Hi Daphne,
are you referring to Brad Murdoch's most recent appeal? The one that was subsequently withdrawn? (And I'd really like to know the reason for the withdrawal). I must admit that I've not seen any documents relating to any of Murdoch's appeals but would love to. Do you have a link?
In all of the books I've read on this case, (I've read all of them at least three times) it has always been stated that the Kombi was found not far north of the alleged incident. It really does intrigue me why the Kombi was supposedly moved by the alleged attacker from the side of the road to where it was found. Or was it? It's always seemed to me that it was a nice snug place off the highway for Peter and Joanne to settle down for the night. But how would they have found that place? How would anyone find that place unless they were familiar with the area?
There is something just not right about this case. The two main scenario's that I've come up with so far are;
1. Brad Murdoch, off his brain on a cocktail of drugs while travelling north in the Territory, became paranoid and in turn was convinced that Peter Falconio and Joanne Lees were following him in their bright orange Kombi. Murdoch had a large cache of drugs on board and he may have felt that he was the target of theft or worse. Unbeknown to Murdoch, Falconio and Lees were just two English tourists, not the least bit interested in him or his drugs. They didn't know him from a bar of soap.
It has been established that Murdoch was in the general area at the time of the alleged attack. Did he engage in a game of leap-frog up the highway with the Kombi, eventually becoming the one following? Seizing the opportunity on that long, straight stretch of the Stuart Highway and under the cover of darkness, Murdoch flagged down the Kombi on the premise that he'd seen sparks coming from its exhaust pipe. That's always a great way to persuade someone to pull over isn't it?
According to what I've read to date, there has never been any mention of Brad Murdoch displaying violence towards women. Quite the opposite in fact. He was acquitted of the rape charges in South Australia and rightly so in my opinion. I believe that Hepi set him up with that one. More probably out of spite than anything else and the woman and the pimp involved were paid handsomely by Hepi for their trouble.
Murdoch, believing that he was being followed by the orange Kombi didn't bargain on the fact that one of the passengers was a woman. He more than likely thought that the driver of the Kombi and any passengers onboard were males. Peter Falconio pulled over and walked back to speak to Murdoch, who in his drug addled mind and seething with rage shot Falconio and fully intended to take care of any other men who were in the Kombi. He didn't bargain on Joanne Lees. After telling her to turn off the ignition (he eventually did that, Joanne was apparently shaking too much to do so), he fumbled with the homemade handcuffs, the tape and whatever else to get her in the back of his vehicle but he really didn't know what to do with her. He couldn't bring himself to shoot her but what the hell was he going to do with her? He'd just killed her boyfriend and had to get rid of his body. In the interim, Joanne had climbed from the back of Murdoch's vehicle and fled into the scrub. In a half arsed and still drug addled effort, Murdoch searched for her but he had to keep moving, had to get out of there. Now this is where it all gets a bit murky with me. Did Murdoch load Peter's body into the Kombi and drive to Neutral Junction, not too far down the road, dispose of Peter's body down a well or elsewhere on the property, return to the scene and park the Kombi where it was found and then depart in his own vehicle? Or did he use his own vehicle to transport Peter's body to Neutral Junction?
In the above scenario there was no motive, other than paranoia brought about by drugs. There was however the means and opportunity.
2. Joanne Lees killed Peter Falconio in a fit of rage and has successfully convinced the courts that it was Brad Murdoch who killed Peter and who also attacked her. She just went with the flow of the investigation and changed her story to suit any new (so called) evidence as it came to hand, all the while avoiding any interviews with the media. She always left that chore to someone else. Her mental state was even questioned by more than one investigator!
Joanne's description of her alleged attacker changed dramatically from what she initially told the police who attended at Barrow Creek hours after the incident to the ensuing committal hearing and ultimate trial of Brad Murdoch.
There were reports by more than one witness that Joanne and Peter had a blazing argument while the were staying in Alice Springs. (Joanne has denied this). It was also reported by a witness that Joanne was antagonist towards Peter at one stage, even lashing out physically at him by punching him in the back.
It would seem that everything came to a head in Alice Springs. The raging argument. Joanne physically attacking Peter. The purchasing of separate airline tickets to independent destinations by both Peter and Joanne. Something happened to spark this chain of events and I believe his name was Nick Riley, aka Steph the secret lover Joanne had met in Sydney. The same man she emailed shortly after Peter was reported missing, telling him she was looking forward to meeting up with him in Berlin. The same man she told they would name their first daughter Stephanie. Joanne had lied to Peter, telling him that once a week she was staying overnight with her friend Steph, while all the while she was in Nick Riley's bed. Had Peter discovered Joanne's deception and given her an ultimatum - him or me? Or had Peter simply told her to just piss off? I think that's possible. But if Joanne did indeed kill Peter Falconio, how did she do it? Did she act alone or did she have an accomplice?
In the above scenario, Joanne Lees had the motive, means and opportunity to kill Peter Falconio.
And then there are all the grey areas in between. Was there a crazy homicidal maniac roaming the highways of the Territory? Were Peter and Joanne running drugs and fell foul of their suppliers?
And the list goes on.
