Stalker/Falconio
http://falconio.weebly.com/john-stalker-investigates.html

You don't always get lots of blood. Murdoch is alleged to have used his .22 revolver to the back of his victim's head. But there or anyhwere else the bullet would have stayed in the body. Small entry and no large exit to drain blood.

Foot prints - As the linked report comments, the ground was hard and stony. Australia is an ancient land and much of it is like that. However an aboriginal tracker saw disturbed rocks.

BTW, I don't know why the media always has 'tracker' when any of my childhood indigenous friends could do the same and taught me (yes, one doesn't have to be black either, just curious and attentive). I guess it is the same as firearms, where all are 'high powered', 'assault' and 'sniper', even Airsoft -although the police do sensationalise and mislead journos, including Airsoft toys too. It's called public relations, apparently and even Police Commissioners do it, thinking especially of Victoria- and definitely so if painted utility black.

The police got the right SOB where Murdoch is concerned. May the cowardly mongrel rot long in gaol until his death.

Hi Leoj,

The problem with explaining why some types of evidence CAN'T be found, (because in the Falconio case, as you say, the ground was hard and stony) it that then there isn't any such evidence, which doesn't help the prosecution's case. To conclude that a crime HAS been committed, you need evidence, not non-evidence.

For example, there are probably stories all over Australia of Aboriginal groups, on their own country, being pushed off cliffs into the sea. Ipso facto, no evidence. But coulda. But no bodies, so all the above caveats about lack of evidence are magnified x-times.

But one problem with evidence-free claims is that they still have to be credible: in one such over-the-cliff story, in East Gippsland, a group of 200 are supposed to have been pushed into the sea. On their own densely-scrubbed country. Two hundred ? Could you get two hundred Aboriginal people together at any one time in those days ? Perhaps not in East Gippsland, notoriously hard country. 200, who didn't know their own country better than whitefellas ? Perhaps there should be some sort of re-enactment, at least the early stages of it all, just to confirm that it was possible.

Cheers,

Joe

rehctub,
Sorry mate, after thirty odd years in the NT,NSW and Fed police most as a detective in
the squads including the murder squad I cannot recall a single instance where a
person has turned up after being presumed dead and a person convicted for that murder.
True enough there have been a number of "returnees" that
have deliberately removed themselves from the social fabric for less than
honest reasons and even declared dead but not having a murderer
convicted for the "without a body" crime.
I am sure o sung wu might have something top add about "circumstantial" convictions.
At the end of the day they are still convictions and the 'perp' is locked up.

Rechtub,

The disappearance of someone is insufficient for a murder charge. There needs to be some evidence of violence against the victim such as signs of struggle, blood etc that coincide with the disappearance. Typically this will follow a coronial hearing in which the victim is declared dead and probably murdered.

A murderer that disposes of a body in a way that no traces or evidence are ever found cannot be convicted.

Some interesting cases for any who want to bat on, but not me,

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/no-body-murder-convictions-prompt-calls-for-shake-up-of-australias-legal-system/news-story/d19968b5c570d5e01a412663cba82215

C U folks.

It would be absolutely horrible to be convicted of a crime like murder if one was innocent, especially a partner you loved. Therefore I think there should be really compelling evidence to convict where there is no body.

But at the same time I think we should have the death penalty for heinous crimes where there is no doubt. Like the cases of Mrs Morse. Ivan Millat and Annita Coby.

By the way I watched the TV series about Ivan Millat a week ago and about Annita Coby last night. Both disturbed me greatly and I had to take a sleeping pill to get to sleep.

I would not be surprised if there is an appeal of the latest no body conviction.