of the Belanger low crime scenes Ivan's bedroom
drawer also held a receipt for a pump-action shotgun purchased from a gun shop in the Western Sydney suburb of
Horsley Park during a search of the laundry an officer's attention was drawn to the washing machine where he noticed
the substantial gap between the base of the appliance and the floor underneath he got down on the floor and discovered
a thirty-two browning pistol which appeared to have been split under the washing machine in a hurry
subsequent inquiries would reveal the pistol had been stolen during a break-in at the office of the roads and traffic
authority near Campbell town in August 1977 a cupboard in Ivan's hallway contained a pair of his work boots one
of which had a Ruger Ross will receive are stuffed inside the receiver is the frame of the firearm that houses the
internal components such as the firing mechanism into the bowl in addition there was a map of the
southern highlands region including the Berlanga low state forest plus maps of Newcastle and the Wollongong when asked
if he had ever been to Berlanga low Ivan claimed to have only ever bypassed the forest down a dirt track during the mid
80s in response to whether he owned a Ruger firearm Ivan said I've told you before I don't own any weapons the group
of attending police officers conducted the most thorough search possible ensuring nothing in the house went
untouched by the time they were through numerous items of interest had been recovered
including a foot long bowie knife three magazines about shooting a homemade silencer multiple rolls of black
electrical tape cable ties telescopic sights a camouflage colored paintball mask and a police radio scanner with
Ivan Milat name engraved on it the electrical tape and cable ties matched to those used to construct a leash
restraint device that had been found at one billing Guillou crime scene police also found an Olympus brand trip s model
35 millimeter camera which was only available for sale in the United Kingdom and matched to the camera around by
English backpacker Caroline Clark stuffed inside a garbage bag in Ivan's sister Shirley's bedroom
police found a green and purple salawa brand sleeping bag identified as belonging to German backpacker Simone
Schmidt all in addition to the sleeping bag a mark your brand's cooking satin cups found in the kitchen pantry were
confirmed to be the same type carried by Simone as was a carrying pouch and green
water bottle found in a cardboard box the search of the garage revealed more items of camping equipment similar to
those owned by Simone including a multicolored Arno strap and a blue Soleil was sleeping bag cover the cover
contained a green Vout a brand Hogan model tan tied with a compactor mat band the same as the one found tied around
Simone's head upon the discovery of her remains the second green and beige sleeping bag was identified as the one
Australian backpacker Deborah Everest had borrowed from her brother before her trip to Sydney in 1989 police also found
a striped green pillow case with five lengths of sash cord inside one of which appeared to be stained with blood a red
holden jackaroo four-wheel drive was parked in Ivan's garage though he claimed he hadn't owned a car for the
past six years and that the vehicle belonged to one of his brothers inside the vehicle was a British 20 pence coin
with a print date of 1989 perhaps the most bizarre of all was a sticker on the back of the vehicle which promoted a
crime prevention service Crimestoppers with its motto reading put the finger on crime a manhole was used to access the
roof cavity of Ivan's home where police found some Christmas decorations and other boxes containing miscellaneous
items but upon removing some sheets of insulation that were able to peer down into the wall cavities where they
spotted a plastic bag resting behind the living-room wall a stick was used to try
to reach the bag but in doing so it caused something to dislodge and fall further down into the space a hole was
cut through the wall to retrieve the item which was revealed to be a 10 shot Ruger rifle magazine
inside the plastic bag itself police found two parts of a 22 caliber Ruger rifle a trigger assembly and a breech
bolt assembly when presented to Ivan he denied ever seeing the firearm parts before saying that nobody had ever been
in the ceiling space except for quote you blokes and to the builders Ivan Milat was taken to Campbelltown police
station for further questioning where it became apparent to interviewing detectives that their suspect was
intentionally playing dumb Ivan claimed to be hard-of-hearing and that he didn't understand their
questions when asked to corroborate the record of conversation that took place between himself and the detectives
during the raid Ivan refused saying we never had a conversation he claimed not to know where any of the camping
equipment found in his house came from suggesting police may have planted the items there in relation to the Blanco
murders Ivan said I don't know anything about them I haven't got a clue as superintendent small observed at the
interview from another room he got the impression Ivan was enjoying himself and he knew exactly what was going on
appearing confident he would soon be going home according to the book fate by Neil Mercer a former colleague of Ivan's
explained quote Ivan said to me once if you ever get into trouble I'll give you a solicitor that can get you off a
murder rap this bloke is the best you just have to deny it if you're prepared to take a hiding just the Neue because
they have to come up with the proof just flatly denying and during facility' john
marston following Ivan's arrest his sister Shirley did exactly that contacting the lawyer who had hoped her
brother get off his rape and armed robbery charges back in the 70s John Marsden arrived at the police
station soon after and informed his client not to speak a word while the raids were taking place at Ivan's
property police simultaneously closed in on several other members of the Millat family they arrived to the small rural
southern highlands township of hilltop located 40 kilometres north of Berlin glow to conduct a raid of the property
belonging to wyverns brother 42 year-old Walter Millar better known as Wally the
split-level briquette dwelling was surrounded by scrub and featured a secure underground workshop more than 40
boxes of evidence were collected from Wally's residence including a paintball gun engraved with the initials I am and
the blue-colored High Sierra branded a pack matching the one carried by Simone Schmitt all this was in addition to
Simone's larger backpack which had been handed to police the day prior by Alex Millar and his wife Joan a total of 24
weapons were seized including an insurance 22 caliber rifle modified to fit a silencer numerous other firearms
two machetes two bayonets and a hunting knife a quarter ton of ammunition found on site included six boxes of Winchester
brand winner model 22 caliber bullets ten to twelve boxes of really brand ammunition that featured the same batch
numbers as the discarded boxes of ammo recovered at Belanger Lowe's area raid crime scene the bulk of the insured's
rifle and several other firearms and packets of ammunition were found inside a yellow haversack marked with Ivan's
name in addition 500 grams of marijuana was also uncovered resulting in Wally mullet
being charged with firearm and drug offenses police also descended on the property of
38 year old richard the Millat brother who allegedly told co-workers that there were more bodies in the forest including
those of German citizens prior to the discovery of Simone Gabor and Dania Richard also lived in the southern
highlands town of hilltop just the one kilometer away from Wally residing on a one and a half acre rural property which
contained two caravans with an adjoining annex two aluminium sheds and two vehicles as the search commenced
including a dig of the surrounding dense bush land Richard was asked about the contents of two wooden cupboard stored
in his garden shed he said they hold a nothing of interest just some electrical equipment and a
nuts-and-bolts police instead found a large amount of camping equipment including a blue and lilac therapy brand
sleeping bag a blue and orange ultimate brand sleeping bag and decorum at brand sleeping mat matching items belonging to
Joanne Walters and Caroline Clark in addition a blue three person tent was found that featured a small hole with
makeshift repairs in exactly the same location as the one that had been given to the British backpackers by their
travelling companion Steve Wright a red hair brush with the word England on it was found in his vehicle identified as
similar to one Caroline took with her when she departed for Australia when asked who all these items belonged to
Richard replied I don't know numerous weapons and firearms were also recovered as well as a driver's license
featuring Richards image but issued under a false name and the length of blue and yellow rope similar to that
bound in bowling hello Nika born okay Bella and Dania have shades remains police also found marijuana on the
property subsequently charging Richard with firearm and drug offenses according to Richard and Wally they came to be in
possession of some of the firearms and ammunition seized from their properties in March 1994 when Ivan enlisted their
help to store the items elsewhere out of concern that quote the police might come
in to investigate Ivan also stated their sister Shirley was upset about the items
being kept on their property and wanted them gone Richard and Wally agreed storing the items in an alcove at
Wally's house Margaret the Millat family's 76 year old matriarch still lived at the
weatherboard house in Guildford where Ivan Richard and another of her sons David had lived during the time period
the Berlanga lone murders had occurred despite her ailing health Margaret remained is fiercely protective
and defensive over her son's as ever refusing to assist police in the search of her property
inside the garage police found a yellow shirt sold exclusively in the New Zealand city of Christchurch by fashion
retailer Holland's diamond brothers that matched one of four purchased by Simone
Schmidt all during her travels there also found was the next brand shirt the match to an English backpacker Paul
onions claimed to have left behind in Ivan's vehicle following his failed abduction in addition Iraq torn from a
man's shirt for similarities to the strips of material that had been used the Gurkha Joanne Walters a metal Locker
inside the house was padlocked shut and Margaret refused to hand over their key police forced it open and found it
contained several firearms including a 22 caliber Slazenger Hornet rifle with Ivan's name engraved into it and two
Canadian $5 bills elsewhere inside the house they also seized the sword and several photographs they believed could
be of assistance to the investigation raids were also undertaken at the Bargo residents of Ivan's brother bill and his
wife Carolyn where to firearms belonging to their son and some books about murder
and cannibalism were seized des Caravan the couple were holidaying in that Lake to bury was also searched as authorities
suspect that the pair may have taken some of the backpackers camping property on the trip yet they found nothing
deemed of key importance to the belong Glo investigation on May 23 the day after the raids police conducted a
second formal interview with Bill and Carolyn during which bill produced a photo album with the Easter 1992 written
on the front the album contained images of a MLAT family trip which they claimed
took place during the time period that Joann Walters and Caroline Clark went missing one photo showed Ivan alongside
the vehicle he owned at the time a silver Nissan Patrol four-wheel drive according to bill and Carolyn the photos
proved Ivan was away with the family when the two young women were murdered however it was obvious to the
interviewing detectives that Easter 1992 was not the original date displayed on the album it appeared as though the
initial date had been crossed out with the newer one written in its place when asked if they were attempting to create
a false alibi for Ivan Carolyn insisted she had made the change a long time ago explaining I wrote it
wrong when doing the album if I wanted to make up an alibi I would have done a much better job of it who was during
further inspections of the album that police realized Carolyn had overlooked one crucial detail the date that each
photo had been taken was written on the backside of each image flipping over the
photo of Ivan with his missing patrol revealed someone had sprawled the words Mac struck 1991 Mac being one of Ivan's
nicknames the vehicle had a bull bar on the front and what appeared to be white williams wolfsie covers just like the
car used in the attack on paul onions another photo album recovered from Ivan's eagle-vail home contained more
images of his missing patrol along with photos of the accused killer as he posed
on an armchair wearing a cowboy style her armed with a Winchester rifle in another photo Ivan's girlfriend chillin
da stood in front of the ocean wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with the brand
name Benetton printed across the front which was an item of clothing that had belonged to English backpacker Caroline
Clarke a search warrant of Chile endures home was issued but the shirt was not recovered furthermore a photo taken from
Wally mullets house dated March 29 1991 showed ivan carrying a green and beige sleeping bag identified as the one
previously carried by australian backpacker deborah reference who went missing just over a year before the
photo was captured that same day Ivan Milat appeared in the Campbeltown local court for the first time where he sat
motionless as the formal charges against him were detailed for the attack on Paulo onions he was charged with armed
robbery kidnapping and using a revolver with intent to commit an indictable offense not entering a plea he was
represented by Jim Marsden the brother of his long-standing lawyer John Marsden who was unable to appear in court that
day as he now held a position on the New South Wales police board and was attending a police Association
conference Jim Marsden asserted that his client was a good candidate for bail as
he had a solid work record had resided in the same property with his sister for the past 15 months and had maintained a
clean criminal record over the past 20 years Marsden justified Ivan's decision to flee the country following his 1971
criminal charges for rape and armed robbery by explaining that at the time his client was a young man frightened by
the prospect of facing trials for crimes he didn't commit citing the serious nature of Ivan's most
recent offences the strength of the prosecution case and the possibility that Ivan may riaf and the magistrate
refused his request for bail outside the court the gathering crowd shouted abuse
insults and death threats at Ivan as he was driven off the Long Bay jail where he would be held until his next
scheduled court appearance 8 days later in order to lay charges for the seven backpacker murders task force area
investigators had just over one week to examine all of the items recovered from the various mallet properties to
determine what exactly could be directly linked to the Berlanga low victims and crime scenes if they failed to gather
sufficient evidence they face the possibility that their prime suspect in the killings would once again be
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today [Music] the various Ruger rifle parts discovered in Ivan Milat home presented Task Force
Air with the best opportunity to strengthen their case against him in particular the breech bolt assembly had
the potential to leave a unique mark on spent cartridge cases akin to a fingerprint
therefore it was paramount to determine if Ivan's breech bolt assembly produced the same markings found on the cartridge
cases recovered from the Belanger low crime scenes ballistics expert Gerard Dutton inserted Ivan's breech bolt
assembly into a Ruger rifle obtained from the ballistics firearms library he then fired 10 Winchester cartridges
before examining the markings left behind on the casings in an interview with true crime television series crimes
that shook the world Dutton said I felt all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end it was quite an
extraordinary sensation those individual marks which I was so familiar with on the Caroline Clarke murder case I was
now seeing on my testified cases I was quite happy that component that we recovered from the war cavity of melek
taus was fitted to the murder gun that was used to kill Caroline Clarke the markings produced by Dutton's test
also match to those on the cartridges recovered from Belanger Lowe's area a crime scene nikka bought new gerberas
remains the batch number on a Winchester brand ammunition box recovered from area
array was traceable from factory floor to store shelves and was determined to have been supplied to 55 gun shops
throughout Australia in 1988 prior to the Blanco murders one of those stores was located in the western Sydney suburb
of Horsley Park the significance of the Horsley Parks door was highlighted after
a receipt for the purchase of a pump-action shotgun was found during the raid of Ivan's home in fact ivan was
found to be a regular customer having bought several firearms from the store using a fake license issued under the
name norman chong the serial number on the rifle receiver found in Ivan's work boot was also traced to the Horsley park
store which came to be in possession of the Ruger rifle after its original owner
pawned it to the shop in 1988 there was no record of the gun having been sold to
wife and thereafter an error for which the store owners would later be fined however Ivan did visit the shop using
his fake license just days before the Ruger was traded in there ballistic tests were also carried out
using DN shoots rifle owned by Ivan that was found on his brother Wally's property analysis determined that this
exact gun was used to shoot the Ely brand cartridges found at area a concluding that both the Ruger Indian
shoots rifles belonging to Ivan Milat were discharged in Belanger with Ivan in custody for the attack on
Paulo onions police were given strict instructions not to mention a word to the press about
the Blanco murders in order to avoid any media attention jeopardizing their efforts in building their case on May 29
just two days before Ivan's second scheduled court appearance Superintendent Clive small opened to the
Sunday Herald newspaper to find a story which began a lone investigation by a young detective has led police to
believe the palanga low forest the backpacker murders could be linked to a rape case more than 20 years ago the
problematic article went on the detail the investigation into Ivan Milat for the backpacker murders but with many
incorrect specifics in particular despite the large dedicated team working under superintendent small the Sunday
Herald article inaccurately credited Ivan's capture to the solitary work conducted by Detective Senior Constable
Paul Gordon a member of Task Force Air who had been investigating Ivan since he had been handed the file on the Millat
brothers small was convinced there was detective Paul Gordon who leaked the story to the press after initially
denying the accusation Gordon eventually admitted he received a phone call from the journalist but claimed he simply
verified some facts about his history within the police force while he refused to comment about the Malad investigation
when the reporter suggested he had single-handedly cracked the case Gordon responded I was just lucky as
outlined in his book inside Australia's biggest manhunt superintendent small had
been wary about some of Gordon's investigative work prior to publication of the article including the detectives
initial failure to look beyond they computerized the records of the Millea brothers criminal backgrounds something
that small considered a basic error small was also critical of Gordon's indiscreet and overzealous questioning
of Ivan's workmates which may have tipped their suspect to the fact he was being investigated for the
Angulo killings small explained quote I was furious the article posed the significant risk to the investigation
its account of Gordon's role was both completely untrue and a betrayal of the team effort behind the arrest and a
contravened my explicit instructions about not talking to the media after all our efforts to convince the media that
everyone would be treated equally and no one would get the jump on their rivals The Herald story risked starting a
free-for-all scramble for scoops as a result of the lake detective Senior Constable Paul Gordon was removed from
task force ere the publicity put the task force in an awkward position and small was convinced that gave them no
choice but to charge Ivan Milat for all seven of the blank alone murders when he
appeared in court two days later on May 31 1994 a clean-cut smartly dressed Ivan
Millar sat expressionless in the Campbeltown local court as senior Crown prosecutor and Lloyd publicly disclosed
for the first time the details of the violent crimes committed against the seven belanger victims Lloyd proceeded
to outline the evidence that had so far been gathered against Ivan before formally charging him with the murders
of 19 year olds James Gibson and a Deborah Everest 20 year old Simone SH middle and Dania have she 21 year olds
Gabor Nagi Bella and Caroline Clark and 22 year-old Joanne Walters outside court
Ivan's lawyer John Marsden told the gathering media that the allegations against his client were based on nothing
more than circumstantial innuendos quote my client denies the serious allegations
that have been made against him in court today I do not intend in any way to minimize the serious and horrific nature
of the allegations against him however in fairness to my client who has stated quite categorically that he is not
guilty of the allegations and who has not been proved guilty the media should allow Michael
a fair trial news that Ivan had been charged for the bengal o serial killings came as a shock to those who knew him
with many refusing to believe he could be responsible for such brutal crimes former employers and co-workers
described to the accused killer as a model worker who was reliable honest and hardworking a foreman next-door neighbor
labeled him as the perfect neighbor who had always been friendly and courteous offering to lend a hand by helping fix
their cars or learning his lawnmower Alex mullet believed his younger brother was innocent insisting there had been a
miscarriage of justice quote I know you might think that because he's my brother
I would defend him but I'll tell you right now that if I thought he was guilty I'd shoot the bastard Ivan's
girlfriend sherlynda also refused to accept the charges saying I think the police are covering something up I have
no idea what Ivan is a very calm person not violent and he doesn't lose his temper and he's not a fool I mean if he
were the person he wouldn't leave incriminating stuff lying around he would never strike a woman let alone
rape and murder he has a great respect for women this I know Ivan is more likely to walk away than have an
argument then there are those things that are hard to explain the things you just know about a person this is the
worst crime imaginable I'd rather be dead than be connected to someone who would commit this a week after Ivan was
charged his image appeared on the cover of celebrity news & entertainment magazine who weekly accompanied by the
headline backpacker serial killings be accused the five page article included an
overview of the murders he was accused of committing along with information about the Millat family recognizing the
magazine story hindered Ivan's chance of receiving a fair trial the New South Wales attorney-general immediately
charged who weeklies publisher Time Inc with contempt of court winning a supreme
court injunction preventing further sales of the magazine unless the photos of the accused were covered with
irremovable stickers the court found who weekly guilty with the magazine receiving a one hundred thousand dollar
fine entered senator receiving a ten thousand dollar fine investigators and the prosecution had
until Ivan Milat committal hearing scheduled for the end of the year to produce enough evidence to argue that
the murder case should proceed to trial according to the book sins of the brother by Mark Whitacre and the less
Kennedy preliminary forensic testing of over 100 items of evidence seized by police from the various melodies
including tents sleeping bags clothing rope a green water bottle a sharpening stone blankets sheets and a sword
revealed possible traces of blood but none of the items returned a match for human blood except one a one and a half
meter length of such cord recovered from a pillowcase found in Ivan's garage the
bloodstains were tested against the DNA samples taken from the parents of all the Berlanga victims using what's known
as a reverse paternity test forensic examiners concluded that the blood on the sash cord was 792 thousand times
more likely to come from a child of Caroline Clark's parents than from any other parents in the general population
when the bodies of Joanne Walters and Caroline Clark were discovered investigators found traces of bodily
fluids they believed may have come from the pair's killer swabs were taken from the victims remains and given to a
forensic scientist who was new to the method of testing employees at the time given he's inexperienced he produced
different results at the conclusion of HN Alice's when revisited after Ivan's arrest the DNA samples appeared to have
been severely damaged by his use of chemicals and equipment and unfortunately more experienced forensic
experts were unable to reverse the error therefore the source of the foreign DNA
could not be attributed to any individual as part of the forensic examination process the green water
bottle found at Ivan's property believed to belong to Simone Schmitt all was put
under infrared lighting to determine for certain whether something had been scratched off its bottom there clear as
day was the German backpackers nickname Simmi given the personal items belonging
to the deceased the backpackers that had been discovered at properties belonging
to various members of the Millat family police were not discounting the theories
previously put forward by criminal profilers the more than one perpetrator may have been involved in the crimes
however they had yet to uncover any concrete evidence to suggest anyone other than Ivan was responsible the
publicity centered on Ivan prompted a close friend of his brother David to come forward to police to report a
suspicious incident that allegedly occurred over the Easter long weekend in 1992 when Joann Walters and Caroline
Clark went missing the witness Philip Paul glaze claimed he was asleep on the couch at the melot's family property in
Guildford when he was awoken by Ivan and Richard Muller who both lived at the house at the time the two brothers were
allegedly carrying guns a blood-stained knife a machete backpacks and passports Richard II jokingly said the blood was
human before allegedly remarking Ivan could cut your head off with one blow I've seen him do it Ivan allegedly
responded Richard can't stab anyone he has to shoot them Philip told authorities that during the time period
of the seven Belenko murders occurred David mallet told him that his family was worried Ivan was up to his old
tricks when Philip asked if this meant robbery David allegedly responded no worse and
we think he's taking a brother with him as detailed in the book sins of the brother by les Kennedy and Mark Whitacre
Philip appalled Glazer's allegations prompted a judge to give approval for a covert listening device to be installed
inside Richard Mille a caravan at Hilltop Richard's behavior indicated he may have already suspected he was under
police surveillance only meeting with friends outdoors and making phone calls from public pay phones consequently the
device failed to capture anything of interest during subsequent police interviews Philip Paul Glaser's
statements changed significantly as he suffered from short-term memory loss as a result of a previous car accident in
an attempt to verify if there was any validity to his claims police obtained a warrant that allowed them to covertly
record a conversation between Philip and Richard a meeting was arranged for the pair at the crossroads hotel in Casula
police officers were on standby in a van parked outside the premises where they listened in on the recording little of
the conversation between Philip and Richard made sense as the latter appeared to be under the influence of
alcohol during their meeting Philip had brought up the night where Ivan allegedly returns to the Guildford home
with a bloody knife but Richard told him to keep his mouth shut about that Phillipa voiced concerns that he could
be considered an accessory after the fact the Richard reassured that there was nothing to worry about as police
would arrest him before they ever went after Phillip Phillip asked when he should say to the police if he was
questioned about the passports in the backpack so Ivan allegedly showed him that night to which Richard responded
just say nothing just tell them I've seen nothing absolutely nothing you ask are you arresting me officer and when he
says no just tell him to [ __ ] off in regards to the camping gear belonging to Joanne Walters and Caroline Clarke
police seized from his property Richard explained he had obtained the equipment from quote all over the place
and had stolen some of the items whilst in the city he then rambled about serial killers not
stopping unless they get caught quote where are we gonna stop only when we get caught you're not gonna stop two years
before we're not gonna stop because we think the police will be hot on our tail once you get that sort of [ __ ] thing
in you I figure it's just like having a beer when are you gonna stop when the pub closes or do we buy takeaway to take
home in case we're thirsty when Richard remarked that Philip was asking the same
questions as police the informer sensed his cover was at risk of being blown to seem less conspicuous fill up quickly
remarked [ __ ] me dead maybe I should have been a [ __ ] copper as the conversation dragged on Phillipa
mentioned his disbelief that one person could be responsible for all the Berlanga low killings to which Richard
replied that's what we're worried about one of these [ __ ] big German [ __ ] he's supposed to be about six foot four
and 1819 stone here he is with a broken jaw broken arm broken [ __ ] back what one bloke could do all this to him and
if he can do that to him how come some skinny [ __ ] pommy backpacker get away from him
this comment immediately stood out to the police officers listening in on the discussion as Paul Onion's physical
stature enter the full extent of Gabor knowing about his injuries had not yet been released to the public
Richards remarks were compelling but were not enough to warrant his arrest and to the undercover sting came to an
unsatisfying conclusion following the failed sting Richard Muller told France who was convinced
Philip pol glaze was working with the police an assertion that compelled the informer to go into hiding then just
before Philip could testify at Ivan Milat committal hearing he was involved in a fatal car accident that claimed his
life when Richard heard at the Samba news he offered and no sympathy On June 28 a visibly agitated Ivan
reappeared in the Campbeltown local court where he surprised to those in attendance by sacking his long-standing
lawyer john marston the man who had helped him evade serious rape and armed robbery charges in the 70s Marsden
believed the decision was based on him encouraging Ivan to plead guilty to the bungalow murders on the grounds of
insanity allowing them to argue for diminished responsibility other members of the Millat family stated his
dismissal was Judah Wathan stronger life that Marsden was in cahoots with the police
despite the magistrates request that he reconsidered this decision Ivan declared he would be representing
himself that day instead he criticized the media for the way they were covering the case and continued to declare his
innocence arguing that he was being framed and the police were quote making it up
as they go along many high-profile barristers came forward willing to take Marsten's place and to represent Ivan
wanting to take advantage of the immense exposure in what was set to become one of the most high-profile and publicized
criminal trials in Australian legal history the mallets felt lawyers from New South
Wales maybe too close to the police and therefore were deemed to them untrustworthy leading Ivan to hire
Queensland based solicitor Andrew bow Ivan appeared with his new solicitor at Campbelltown local court on July 5 where
he was remanded in custody until his next court appearance meanwhile his ex-wife Karen was placed in witness
protection amidst concerns for her safety John Marsden continued to represent other members of the Millat
family including Richard and Wally Miller on August 20 the pair appeared at Campbelltown local court under Martins
representation to face charges against them Richard pled guilty to possession of five prohibited weapons unlawful
possession of a driver's licence and possession of cannabis while he pled guilty to illegal possession of firearms
cultivating two cannabis plants and possession of cannabis both men were sentenced to a good behavior bond and
issued with a monetary fine plus court costs on October 24 1994 five months after his
arrest Ivan Milat committal hearing commenced the Campbeltown local court to determine whether there was enough
evidence for the backpacker murder case to proceed to trial Ivan maintained a relaxed and calm
demeanor as Crown prosecutor and Lloyd outlined the case against him but his opening arguments were cut short when
the court was forced to evacuate due to a bomb threat which was later determined
to be a hoax as the committal hearing continued a full summary of all the available evidence implicating Ivan the
LAT was detailed when the backpack belonging to Simone Schmitt all was presented with the initials I am written
on the inside flap Ivan yard from across the room accusing the police of writing
the initials themselves this assertion was contradicted when Ivan's sister-in-law Joan testified that the
initials were already on the backpack when he gave it to her in in 1992 over 200 witnesses were called
before the court including Steve Wright the British backpacker who swapped tents
with Joanne Walters and Caroline Clarke other former travel companions and family members of the deceased
backpackers were also called they were able to formally identify the items recovered from the Millat properties as
those belonging to their loved ones Englishman Paul Onion's made an appearance to provide details about his
attempted kidnapping at the time he was only referred to as witness a due to a suppression or would have granted to
protect his identity Ivan's ex-wife Karen also took the stand describing her former husband as a strong man who
lifted weights every night of the week she testified that Ivan took her to Belen Guillou State Forest to numerous
times over the course of their 12-year relationship and to the during one visit he shot a kangaroo before proceeding to
kick it and slit its throat prior to their divorce being finalized in 1989 Karen said that the only camping
equipment Ivan owned was an orange and green tent Karen confirmed Ivan owned several
firearms including a rifle and a revolver quote Ivan was gun crazy with these firearms he would shoot at
anything he could find there was a target on a tree cans anything he could see when showing the pistol that was
found under Ivan's washing machine Karen confirmed it belonged to her ex-husband and that he kept it wrapped
in a sock under the front seat of his car loaded at all times in Ivan's defense his legal thing
presented reported sightings of some of the backpackers after the dates they were allegedly last seen alive in one
sighting a witness claimed the tour picked up two British backpackers named the Joe and Caroline on the southern
outskirts of Sydney between April 21 and April 23 1992 this was five days after Joanne Walters and Caroline Clark
departed Sydney to hitchhike along the Hume Highway a time frame in which Ivan Milat was confirmed to have been at work
however the prosecution had already disproven all reported sightings of the seven backpackers beyond their
disappearance dates and the defense council declined the magistrates offer to call any witnesses to the stand to
try and prove otherwise the defense also attempted to cast doubt over whether Ivan was them a lot rather responsible
for the crimes they highlighted that Richard mullet also fit the description of poor lanyons attacker in 1990 as he
sported a distinct tumor fuse doll mustache at the time alluding to the cigarette butts found at Joanne Walters
and Caroline Clark's crime scene Richard was a heavy smoker unlike Ivan who had quit the habit 11 years prior in
1991 Richard mullet was put on the stand and questioned about the tent sleeping bag and hairbrush found on his property
that had belonged to Joe Ian and Caroline but he denied knowing anything about the items or how they came to be
in his possession superintendent Clive small was the final witness to take the stand at the
committal hearing he emphasized that Ivan not only fit the physical description and personal background of
poor lanyons attacker but also drove the same vehicle used by the assailant under
cross-examination from Ivan's defense team the superintendent agreed that other members of the Millat family also fit
the perpetrators description to varying degrees but concluded I don't believe any other member owned a silver
four-wheel drive with a white top and a red stripe down the side seven weeks after it began the committal hearing
came to an end on December 12 with the court satisfied enough evidence was presented for Ivan Milat
to stand trial for the seven bolongo murders the trial was set to commence in the New South Wales Supreme Court the
following year the alleged killer showed a no emotion as he was led out of the courtroom
his lawyer andrew bo fronted the media to express concern that the extensive coverage of the committal hearing would
make it difficult for his client to receive a fair trial as it would be near impossible to find an impartial jury and
roubo quote I think this case will be a test for how this community entered the criminal justice system in Australia
deals with such a public airing of allegations at committal prior to Ivan Milat trial renovations were undertaken at the
New South Wales Supreme Court building to ensure the amenities were more accommodating for the prospective jurors
during proceedings which were expected to last upwards of six months the walkway between the souls and the
courthouse would also be covered to prevent camera crews from capturing the daily journey of the accused the trial
was initially scheduled to begin on June 26 1995 but disputes amongst Ivan's legal team regarding finances delayed
the commencement date given the trial was expected to run for a considerable length of time and deal with complex
legal issues Ivan's legal team felt the fees being offered to them by legal aid were insufficient Ivan refused to work
with any other solicitors demanding legal aid pay his team an above-average rate the Commission refused determining
they would only pay the initial base rate and Ivan would have to cover any additional costs at his own expense
after a lengthy appeals process which delayed the trial for nine months three appellate judges unanimously deemed
Ivan's request to be unacceptable effectively leaving the defendant with no legal representation unless he was
willing to contribute the difference in cost with no other Avenue of Appeal Ivan's legal team eventually accepted
the initial lower offer with the trial scheduled to commence in March 1996 speculation continued to run rife as the
whether Ivan Milat acted alone prior to his capture various criminal profilers had indicated at their belief that the
killer had an accomplice with several theorizing the crimes may have been committed by brothers
FBI agents and some task force air investigators were less convinced based on the fact Paul onions was targeted by
a single perpetrator and that known serial killers rarely deviate from their established demo they were certain that
I have enacted alone dr. Peter bradhurst the forensic pathologist from the New South Wales
Institute of Forensic Medicine who had conducted the post-mortems of all seven bolongo victims join to the group of
people to suggest two killers may be involved during the final days of Ivan Milat committal hearing dr. Brad Hurst
testified in court that for one person to be responsible for all seven murders the killer would have had to
incapacitate one of the victims before dealing with the other when asked whether his forensic expertise could
determine whether more than one killer was involved dr. Brad Hirst responded with each of
the pairs of backpackers that were killed there appears to be two different patterns of injury with Caroline Clark
and Joanne Walters Caroline Clark had predominant injuries of gunshot wounds to the head and only one stab wound
being a parent with Joanne Walters she had a multiple stab wounds similarly with Gabor no Guevara and
Dania have she'd gabor no Guevara had a gunshot wounds to the head evidence of strangulation and gagging whereas Aniyah
have she'd had been decapitated further with James Gibson and a Debra Everest there were two different patterns of
injuries I would attend to think it more likely that more than one person was involved
to be concluded next wait [Music] you

Case 109: Belanglo (Part 4)

[Part 4 of 5]

Officers covering the inner perimeter of the premises radioed through to the command post advising they could hear movement inside the garage...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research – Anonymous Host Writing – Elsha McGill Production, scoring – Mike Migas Additional scoring – Andrew Joslyn

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RESOURCES

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Brief Summary

Ivan Milat's arrest leads to a shocking investigation revealing evidence linking him to multiple backpacker murders.

Key points

The Early Morning Call. Detective Wayne Gordon calls Ivan Milat, informing him that his property is surrounded by police.
Discovery of Weapons. Police find a large array of firearms and ammunition in Ivan's home.
Altering Evidence. Family members attempt to create a false alibi for Ivan using altered photo dates.
Media Controversy. A newspaper article inaccurately credits a detective for Ivan's capture, risking the investigation.
Ivan Milat's Court Appearance. Ivan Milat appears in court charged with multiple murders, maintaining his innocence.
Forensic Evidence. Forensic tests reveal blood traces linked to the victims, strengthening the case against Milat.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I don't know what you're talking about.

Ivan's response to police about the search warrant.

4:21WatchApr 13, 2019

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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