When a witness sheds light on the Belanglo mystery (Part 3/5) | Forensic Files

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what do you have to lose our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
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please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website 23 year old Paul onions arrived in
Australia from his hometown of Birmingham England on December 22 1989 like many international backpackers
before him Paul had heard great things about the land down under and was looking forward
to a summer of travel and adventure before embarking on a six-month working holiday he spent the first six weeks of
his trip staying at a hostel in Sydney where he visited the sights of the city and hung out with fellow travelers
before deciding to head south to Victoria to save he could find a job fruit-picking
Paul considered catching a bus for the near 1,000 kilometer journey the several other backpackers advised him that
hitchhiking was easier and a great way to save money they recommended he take the tried and tested around catch a
train to Liverpool in Sydney's southwest walk to the Hume Highway then hitch a ride south to Melbourne
following this advice On January 25 1994 lanyons boarded the train to Liverpool arriving at approximately 1 p.m.
he set off for the Hume Highway on foot carrying all of his possessions in an old green coloured army rucksack
although traffic was busy Paul wasn't having any luck hailing a riot and after an hour of wandering along in the
oppressive afternoon Sun he veered off the highway at the town of Casula to refresh with a drink and a chocolate bar
lost resting at Lombardo's news agency Paul was approached by a stocky tan to skin man with dark hair and to lie to us
he had a bushy horseshoe-shaped mustache the paul likened two famous Australian cricket player Murph Hughes the men
introduced himself as bill and asked the British backpacker if he needed a lift offering to drive him as far as Canberra
a 280 kilometers rife south Paul gratefully accepted the ride [Music] the two men climbed into Bill's silver
Nissen patrol four-wheel drive vehicle which had a red stripe down the side chrome-plated sidesteps
a bull bar curtains on the rear door windows and two lamb's wool seat covers bill through Paul's rucksack onto the
backseat before getting behind the will and heading south along the Hume Highway
the pair engaged in small talk about the hot weather and Paul's upcoming travel plans bill was friendly and easy to talk
to explaining his family was from Yugoslavia and that he lived a locally where he worked for the roads and
traffic authority in Liverpool he was recently divorced than currently on a break from work taking the opportunity
to head to Canberra for a holiday with friends Paul politely responded to Bill's
questions advising that he had no family in Australia and that up until recently
he had been in the British Navy bill last Paul if he had any Special Forces training in the military to which he
responded no he worked as an air conditioning engineer Bill's demeanor then started to shift a conversation
about immigration ensued during which bill started to get agitated as he made several anti British and Aunty Asian
remarks the pair drove onwards in silence Paul taking the moment to study his stance driver noticing how bill kept
eyeing the rearview mirror and would gradually slow the car down before speeding up again as though
contemplating whether or not to stop bill then explained to that at this point on the highway the radio signal
started to fade and he would need to pull over shortly to grab some cassette tapes to listen to instead Paul noted
this as odd as there was already a number of cassette tapes within easy reach between the driver and passenger
seats as they came to a rise in the road about one kilometre from the entrance the Berlanga low state forest bill
pulled the car over and started rummaging around under the driver's seat saying he was looking for some tapes
Paul emerged from the vehicle to stretch his legs an act that immediately drew billed zyre who ordered his passenger to
get back in Paul did as it was told and fastened his seatbelt bill rummaged under the driver's seat once more before
lifting out a revolver and pointing at a Paul's face saying this is a robbery Paul cited the shiny copper ends of at
least four bullets in the handgun cylinder confirming the weapon was loaded he sat in complete disbelief
wondering if Bill was just having a laugh at his expense after all he was a backpacker
travelling on a tight budget with nothing of value he had nothing to steal yet the menacing-looking bills I assured
him this was no joke Paul slowly started on buckling his seatbelt causing bill to bark put that
[ __ ] seatbelt back on when bill pulled out a bag full of ropes Paul knew he had to escape the situation
immediately the bag of ropes seemed far more sinister to him than the gun did in
a split-second decision he unclipped his seatbelt and left from the car racing northwards up the Hume Highway bill
yelled out stop or I'll shoot before firing at pour the bullets missed as the backpacker started running in a zigzag
motion to make himself a harder target to hit poor lung Ian's quote I started running across the roadway and three or
four casts worth to miss me but nobody would stop I looked up and didn't see any cars coming and I turned around for
the first time and there was bill chasing me he was yelling at me get back in the car get back in the car the two
men reached the grassy median strip in the centre of the highway where bill launched the poor grabbing him by the
right sleeve of his shirt the fabric tore giving Paul one last chance to escape he ran towards oncoming traffic whilst
frantically waving his arms in the air as the turaga van with a female driver approached Paul stood directly in its
way deciding he would rather be run over than face whatever bill had in store for
him when the van came to an abrupt stop Paul ran to the passenger side sliding door
pulled it open and to jump inside he locked the door behind him while yelling at the confused driver he's got a gun
he's got a gun the driver of the turaga Joey and Barry sped away and took Paul straight to barrel police station where
he reported his near death confrontation with Bill he explained that his rucksack
was in bills car containing all of his belongings including clothing a camera a plane ticket $500 cash his British
passport a gold chain and some personal papers a message was broadcast over police radio notifying officers to be on
the lookout for a silver Nissen patrol four-wheel drive vehicle being driven by a man with a Murph hust old moustache
given that Paul was unable to take note of the vehicles number plate he was advised that the chances of locating his
assailant would be slim before Paul left the police station a senior officer pulled him aside to tell him how lucky
he was to be alive hoping the experience provided the foreign backpacker a valuable lesson on the dangers of
hitchhiking Paul was handed money for a train trip back to Sydney where he returned to his former hostel and warned
other travelers of his ordeal Paul remained in Australia for several months before returning to England vowing to
never hitchhike again four years later the unsolved murders of James Gibson Deborah Everest
Simone Schmidt or Gabor Nagi Bella Anna ham shade Joanne Walters and Caroline Clark received heavy coverage by
international media outlets they titled the killer the Beast of the bush as UK tabloids published unsubstantiated
claims that the perpetrator had murdered 20 people across two decades one crude headline read Crocodile Dundee adventure
girls found it dead in the woods whilst Australia phobic articles declared 250,000 people a year tracked
to danger as a direct result of the murders Australia was ranked by foreign media as one of the five most dangerous
locations for tourists to accept a ride from strangers listed alongside South Africa Chile Zimbabwe and to the United
States meanwhile the Berlanga low area had reached instant notoriety prompting visitors to venture into the forest to
satisfy their morbid curiosity Berlanga low signs along the Hume Highway was stolen on two separate occasions by
visitors seeking in the car souvenir as Englishmen Paul Onion's read the news reports of the seven backpackers found
murdered in Australia he felt a shiver run up his spine he immediately recognized the similarities between the
crimes and his encounter with Bill on the Hume Highway in January 1990 Paul picked up the phone and contacted
Australian authorities realizing he may have survived a brush with the belenko low serial killer Paul Onion's harrowing
escape was corroborated by his rescuer Joanne berry who had independently reported the incident via the taskforce
air hotline the formal statement the British backpacker provided beryl police immediately following the attack had
been misplaced over the years however one officer who had been on duty that day still had a notebook that contained
some details she had jotted down about the incident including that the perpetrator had a distinct horseshoe
mustache in the same style as Australian cricket player Murph Hughes drove a silver 4-wheel Drive was of Yugoslavia
in descent and claimed to have worked at the roads and Traffic Authority four and a half months after the last of
the seven young backpackers who are uncovered in Belenko lo a shared memorial service was held in the forest
that the former side of the police command post February 5 in 1994 was a scorching hot day that despite the heat
of the two hundred mourners gathered to pay their respects to the victims and to
their loved ones with relatives friends locals and officials in attendance for Anglican
Reverend Steve Davis the service aimed to help the community and Families come to terms with the tragedy closing one
chapter while ensuring the case remained in the spotlight until it was solved Reverend Davis explained the service
talks about injustice in our world and to the fact as it were that the good guys seem to often get it but the bad
guys get away with it where is the justice that's the question I'll be asking with the families today New South
Wales premier John Fay acknowledged the tireless efforts of the New South Wales Police Force and state emergency
services before unveiling a memorial plaque honoring the victims at red this plaque commemorates the memory of the
following persons whose remains were found in the Belen Gallow forest during 1992 into 1993 Caroline Jane Clarke
United Kingdom Deborah Phyllis Everest Australia James Harold Gibson Australia Anna ham sheet Germany Gabor Kurt Naga
Bella Germany Simone Loretta Schmidt or Germany Joanne Leslie Walters he knighted
Kingdom nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord wreaths were laid alongside the plaque
as James Gibson's mother peg thanked to those present for their prayers and support saying as a mother of one of the
young people buried here in the forest I feel I can talk for my own family but also I feel whatever I say will be
echoed by the other families involved premier Fay said police would not stop hunting for the killer remarking this is
a crime which the New South Wales Police would dearly love to solve and I'm sure
the entire New South Wales community would want to know that someone has been brought to justice
to assist investigators with identifying a suspect several criminal experts were
called in to create a psychological profile of the bolongo serial killer the first was assembled by forensic
psychiatrist dr. rod Milton who had visited each crime scene upon their discovery he concluded the murders
followed a similar pattern and were premeditated by someone of sound mind yet the way the bodies were haphazardly
covered by forest debris suggested that even though the killer planned to commit
the attacks they may have been ill prepared when the opportunity actually presented itself it was clear to dr.
Milton that the perpetrators acts were driven by a need for power and that they derived pleasure from brutality
after attending Joann Walters and Carolyn Clark's crime scene dr. Milton devised the theory that he stuck by
throughout the discovery of the remaining victims as all seven backpackers were killed in a number of
different ways with varying levels of violence the forensic psychiatrist was certain the murders were not the work of
a soul perpetrator but a killer pair working in tandem the separation of the paired Berlanga low victims indicated
the perpetrators sought privacy from one another whilst carrying out their assaults a concern typically reserved
for offenders who are related dr. Milton concluded the killers were brothers with the oldest being the more
dominant of the pair the frenzied stabbings were probably committed by the rebellious younger brother who wanted to
leave a mark while the calm and controlled older brother used the firearm dr. milton
believed the familiarity in which the killers traversed the forest implied they lived too locally possibly together
they were probably low income earners which compelled them to keep the backpackers belongings not just the
service trophies but because the items were valuable and useful their interest in firearms could mean they belonged to
a gun club or participated in related hobbies such as hunting dr. milton stressed that profiling was not an exact
science and acknowledged the similarities across crime scenes also employed the killer may have acted alone
however he proposed these commonalities could have been the result of the dominating older brother who had the
final word on how the crimes were carried out dr. Milton's multi perpetrator theory
was supported by dr. Richard Basham a psychological anthropologist who also provided insight into the profile of the
Berlanga low serial killer dr. Basham explained the killer's use of a silencer suggest that he lived in a
fantasy world where he viewed himself as an outlaw and to therefore he my owner motorcycle he believed the
perpetrator didn't live in a remote or rural area otherwise they would have used their own property to carry out the
attacks although he too was open to differing possibilities dr. bascomb agreed the separation of the paired
victims strongly indicated that more than one killer was involved in the crimes however he conceded that a killer
acting alone may have divided his victims for control purposes or because he was unable to perform in front of an
onlooker dr. Bassianus theory centered around the belief that the perpetrator began his killing spree alone then
enlisted the help of an accomplice over time one month after the first victims James Gibson and a Debra Everest were
killed the line perpetrator attempted to abduct Paul onions but failed rattled by
this misstep he seemed to have laid a low for a year before launching another attack Simone Schmitt all would have
presented as the ideal victim for the killer to resume he spray as he would have perceived the solo female
backpacker has easier to control once the killer regained confidence his focus returned to targeting travelling pairs
but he was now cautious of the risks presented when acting alone as such he teamed up with an accomplice
for the murders of Gabor Nagi Bella and Dania have shade then Joanne Walters and
Caroline Clark like a dr. Milton dr. Basham agreed to the murders could be the work of siblings saying I would
suspect brothers particularly if you are talking about crimes of this magnitude he believed the barbaric act of
decapitating Anya was carried out by the more dominant of the two as a statement
to the other proving his power over both victim and subordinate [Music] experts from the United States Federal
Bureau of Investigation formed the contrary opinion believing the murders were the work of one man as their
studies showed it was incredibly rare for two or more serial killers to operate together agents from the
bureau's behavioral science unit helped Australian authorities create a criminal
profile of the Bangalow serial killer using their renowned techniques their method collated psychological
evaluations case reports personal histories and interviews conducted with serial killers to narrow down a suspects
potential age sex race physical build social habits and family background the advanced system which had a proven
success rate of 78 to 80% identified the Berlanga low killer as a Caucasian male
of strong build aged between 25 and 45 although considered a loner who was not very good at establishing close
relationships he was socially adept and came across as friendly and charming to avoid arousing suspicion he probably
held a higher birth order status in his family possibly the firstborn son with a
father who had a stable work history his childhood was inconsistent marred with troubles at school and to then dealings
with police during his adolescence he may have been a back woodsman who spent a lot of time in the bush either working
hunting or hiking and was very comfortable in that environment in terms of employment he was a school 2
tradesman with an erratic work history although he may well hold down a steady job
the killer had a preference for high-risk victims specifically hitchhikers with no familial connections
in the area his crimes were methodically and carefully planned to deter detection
providing him feelings of superiority control and cleverness there was a strong chance he kept the belongings of
his victims and followed the media reports about his crimes as all seven backpackers were abducted during holiday
periods including Christmas the Easter long weekend or the summer school breaks profilers believed that the killer was
propelled to act by some type of situational stress around these times be it financial marital or work-related he
would want to elicit a certain reaction from his victims such as fear or passivity whilst acting out his emotions
via torture mutilation dismemberment or other perversions while he was likely angry or depressed prior to the murders
committing the acts put him in a relaxed mood when the bureau's detailed profile
of the Berlanga low serial killer was released to the public and media had caused some criminal experts to express
concern they believed that he increased attention might provoke an unfamiliar sense of desperation in the perpetrator
leading him to explode and conduct one final murder spree knowing it was only a matter of time before he was caught he
may intentionally put himself in a situation that forced the police to end his life rather than allow himself to be
arrested and face punishment when asked for his prediction FBI special agent les
Davis warned in all likelihood he will kill again around Easter of 1992 months before any of the bolongo victims had
been found news of the disappearance of several foreign backpackers was a topic of conversation a building supply
company baurel industries employee 38 year old richard miller was described as a quiet man but was known to become more
talkative when he smoked cannabis as his workmates discussed the missing backpackers bridgid who was clearly
under the influence of marijuana allegedly commented to his colleague Dez Butler I know who killed the Germans
months later in September 1992 the murders of Joanne Walters and Caroline Clarke were being discussed the round of
the workplace during one conversation about the crime has stoned Richard allegedly told another colleague Paul
Douglas there are two Germans out there they haven't found them yet later that day during a discussion about
Joanne and Caroline's known plans that hitchhike south along the Hume Highway Richard allegedly remarked you could
pick up anybody on that road and you'd never find them again you'd never find out who did it either a few weeks later
the topic came up again during which Richard allegedly stated there are more bodies out there they haven't found them
all yet a year later shortly after James Gibson and Deborah Everest saw remains were uncovered in
Belanger lo an unrelated a rape case was making national news Richard mullet was
discussing the new story at work when according to Paul Douglas he allegedly remarked stabbing a woman is like
cutting a loaf of bread Paul was taken aback by the sinister remark but shrugged it off as Richards
bizarre comments were widely considered to be nothing more than drugging juice the ramblings it wasn't until the final
three illunga low victims were discovered German citizens simone Schmidt or Gabor Nagi Bella and Dania
have shade the Paul felt uneasy recalling the time Richard allegedly claimed that they hadn't found
the Germans yet Paul voiced his concerns to fellow colleague des Butler who was reminded of his own strange conversation
with Richard during which the men allegedly made the ominous statement I know who killed the Germans des Barlow
called the Crime Stoppers Hotline as his wife passed on Richard mullets details to a detective she knew personally a
background check revealed Richard had prior convictions for breaking and entering theft cannabis possession and
various traffic offenses as a precaution his details were handed over to Task Force Air the Millat name had actually
been on Task Force s radar since mid October 1993 when only four of the seven Belenko victims had been found during
investigations at the time detectives visited the pistol Club in barrel the community on Berlin gallows outskirts
where a club leader advised them to speak to one of their members named Alexander Muller the 53 year old who
went by Alex attended Beryl police station two days later to detail an incident he witnessed on April 26 1992
one week after British backpackers Joanne Walters and Caroline Clark went missing whilst the driving home from the
pistol Club with a friend Alex passed two vehicles her brown Ford Falcon sedan and a brown four-wheel drive the two
vehicles were entering the access road into Berlanga low state forest both vehicles contained several male
occupants with one woman positioned in the backseat of each vehicle between two men
upon passing the vehicles Alex made our contact with the women who were gagged and frightened he could no longer recall
the vehicles license-plate numbers but was able to provide an extraordinary level of detail in his descriptions of
the men in the cars including their complexions hairstyles and tattoos when asked why he didn't think to report this
incident to the police when it happened or after Joanne Walters and Caroline Clark's remains were found
Alex mallet explained he thought it was quote just some young blokes taking some
girls into the forest to have a good time detectives questioned Alex is driving companion Bill Ayers who also
witnessed the two vehicles heading into Berlanga lo that day the bill could not corroborate Alex's account of the two
restrained women Alex's statement raised the many questions for the head of task force
their superintendent Clive small who later commented in his book inside Australia's biggest manhunt given he had
been looking through the window of a moving vehicle the level of detail in Alex's statement was extraordinary
not to say bizarre questions began to pile up in my mind was it a complete fabrication if so what was Alex's motive
was Alex involved in the murders and playing a game with the task force did Alex know something about the murders
and was he trying to tell the taskforce something without coming out directly and providing that information
Alex's statement was passed between Task Force Air detectives over the course of
the investigation until one recognized the Millat surname from other tip offs provided by the public
Alex's younger brother Richard had been named dropped to investigators for the chewing remarks he allegedly made to
co-workers about the murders and a third Malay brother Ivan had been named through
the hotline as he had family with property not far from Belanger Lowe drove a four-wheel drive and possessed
several firearms curious to discover what else they could find about the three siblings
a team of five detectives were tasked to conduct a further investigation into the
Millat family as described in the book sins of the brother by Mark Whitacre handle as Kennedy the Millat family was
extensive consisting of 14 children in total ten sons and four daughters the family's patriarch Stephen mullet moved
to Sydney from Croatia in 1926 seeking better employment prospects in 1934 32 year-old Stephen was walking
along the street when a 14-year old girl named Margaret Hiddleston rode into him
on her bicycle Margaret invited Stephen back to her home for a cup of tea and to the two
started spending time together reading listening to the radio and going to the movies
Stephen proposed the Margaret when she was 15 years old and to the pair were married in her parents backyard a year
later the newlyweds moved to a small flat in a working-class suburb of Sydney where Stephen laboured as a war fee on
the harbor's waterfront in 1937 they relocated to the rural area of Kenley Vale to a property with no
electricity or plumbing their first child Olga was born two years later followed by 13 more children over the
next 23 years Alexander Morris Mary Ivan Shirley William Michael Walter George Margaret
Richard David and Paul at one stage Stephen partnered with his father-in-law to establish a market garden that
ultimately provided him enough money to buy a significant block of land in the southwest Sydney suburb of more Bank in
the Liverpool district he quit working on the wharves and with the help of his many children grew tomatoes cabbages and
other vegetables although their garden was successful the Millat family remained in the poverty line living in a
two-room Shack with dirt packed floors where everyone worked a long hours sustaining the crops and slept on the
ground Stephen started drinking heavily and was prone to violent outbursts at his wife and children with neighbors
describing him as a brute when Stephen was 52 his entire harvest of tomatoes was stolen in the middle of the night
prompting him to give up gardening and accept a job working 12-hour shifts as a labourer for a concrete manufacturer
each day he walked the twenty kilometre round trip to his new workplace giving them a lot children plenty of time
without the supervision and discipline of their father the Millat siblings had spent so much of their youth working in
their father's gardens that they had socialized the very little with other children many days were spent exploring
the bush surrounding their rural property where they shot targets rabbits and birds
the Millat brothers attended a Catholic High School in Liverpool where the teachers were known to hand out
disciplinary beatings leading the boys to have a disdain for authority figures several developed a reputation for
getting into fights skipping class and finding themselves in trouble with the law every couple of days the police
would appear on Margaret mullets doorstep to report some kind of incident involving her son's the mother was quick
to defend her children insisting the officers had made a mistake into naming other children in the neighborhood as
the ones to blame Margaret would then withhold the boys misbehavior from their father to spare them from harsh
punishment in 1969 Stephen and Margaret Millar sold the more Bank property and bought a house on Campbell Hill Road in
the Western Sydney suburb of Guildford where many of their children remained well into their adult years in 1971
their youngest daughter 16 year old Margaret was killed in a car accident just one kilometer from the family home
while her brother Walter was behind to the wheel the loss had a devastating impact on the family just over a decade
later in 1983 Stephen mullet died of cancer at the age of 81 by 1993 many of the Millar siblings still lived in the
south west Sydney area and some resided in the Southern Highlands region her cursory background check into the Millat
family revealed some members had criminal records ranging from minor traffic offences to more serious crimes
including extortion and armed robbery one of the more problematic MLAT sons eivin was a loner who had a proclivity
towards anti-social and criminal behavior from a young age at 13 years old he was sent to a
residential school for adolescent boys with behavioral issues but it had the little impact on curbing his troublesome
ways when he returned home a year later ivan began committing thefts and break-ins resulting in a six-month stint
in a juvenile detention center at age 17 in 1963 19 year old ivan broke into a shop and stole a car battery but managed
to flee the scene before police arrived officers found Ivan's older brother Boris waiting in a car nearby and
subsequently charged him for the robbery boris refused to name his accomplice and
he's the loyalty ensured ivan went unpunished the following year ivan received his
first adult conviction for break-and-enter and was sentenced to 18 months in prison
a month after his parole Ivan and his brother William or bill as he was known were arrested for driving a stolen car
Ivan went on the run prior to court proceedings leaving bill to face an 18-month prison term for the crime with
the help of his mother Ivan was able to evade police detection for several months before his eventual capture in
court Boris mallet perjured himself on the witness stand in an attempt to provide
his brother a false alibi but Ivan was found guilty and sentenced to two years harder labor at the notoriously rough
Grafton maximum-security prison after being released on parole in April 1967 Ivan commenced the work for the roads
and traffic authority in Liverpool five months later he and his brother Michael were found a guilty of theft
Michael was sentenced to two years while 22 year old Ivan was sentenced to three
while Ivan and Michael served time several other mullets were getting into their own troubles
having developed a formidable reputation around town they were fiercely loyal and
protective of one another yet Ivan didn't trade his brothers with the same level of respect they showed him
instigating romantic affairs with several of their partners in 1975 30 year-old Ivan began work as a driver for
a Liverpool based trucking company a majority of his runs were along the Hume Highway to places like Goldman Canberra
and EOS but he was also given several long-haul interstate jobs - Melbourne Brisbane Perth Adelaide and to the Gold
Coast Ivan was introduced to a 16 year old girl named Karen who had fallen pregnant to one of his cousin's just six
weeks earlier this didn't stop Ivan from pursuing a relationship with the teenager on their first date Ivan
grabbed current by the throat and raped her after Curran forgave Ivan for the act the two officially became a couple
remaining together after the birth of current son and moving into a caravan in the backyard of the millat family home
in Guildford in October 1976 31 year-old Ivan left his truck driving job and went
back to working for the roads and Traffic Authority which sends him across the state for weeks at a time to places
like the Hunter Valley let's go Newcastle the Blue Mountains entered down the south coast
he spent his spare time on shooting trips with his brothers or meticulously working on his car
constantly polishing washing and vacuuming it he was also dedicated to maintaining his
strong physique keeping in shape by lifting homemade weights he had constructed out of metal pipes and
buckets of cement by 1981 Ivan bought a house in the Greater Western Sydney suburb of
blackett he had become increasingly controlling of Karen isolating her and forbidding her from associating with her
friends or family they married at the registry in 1983 leading Karen to lose her single mother pension and rely
solely on Ivan's income for which he demanded she account for every single cent she spent following the death of
his father in 1983 the physical emotional and sexual abuse Ivan inflicted on his wife worsened with the
smallest thing setting him off after his fall and outbursts Ivan would spend several days at his mother's house
threatening never to return to Karen around 2:00 this time workmates noticed Ivan started reading gun magazines and
carrying a pistol which he kept either tucked into his boots or underneath the driver's seat of his car
after a wave of robberies hit the Blackett area Ivan became obsessed with security and started a neighborhood
watch program he even bought an engraving kit imprinting his name on all of his possessions from valuable items
to the kitchen toaster in early 1987 Ivan threw a glass at Corinth and narrowly missed hitting her young son
this was the tipping point for Karen and the next time Ivan was away for work she
packed up and left devastated by his wife's departure Ivan refused to return to their home in blackett moving in with
his mother in Guildford he sold the blackett property for well under market value
forging current signature on documents to facilitate the quick sale he refused to give her any of the payout instead
using some of the money to buy himself a silver Nissen patrol four-wheel drive registering it under the name of his
brother Bill a year after Ivan and Karen's separation a fire broke out in her parent's garage that destroyed all
of its contents including two Nichols Avant was questioned as he had previously threatened to burn their
house down if they didn't tell him where Karyn was now living he denied all responsibility and as there was no solid
proof linking him to the arson no charges were filed the roads and traffic authority started garnishing Ivan's wage
in order to provide a maintenance payments to Karin motivating him to quit his job after 12 years of service to
avoid her getting a cent of his money he then used his brother bills name and birthdate for his next two jobs to avoid
having his wages docked for spousal support payments meanwhile Ivan reignited a relationship with an old
flame a woman named Marilyn the two had a long and sordid history that began when Ivan was 19 years old first
becoming romantically involved while Marilyn was in a relationship with Ivan's older brother Boris
their affair spanned two years resulting in the birth of a daughter and to generating an abundance of tension
within the Millat family in 1971 Marilyn chose to marry Boris officially ending things with Ivan and leaving him
heartbroken as both of their marriages had since failed the former lovers reconnected and started spending their
weekends together driving to remote areas where Ivan would shoot birds and other targets Marilyn noted a change in
Ivan's personality he had developed a hardened edge and violent temper seemingly taking pleasure in the
suffering of the creatures he hunted in August of 1989 Marilyn ended their relationship for a second time after
Ivan admitted he had no desire to marry again the breakup left Ivan devastated two months later his divorce from Karen
was finalized and as he was no longer financially indebted to his ex-wife he returned to work at the roads and
traffic Authority in June 1992 Ivan's sister Shirley introduced him to a woman named Linda and two the two became a
couple their relationship came as a surprise the Sun as chillin des was of Indian heritage and Ivan had a
reputation for being racist but chillin des influence seemed to have a positive effect on Ivan hey auntie sister Shirley
bought a piece of land on cinnabar Street in the southwest Sydney suburb of eagle-vail building a single-story
four-bedroom brick veneer home just 350 meters away from the Hume Highway and 88
kilometers north of Belanger Lowe having piqued their interest task force their detectives conducted a background check
on Ivan Milat but found nothing in their modern computerized the records that fit the
behavioral profile of the Berlanga low serial killer to cover all bases Superintendent Clive small order
detective Paul Gordon to manually check the old microfilm database that stored pre-1980 for criminal records as
Detective Gordon searched the antiquated system Ivan the lats name came up in relation to a crime that occurred in
1971 when he was 27 years old the discovery prompted detective Gordon's a race into superintendent
Small's office and inform his leader he's our man he did it [Music] alarm the willies the heebie-jeebies
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seven murdered backpackers were discovered in Berlin hallo eighteen-year-olds grace and Marisa not
their real names started on foot from Liverpool towards the Hume Highway they planned to hitchhike south the Melbourne
to visit Grace's mother they had barely ventured far from the train station when
a car pulled up beside them the male driver explained he was heading south and offered to take the pair part of the
way to Melbourne Grace and Marissa gratefully accepted the ride and climbed into the car Marissa had taken three
sleeping pills and soon crashed out in the backseat grace who was riding in the passenger seat had taken a valium and
she to eventually dozed off when the young women are woke a while later they realized that were no longer on the Hume
Highway but instead a parked down a gravel road dead driver turned to them and said I'm going to have sex with both
of you before threatening to kill them if they didn't obey grace attempted to reason with the man stating she and
Marisa were both psychiatric patients undergoing treatment for sex related disorders urging him to leave them alone
grace mentioned God causing the man to explain that he no longer believed in God because his sixteen-year-old sister
had been killed in a car accident they argued back and forth for some time before gray said she was going to be
sick and tried to get out of the car but the man grabbed her by the neck he pulled out two knives and two lengths of
nylon cord again threatening to kill the women if they refused to have sex with him
Marissa promised they wouldn't go to the police if he just let them go giving him
permission to tie them up so he could get away he'd be under grace by the hands and feet then started to restrain
Marissa telling her you know what I'm going to do I'm going to kill the both of you
you won't scream when I cut your throats will you either one of you has sex with
me or I will kill you both terrified and desperate Marissa complied with her assailants demands grace was ordered to
keep lookout as the man proceeded to rape Marissa inside his vehicle afterwards he told them they would all sleep
together in the car the grace complained if she was still feeling sick he agreed
to take the young women to get a drink driving them into the nearby regional town of golden before pulling into a BP
service station grace remained in the car with Arab dr. Mesmer Issa rented the store alone once inside she proceeded to
inform a staff member about her ordeal and explained that her attacker was armed with a knife the attendant wanted
to call the police but Marissa urged her not to as her friend was still in danger at that point
the man entered the service station to ask Marissa if she needed more money they purchased the three cans of soft
drinks and then walked outside to his car unbeknownst to either of them a group of men had overheard Marissa
speaking to the attendant and followed her out of the store their presence gave the two young women the confidence to
execute an escape and they both ran from the car their assailant drove off heading northward along the Hume Highway
police were contacted in two patrol car scouting the highway spotted the suspects me who had attempted to pull it
over the driver hit the accelerator and sped away only to be brought to a stop by a police roadblock that had been
assembled a little further up the road upon his arrest the suspect was identified as 27 year-old Ivan Muller he
denied raping Marissa insisting it was a consensual act the two survivors were taken to Goulburn
hospital for treatment and although the doctors found - no bruises or injuries on Marissa there were red marks around
the Grace's wrists consistent with her having been restrained police searched Ivan's car have failed
to find any ropes or knives nor were there signs of a struggle regardless he was charged with rape and his mother
fronted bail costs to enable his release pending court proceedings three months after Ivan was released on
bail he joined his younger brother Michael to conduct a string of armed robberies and home invasions with the
help of two accomplices the brothers robbed a corner store near Grandville followed by a small Bank in
Kenley ayats a few days later they used the stolen vehicle for both crimes but after the second Ivan was dropped off at
his car by his accomplices where an observant passerby jotted down his vehicles license-plate number police
eventually obtained confessions from three of the offenders including Michael mullet although Michael would later
state his was given under duress after sustaining beatings from interviewing officers he and Ivan were charged with
two counts of armed robbery and despite the pending rape charge against him Ivan
was again granted bail three months later in October 1971 Ivan met with his lawyer John Marsden outside court to
discuss their defense tactic for his armed robbery charges Marsden admitted to his client that his
prospects of beating the charge were quote stuff all and - that there was a high chance he would receive a 16 year
jail term or longer Ivan excused himself explaining he was going to smoke a cigarette but never returned his failure
to appear at his committal hearing resulted in a warrant being issued for his arrest later that same day police
found Ivan's car and a pair of his shoes at the top of the gap an oceanside cliff face in eastern
Sydney known to be a notorious suicide spot three years later in 1974 the MLAT family's matriarch Margaret was admitted
to hospital during her treatment her call was placed at the New South Wales police informing them that ivan was
present at his mother's bedside as it turned out ivan had staged his suicide at the gap in 1971 before fleeing to new
zealand has traveled between the two countries didn't require a passport at the time he spent a year overseas before
returning to Australia where he laid a low for the next few years adopting his brother bills identity to
avoid detection as he was one of the Millat sons who hadn't been in any recent trouble with the law upon his
discovery ivan was promptly arrested and - this time refused bail pending trial for both his rape and armed robbery
charges Ivan's trial for armed robbery began in December in 1974 his brother Michael had
since received the 16 year sentence for his involvement in the crimes indicating
the outcome didn't look good for Ivan however the detectives who originally worked on the case had become the
subject of serious corruption allegations which cast doubt on the evidence they had obtained against the
defendants furthermore Michael entered the two other accomplices involved in the robberies refused to testify against
Ivan and none of the witnesses could provide a positive identification with all these factors combined the jury
returned a verdict of not guilty Ivan's rape trial was scheduled for the following day and his lawyer John
Marsden advised that a jail sentence seemed highly likely yet that evening Marsden unintentionally
stumbled across the situation that he recognized as having the potential to change Ivan's fate whilst the dining at
a game two lesbian wine bar in Sydney Marsden spotted Ivan's two survivors Greyson - Marisa who were holding hands
and sharing several intimate moments although Marsden was gay himself the situation presented a decisive
opportunity for his client when Marissa took the stand in court the next day the
defense counsel questioned her whereabouts on the previous night Marissa explained she had been at home
with her parents allowing John Marsden to catch her in a lie he pressed her about her presence at the bar in Sydney
causing Marissa to break down in tears and admit the truth with the witness's sexuality and integrity now under the
scrutiny of the conservative jury Marsden put forth the accusation that the sex acts between Marissa and his
client were consensual the further she was questioned by the defense the more Marisa began to doubt
her original allegations Marsden asked her thinking back he wanted this man to have sex with you didn't you to which an
emotionally exhausted and uncertain Marisa responded yes when later speaking about his actions in court that day in
his book I am what I am John Marsden said juries in those days were extremely prejudiced against gays in the lesbians
and on top of that we had to put into their minds the possibility that the sex may have indeed been consensual I'm not
proud of my conduct that day but as the solicitor operating in a courtroom environment at the time I had no choice
but to go down that path I had to act according to the ethics of the profession grace took the stand after
her friend maintaining that she had been forcefully tied up by Ivan enter that he
had raped Marisa despite her testimony the defense tactic to undermine the survivors credibility proved
advantageous with the jury returning a verdict of not guilty [Music] the 1971 attack on Grayson to Marissa
for many similarities to the crimes committed against the seven backpackers murdered between 1989 and 1992
investigators believed to that just like Grayson to Marissa the young hitchhikers
were offered a lift by a man who took them along the Hume Highway towards palanga low before threatening them with
a weapon and restraining them with ropes the near forty nine year old Ivan the lad
also bore a striking resemblance to the man identified as bill who had attempted
to abduct English backpacker Paul onions in early 1990 Ivan intermittently sported a bushy horseshoe style mustache
was stocky and had a Yugoslavian father Ivan was also known to go by his brothers name bill when hesitant to use
his own at the time of Paul Amiens attack Ivan was the owner of a silver Nissen patrol four-wheel drive the same
vehicle used by Paul's assailant additionally Paul's attacker stated he worked for the roads and traffic
authority in Liverpool which Ivan did at the time further inquiries revealed Ivan
was not at work on January 25 1990 the day of paul onions failed abduction likewise he was confirmed to have been
on leave on the dates all seven belén Guillou murder victims went missing Ivan claimed to work colleagues that he
had been in Queensland throughout early to mid January in 1991 yet his missin patrol was photographed by a red-light
camera in Sydney at midnight on the 16th proving he was back home when Simone Schmitt all disappeared only days later
just over a week after Gabor Nagi Bella and Dania have she disappeared Ivan approached his next-door neighbor a
former mechanic and panel beater asking if he could fix a hole in his missin patrol when the neighbor inspected the
damage he immediately recognized that as a bullet hole Ivan explained he was on a
hunting trip when he's gun discharged from the driver's seat and impact at the front passenger side door the hole was
patched and Ray sprayed with the fast phidias Ivan recording the repair job in his vehicle's manual upon his return to
work I haven't pointed out the repair job to his coworkers which was evident given
that the paint used to cover the hole was not an exact match to the car's original color
Ivan later sold the Nissen and replaced it with another four-wheel drive a red Holden jackaroo alternating between
driving this vehicle and his beloved harley-davidson motorcycle after confirming Ivan the lat was unaccounted
for when all Berlanga low victims went missing he became a prime suspect for their murders however Task Force Air
investigators still had insufficient grounds to justify an application to have a phone intercept door listening
device installed in Ivan's home or to request the search warrant On February 26 1994 Ivan was placed under police
surveillance as investigators watched the home he shared with his sister Shirley on Cinnabar Street in Eagle Vale
as well as his work site in southwestern Sydney cinnabar Street residents noticed
the irregular activity in the neighborhood which began with the plumbing van parked on the street corner
followed by the ongoing appearance of an electricity van the Holden Commodore was
also seen driving around the area on numerous occasions prompting concern to locals to fear that a gang was scoping
out their neighborhood to plan an elaborate robbery one neighbor called police to report the suspicious vehicles
and was advised that they were part of a major operation which quickly became the
talk of eagle-vail during the early days of the surveillance operation on Ivan the lat
superintendent small was interviewed about the Belenko low serial killer case for the ABCs current affairs program
four corners the interview took place in smalls office where he firmly denied that there were any suspects in the
killings unbeknownst to the superintendent the footage captured a whiteboard positioned behind him which
displayed the words air slash Malay when the program aired on March 4 1994 an astute viewer noticed this detail and
contacted both the ABC and Task Force Air detectives to complain the viewer was Alex mullet who was unaware his
younger brother was being viewed as a suspect for the murders Alex was concerned the whiteboard
featured his surname due to the previous statements he had provided to police regarding the two gagged women he
witnessed being driven into Berlanga lo four corners agreed to pixelate them a Latin name during reap aids of the
episode and nothing further came of it task force air had narrowly avoided a close call that could have jeopardized
their entire operation as the surveillance continued into mid-march investigators grew increasingly
concerned that their suspect may be on to them inquiries by one detective hadn't been estreet as directed and Ivan
had been informed by colleagues and associates that police were investigating him in relation to the
Berlanga lo murders Ivan appeared to be unfazed and would grin at the news saying he had nothing to worry about
in one instance Ivan was driving with a co-worker who observed a car that appeared to be following them
Ivan calmly stated that's the coppers they're watching me although the surveillance operation
failed to uncover anything incriminating it was noted that Ivan suddenly started
paying unannounced visits the people he hadn't seen in years including old neighbors and work colleagues
investigators believed he may have been digging around to see just how far their
inquiries had progressed concerned that the surveillance might compel their suspect to dispose of evidence in early
April Superintendent Clive small ordered a temporary halt on the operation while
investigators assess the risk 18 days later the surveillance was deemed safe to continue as the operation recommenced
police were anxious to uncover some hard evidence to link Ivan Milat to the Belanger load murders they sought
assistance from the person that could most likely help identify their suspect Paul Onion's Paul arrived in Sydney from
England on May 2 1994 where he agreed to reenact the events from four years earlier Paul took detectives from the
Liverpool train station to Lombardo's news agency in Casula where he had accepted a ride from the
man who introduced himself as bill Paul then drove with detectives along the Hume Highway where he pointed out the
area that his violent confrontation with Bill occurred a location just the 900 meters north of the Berlanga Lowe forest
entrance afterwards Paul was shown a video containing the photographs of 13 different males and
was advised to point out any that he recognized this the man who assaulted him in 1990 the video played through in
full after which Paul requested to view it again after the second of viewing he asked to have another look at images
four and seven when number four came up Paul said that's him photograph number four was of
Ivan Milat task force air now had enough evidence against Ivan Milat to charge him with the attempted
abduction and armed robbery of palo onions this permitted them to obtain a listening device on the telephone line
connected to wyverns eagle-vail property they considered installing additional listening devices inside the house and a
complex electronic security system which Ivan activated every time he left home was near impossible to bypass without
detection despite poor lanyons positively identifying Ivan as the men who attacked
him near Berlanga low investigators still hadn't obtained any concrete evidence that proved Ivan's involvement
in the murders of James Gibson Deborah Everest Simone Schmidt or Gabor Neugebauer
Aniyah have she'd Joanne Walters or Caroline Clark as criminal profilers were certain the Berlanga low serial
killer would have retained some of his victims belongings as morbid trophies the task force considered conducting a
raid of Ivan's home yet there was a huge risk if they proceeded and found nothing
their cover would be well and truly blown but if they managed to find a single item to link Ivan to the crimes
like one of the murder weapons or a backpack sleeping bag or passport belonging to one of the seven victims
they could make their case after weighing up the pros and cons task force err decided to go through with the
raid the surveillance team were ordered to continue to keep a close eye on Ivan in the days leading up to the event in
case he attempted to dispose of any evidence the day before the scheduled raid on Ivan Milat home - task force err
detectives paid a visit to the southern highlands town of Bargo to question Ivan's younger brother bill and his wife
Carolyn hoping their visit might generate some chatter on Ivan's phone line the detectives were greeted by the
couple's daughter Deborah who was at the house with her infant son Matthew while
her parents holidayed in the South Coast town of Lake to bury the detectives advised the Deborah they wanted to speak
to Bill about Ivan's habit of registering vehicles using his name when Deborah later phoned her father to
inform him of the visit he instructed her to pass the information on to Ivan Deborah spoke to her uncle that night
but Ivan brushed off her concerns instead inquiring about his baby nephew stating don't worry about it now how's
little Matthew that same day detectives traveled down to Lake to berry to question bill in person explaining their
inquiries were in relation to an armed robbery as to why Ivan registered vehicles under his name bill stated it
was to make use of his rural address his registration and insurance were cheaper
in his area bill later phoned his brother but once again Ivan expressed a note worried the police were actively
investigating him detectives listening in on the calls pondered whether Ivan's calm reaction was a cover as he
suspected his phone calls were being monitored the surveillance team maintained watch
of Ivan the entire day observing that at 1:27 p.m. he traveled to the town of Casula to visit Lombardo's news agency
the very place he once offered a ride to the young foreign traveler Paul Onion's elsewhere that same day the
day before the raid was scheduled at Ivan's house other detectives traveled to Queensland to visit Ivan's brother
Alex who had since relocated interstate from his southern highlands home the timing of his move was of interest to
investigators has it occurred shortly after Joanne Walters and Caroline Clark's remains were discovered in
Belanger lo after he and his wife Joan welcomed detectives inside Alex once again maintained his story about
witnessing to restraint women being driven into Berlanga low in 1992 scrupulously sticking by his original
statement since the spotlight had been cast on Ivan investigators considered the possibility that Alex knew his
brother was involved with the murders and made up the bizarre citing as a way to tip police off without blatantly
coming forward and betraying his younger sibling Alex admitted to owning ammunition and
presented his life supply which included several 22 caliber Winchester brand when
a model bullets the exact same type recovered from Caroline Clark and the gabor Nike Bauer's crime scenes Alex
made a no comment about the potentially incriminating ammunition detectives spoke with Joan and Alex further during
their conversation Joan suddenly made an unprompted comment about serial killers
and how they often liked to keep souvenirs from their victims stating quote you know
like backpacks the standard detectives remained stayin faced as they asked the Joan if she owned any backpacks Joan
nodded and presented a blue salawa brand pack adorned with a lilac patent the detectives recognized that immediately
it was identical to the one carried by Simone Schmidt all Joan opened up the top flap and pointed
out a pair of initials that were imprinted underneath I am when asked where she got the backpack from Jane
replied Ivan gave it to me in the early hours of Sunday May 22 1994 superintendent small briefed fifty
police officers in preparation for their deployment to Wiegel Vale quote we're here to arrest Ivan Milat over the
attempted abduction and attempt to shoot Paul Onion's Milan is considered a violent and
dangerous person he's believed to be well-armed we don't know what to expect and for not taking any chances
six squad cars blocked off cinnabar Street at both ends while tactical police secured the inner perimeter of
Ivan's property where their suspect and his girlfriend the chillin da were sleeping inside by 6:30 6:00 a.m. the
house was surrounded police negotiator detective Wayne Gordon placed a phone call to the home and a groggy Ivan Milat
picked up saying hello to be continued next week [Music] you

Case 109: Belanglo (Part 3)

[Part 3 of 5]

23-year-old Paul Onions arrived in Australia from his hometown of Birmingham, England on December 22 1989. He spent the first six weeks of his trip...

CREDITS

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

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://www.casefilepodcast.com/case-109-belanglo-part-3

Brief Summary

Paul Onions escapes an attempted abduction by Ivan Milat, linked to the murders of seven backpackers in Australia.

Key points

Paul's Hitchhiking Adventure. Paul Onion's journey in Australia takes a dark turn when he accepts a ride from a stranger.
Memorial for the Victims. A memorial service is held for the victims of the Belen Gallow murders, uniting families and the community.
Richard's Sinister Remarks. Richard made chilling comments about the missing backpackers, raising alarms among his colleagues.
The Discovery of Alex's Statement. Alex's detailed account of seeing restrained women in vehicles raises serious questions for investigators.
The Millat Family Background. The Millat family's troubled history reveals a pattern of crime and dysfunction.
Ivan's Violent Transformation. Ivan's personality changed drastically, leading to abusive behavior towards his wife.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This is a robbery!

7:00WatchApr 6, 2019

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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