Further reading for Ivan Milat/ The Brown Out Strangler

Milat: Inside Australia’s Biggest Manhunt: A Detective’s Story

Murder at Dusk: How US soldier and smiling psychopath Eddie Leonski terrorised wartime Melbourne

Between 1989 and 1993 in New South Wales, Australia the bodies of 7 missing young people aged 19 to 22 were discovered in the Belanglo State Forest. Five of the victims were foreigners, backpackers who had come from Germany and the UK, while the other two were Australian travelers from Melbourne.

In the late 80s early 90s backpacking in Australia was and adventures and cheap way to travel, and by the time the first bodies were discovered the state forest several other young people had disappeared. 20 detectives took on the case, creating a profile of the killer, looking into vehicle records, gym memberships, gun licensing and internal police records, they were able to narrow the list of suspect to 32 people.

In each of the cases the bodies had been dumped in remote bush-land and were covered by sticks in the shape of a pyramid, the victims had suffered multiple stab wounds to the torso and most showed signs of sexual assault. It appeared that the killer had spent considerable time with his victims both during and after his attacks because campsites had been found near to the bodies, and though they were taken in pairs, the bodies were found to be killed in different ways and buried separately.

It was Nov, 1993 that the police recieved a call from a Paul Onions, an Autralian backpacker who had accepted a ride from a man known as “Bill” who during the drive, stopped the car, pulled out a gun and ropes telling Paul it was a robbery. Paul was able to flee and flag down another car and get away.

It was with Paul’s statement that police were able to pinpoint Ivan Milat who would be found guilty in the case.

The only American to be executed on Australian soil.

American soldier Edward Joseph Leonski was known as the Brownout Strangler, as during the wartime in Melbourne they made everyone keep their lights down low in order to dissuade bombs. Leonski was a heavy drinker, who raped and strangled three women to death.

He confessed to his crimes, the motive he gave for the killings was that he had a twisted fascination with female voices, especially when they would sing and that he killed them in order to get their voices.

Little psycho right there….

Episode 88

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