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For the film based on the murders, see Snowtown (film).
Snowtown murders
Details
Victims11
Span of crimes
August 1992 – May 1999
CountryAustralia
State(s)South Australia
Date apprehended
21 May 1999

The Snowtown murders (also known as the Bodies-in-Barrels murders[1]) were a series of homicides committed by John Bunting, Robert Wagner, and James Vlassakis between August 1992 and May 1999 in South Australia.[2] A fourth person, Mark Haydon, was also involved in the homicides and was convicted for helping to dispose of the bodies. Of the eleven victims, only one was killed in Snowtown, where neither the victims nor the perpetrators were originally from.

It is believed that the killers' motives arose from the beliefs that the victims were paedophiles, homosexuals or "weak".[2] The murders were also frequently preceded by torture.[2]

Bunting, Wagner, Vlassakis and Haydon were arrested and charged in May 1999.[2]

Investigation

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John Bunting moved to a house in Salisbury North in 1991. There he befriended his neighbors Mark Haydon, Robert Wagner and his girlfriend Vanessa Laney.[3] At the time of the arrest, James Vlassakis lived in Bunting's home.[2]

The first discovered victim was Clinton Trezise, whose body was found near Adelaide in 1995.[2]

On May 20, 1999, the remains of eight other victims were found by the South Australian Police in six plastic barrels, in an unused bank vault in Snowtown.[4] It is believed that the bodies had been held in several locations in South Australia before being moved to Snowtown in early 1999. Prosecutors believe that the killers moved the bodies after they became aware of the ongoing police investigation. Later in the investigation, two other bodies were found buried in the backyard of Bunting's house in Adelaide.[4]


Trials, Charges and Verdicts

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The trial of Bunting and Wagner lasted nearly twelve months, and was the longest trial in the history of the state. In December 2003,[5] Bunting was convicted for committing eleven murders,[4] while Wagner was convicted of ten murders, three of which he had confessed to.[4] The third offender, Vlassakis, pleaded guilty to four of the murders.[4] In 2004, Haydon was convicted on five counts of assisting with the murders (of which he admitted to two).[1][6] In his case, the jury did not come to a decision on charges of committing murder or a sixth charge of assisting, with the prosecution stating they would seek a re-trial on those charges.[1]

The final outstanding murder charge against Bunting and Wagner for the death of Suzanne Allen was dropped on 7 May 2007, when a jury was unable to reach a verdict.[7]

At his sentencing, Wagner stated from the dock:

"Pedophiles were doing terrible things to children. The authorities didn't do anything about it. I decided to take action. I took that action. Thank you."[5]

The court decided that Bunting was the ringleader, and sentenced him to 11 consecutive terms of life imprisonment without the possibility of release on parole. Wagner was sentenced to 10 consecutive terms under the same conditions. Vlassakis was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences with a non-parole period of 26 years and Haydon was sentenced to 25 years with no possibility of parole for 8 years.

Perpetrators

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  • John Justin Bunting (born 1966 in Inala, Queensland) was convicted of murdering 11 people and was found to be the leader of the perpetrators. Forensic psychiatrist Professor Kevin Howells, who worked at Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire, England, suggested that Bunting's behavior lacked emotion and the capacity to empathise with his victims.[8] Howells observed that Bunting fit the profile of a psychopath killer who derived satisfaction from controlling his victims. When Bunting was young, his favorite pastime was burning insects in acid. During his teenage years he began to associate with Neo-Nazi groups. In adulthood, Bunting developed a deep hatred of pedophiles and homosexuals, and drew no distinction between the two. According to records, Bunting was sexually assaulted by a friend's elder brother at the age of 8, and he therefore targeted those who reminded him of this abuse. Bunting began killing at the age of 25, and the men he chose to assist him were either mentally-challenged individuals he could easily manipulate, or relatives of those working with him.[9]
  • Robert Joe Wagner was befriended by Bunting in 1991. During this time, Bunting encouraged him to assist him in the various murders.[3]

Community impact

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The notoriety of the murders led to a short-term economic boost for the tourism industry in Snowtown,[2] but its effects created a lasting stigma.[10]

The Age reported in 2011 that the town of Snowtown would be "forever stigmatised" by its relationship to the murders.[10] Shortly after the discovery of the bodies in Snowtown, the community discussed changing the town's name to "Rosetown," but no further action was ever taken.[10] As of 2012, one shop in Snowtown was selling souvenirs of the murders "cashing in on Snowtown's unfortunate notoriety".[11]

The house in Salisbury North where Bunting lived and buried two bodies was demolished by its owner, the South Australian Housing Trust.[3]

The bank, with a four-bedroom attached house, was placed on auction in February 2012 but only reached half its reserve price of $200,000.[12] After holding an open house which raised $700 for charity through charging an entrance fee, the property was sold on 27 September for just over $185,000 with the new owners intending to live in the house while running a business from the bank. It was stated that a plaque would be installed to commemorate the victims.[13][14]

[edit]

More than 250 suppression orders prevented publication of the details of this case. In early 2011, a judge lifted the remaining orders in response to a request by the producers of the film Snowtown, a dramatisation depicting the murders and the events leading up to them.[15]

A film, Snowtown, regarding the life of John Bunting was released in Australia on 19 May 2011.[16] The film depicts the events that took place before and during the murders, including an illustration of how Bunting gained the support of his accomplices. It also touches upon Bunting’s hatred towards pedophiles and homosexuals, and includes shocking dramatizations of the torture and murders experienced by the victims. The film illustrates the facts of the case and simultaneously alludes to the abnormal personalities of the murderers.

A number of books have been written about the murders.[17]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c AAP (19 December 2004). "Bodies-in-barrels trial not over". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Newton, Michael (1 January 2006). The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. Infobase Publishing. pp. 243–. ISBN 9780816069873. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  3. ^ a b c "Gruesome trail of killing". The Age. Melbourne. 9 September 2003.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Sadists get life - National - www.theage.com.au". The Age. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  5. ^ a b Tony Hull (08/09/2003). "Lateline - 08/09/2003: Snowtown killers likely to die in jail . Australian Broadcasting Corp". ABC Online. Retrieved 11 January 2014. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Cite error: The named reference "lateline" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Snowtown killers 'cooked victim's flesh' - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC Online. 19 September 2005. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  7. ^ "Final Snowtown murder charge dropped". ABC News. 8 May 2007.
  8. ^ http://www.smh.com.au/cgi-bin/common/popupPrintArticle.pl?path=/articles/2003/09/08/1062901998339.html
  9. ^ Heckle, Drum & Gravitt, n.d. "John Justin Bunting" (Document). {{cite document}}: Cite document requires |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |accessdate= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |url= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ a b c Snowtown: Living with a death penalty The Age 7 May 2011
  11. ^ Tourists snap up souvenirs of Snowtown's past The Advertiser 15 July 2012
  12. ^ If walls could talk The Australian 30 June 2012
  13. ^ THE infamous Snowtown Bank has sold The Advertiser 29 August 2012
  14. ^ Snowtown bank sold The Age 29 September 2012
  15. ^ "Snowtown suppression orders lifted for film". Australian Associated Press. 20 January 2011.
  16. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1680114/
  17. ^
    • All Things Bright And Beautiful: Murder In The City Of Light, Susan Mitchell, ISBN 1-4050-3610-9
    • “Killing for Pleasure: The Definitive Story of the Snowtown Murders”, Debi Marshall, ISBN 978-1740512480
    • Snowtown: The Bodies In Barrels Murders: The Grisly Story of Australia's Worst Serial Killings, Jeremy Pudney, ISBN 0-7322-6716-1
    • Snowtown Murders: The Real Story Behind the Bodies in the Barrels Killings, Andrew McGarry, ISBN 0-7333-1482-1
    • “True Crime: The Snowtown Murders”, Alan J. Whiticker, ISBN 978-1741106329
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News articles:

Category:Snowtown murders Category:1992 in Australia Category:Murder in 1992 Category:Australian serial killers Category:Australian cannibals Category:History of South Australia Category:Murder in South Australia Category:People murdered in South Australia

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