The Northern Territory Police Force has released previously unseen body-worn camera footage of Bradley John Murdoch, the man convicted of murdering British backpacker Peter Falconio, recorded less than three weeks before the killer’s death in July 2025. The release comes as investigators make a final attempt to locate Falconio’s remains, which have been missing since the 2001 attack.
The Final Interview
On June 25, 2025, police officers visited the 66-year-old Murdoch at the Alice Springs Correctional Centre. During the tense exchange, officers urged him to provide information regarding the location of the 28-year-old victim. Murdoch, who was battling stage-four throat cancer, remained defiant. When asked to consider how he would feel if his own son were missing, Murdoch responded with a profanity-laden denial, insisting he had maintained his innocence for 22 years and possessed no information.
Murdoch died on July 16, 2025. Despite his conviction in 2005 based on DNA evidence found on the clothing of Falconio’s girlfriend, Joanne Lees, he never admitted to the crime or disclosed the location of the body.
The Investigation and Legacy
The release of the footage coincides with the 25th anniversary of the disappearance of Peter Falconio on July 14, 2001, near Barrow Creek. NT Police have also released new forensic images from the case, including photographs of a footprint in the red sand, a bullet, and damage to the orange camper van the couple was driving. Commissioner Martin Dole is expected to reiterate that a $500,000 reward remains in place for information leading to the discovery of Falconio’s remains.
The case remains a significant point of trauma for the Falconio family, who have expressed that while they held little hope of Murdoch revealing the truth, the continued search remains a priority. In 2016, the Northern Territory government implemented “no body, no parole” legislation, which ensured that Murdoch would never be released from prison, regardless of his health status or medical condition.