Murder is seen as the most reviled crime in society and Australia has not escaped its fair share of this abhorrent act over the years.
What makes a person take the life or lives of another? What is the outcome when they are caught? What cold cases are still unsolved to this day?
Retired lawyer, Colin O'Neill delves into the archives to tease out the stories of those who have gone down the path of murder.
From the toxic tea killer, Caroline 'Aunt Thally' Grills, quietly swirling death in her dainty brews, to Ivan Milat, the shadow of the outback who hunted backpackers and is feared to have left far more victims hidden in the bush, Australia's criminal history carved with chilling precision.
O'Neill covers the cases of the last murderer to be flogged and the last one to be hanged. He also delves into murder cases that have faded from public memory.
He systematically traces the actions of Raymond 'Mr Stinky' Edmunds, the Hoddle Street killer, Julian Knight and Port Arthur murderer, Martin Bryant.
He examines police records, court cases and transcripts, with a legal eye, presenting the process in which police determine when an arrest can be made and how the courts then deal with the defendants.
A Question of Murder Down Under provides a wealth of information showing how justice is dealt out to the guilty and how the families of the victims may, in some measure, receive closure for the loss of their loved ones.
About the Author :
Colin served in Vietnam as a National conscript during 1968-69. On his discharge from the Army, he resumed working for the Victoria Police Department as an unsworn member. In 1974, Colin was appointed Head of School Security for the Victorian Education Department in the prevention and detection of school crime. He then entered the legal profession, being admitted to practice in 1996 as a Barrister and Solicitor mainly practicing in the areas of crime, family violence and industrial relations. He retired in 2022 and lives on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria with his wife, Michelle.
