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For the film based on the murders, see Snowtown (film).
Snowtown murders
Born
Bunting, Wagner, Vlassakis and Haydon
Details
Span of crimes
August 1992 – May 1999
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. This tragic incident was occurred in the small town of South Australia, Snowtown, in the years between August 1992 and May 1999. [2]. This horrible crime was uncovered when the remains of eight victims were found in barrels of acid, located in a bank building in Snowtown, South Australia(145km north of Adelaide) on 20, May 1999. Three days later, two additional bodies were found buried in the backyard in Salisbury North, a suburb north of Adelaide. The fourth person, Mark Haydon, was additionally convicted for helping to dispose of the dead bodies. It was later found out that neither the eleven victims nor the perpetrators were from the Snowtown.

The killers' motives for some of the murders were derived from their belief that the victims to be pedophilias, homosexuals or "weak".[2] Moreover, the murders were frequently preceded by crucial tortures.[2]

The notoriety of the murders led to a short-term economic boost from tourists visiting Snowtown,[2] nevertheless, it created a irreversible everlasting stigma in Snowtown.[3]

Perpetrators[edit]

John Justin Bunting was born in 1966, in Inala, Queensland. He is known to be the ringleader among the murderers. He was convicted of murdering all of the victims except for Suzanne Allen. 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 groups of people. 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 to kill people at the age of 25, and the men he chose to assist him were either mentally-challenged individuals which he could easily manipulate, or relatives of those working with him.Upon his crucial actions, forensic psychiatrist Professor Kevin Howells noted that he lacks emotion and the capacity to empathize with his victims. Thus, he fits into the category of a psychopathic killer, who derives satisfaction from controlling victims.[4]

Robert Joe Wagner is one of the perpetrator, who was also involved in Snowtown murders. He assisted Bunting's attempt to commit murders and complied with his request. Wagner and Bunting were befriended in 1991[5]

James Spyridon Vlassakis is also one of the perpetrator who was living with Bunting at the time of arrest. He assisted Bunting in murdering and torturing victims.[6]

Mark Ray Haydon, as contrast to other murderers, was not convicted of any of murders. However, he pleaded guilty for helping the serial killers dispose of the dead bodies.[7]

The murders[edit]

Most of victims are chosen by ringleader, John Bunting. His motivation to target victims is driven from his hatred for pedophiles, obese, drug users and queer people. Some of the victims were friends, relatives, and a killer who had lived in the same house. Others were briefly befriended and drawn into the group. Then, they were picked as easy targets to satisfy Bunting's desire to commit murder. Perpetrators, sometimes, have taken personal information of victims' to obtain their wealth, such as pensions, and cashes. Although, perpetrators have obtained certain amounts of wealth from victims, it was believed that social security fraud was not their primary motive for the killings.[8]

The final murder was conducted in the bank building after the barrels had been moved there for storage. The tools that had been used for killings are following: Knives, blood stained saw, double barrel shotgun, coils of rope, rolls of tape, rubber gloves, cloths, and a variac metallurgy tool that the killers used to administer electric shocks to the genitals and other sensitive parts of the victims' bodies.[9]

Investigation and charges[edit]

John Bunting moved his house to Salisbury North in 1991. There, he befriended with his neighbors Mark Haydon, Robert Wagner and his girlfriend, Vanessa Laney.[10] At the time of the arrest, James Vlassakis was living in Bunting's home.[2]

The body of Clinton Trezise was first found near Adelaide in 1995.[2]

On May 20, in 1999, the eight victims were found by the South Australian Police in six plastic barrels in an unused bank vault in Snowtown.[11] It was believed that the bodies had been held in several locations in South Australia before being moved to Snowtown in early 1999. Prosecutors believed that the killers moved the bodies after they became aware of the ongoing police investigation. Two more bodies were later found buried, in the backyard of Bunting's house in Adelaide.[11]

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

Trials and Verdicts[edit]

The trial of Bunting and Wagner was held almost twelve months. It was known to be one of the longest trial held in the history of the state. In December 2003,[12] Bunting was convicted for murdering 11 people,[11] and Wagner was convicted for 10 murders, of which he had confessed to three.[11] Vlassakis pleaded guilty to four of the murders.[11] In 2004, Haydon was convicted for five counts of assisting the murders (of which he admitted to two).[13][14] The jury did not finalize a decision on charges of committing murder nor a sixth charge of assisting murder. Rather, prosecution stated that they would seek a retrial on those charges.[13]

The final outstanding murder charge of Suzanne Allen against Bunting and Wagner was dropped on 7 May 2007, when a jury was unable to reach a verdict.[15]

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."[12]

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.

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.[16]

Community impact[edit]

The Age reported in 2011 that the town of Snowtown would be "forever stigmatised" by its relationship to the murders.[3] Shortly after the discovery of the bodies in Snowtown, the community discussed changing the town's name to "Rosetown," but no further actions were taken.[3] As of 2012, one shop in Snowtown was selling souvenirs of the murders "cashing in on Snowtown's unfortunate notoriety".[17]

The house in Salisbury North where Bunting lived and buried two bodies was demolished by its owner, the South Australian Housing Trust.[10]

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.[18] After holding an open house which raised $700 for charity through charging an entrance fee, the property 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. A plaque will be installed to commemorate the victims.[19][20]

In media and popular culture[edit]

A film, Snowtown, regarding the life of John Bunting was released in Australia on 19 May 2011.[21]

A number of books have been written about the murders.[22]


Serial Killer and its related incidents[edit]

Serial killer refers to someone who commits more than three murders over a period that spans more than two months. For the most cases of serial killer, perpetrator commits murder due to psychological disorder or to satisfy their psychological benefits. Most of serial killers involve in sexual contact. However, FBI additionally noted that the motives for serial murder may also be derived from thrill, anger, financial gain, and attention seeking. The term for serial killer has first been used in a book called, The complete detective, in 1950. However, it is generally believed that in 1976 with the Son of Sam case in Newyork City, SARR(Special Agent Robert Ressler) initiated its use for law enforcement in US. The earliest editions of the FBI’s official CCM, known as Crime Classification Manual indicates that in order be categorized as a serial killer, there must be at least three different murder events occurred at different locations, with a cooling off period between events.[23]

In addition to Snowtown murder, unfortunately, there are many cases of serial murders in Australia. As one of the representative cases, there is a David and Catherine Birnie incident, also known as "Moorhouse murders". The couple from the suburban Perth area committed murders of four women in 1986. Gregory Brazel is another case of serial murder, who shot a woman in 1982. He was armed, committed robbery and also convicted of murdering two prostitutes in 1990. Lastly, there is a case of Eric Edgar Cooke, also known as "The Night Caller", who killed at least 8 people, and attempted to kill many more people.[24]

Crimes in Australia[edit]

Data on recorded crimes in Australia has been published by the ABS for the period 2004 to 2011. The information is based on police records of crimes from 1 January to 31 December each year. The statistics used in Australian Crime: Facts are derived from a variety of administrative datasets and surveys; using both types of information enables a better understanding of the incidence and effects of crime in the community.[25]

Violent crimes includes homicide, assault, sexual assault, robbery and kidnapping. The numbers indicate number of incidents occurred in Australia.

In 2004 - Homicide:302 Assault:156,849 Sexual assault:19,171 Robbery:16,513 Kidnapping/abduction:768

In 2005 - Homicide:301 Assault:166,507 Sexual assault:18,695 Robbery:17,176 Kidnapping/abduction:729

In 2006 - Homicide:321 Assault:172,441 Sexual assault:19,555 Robbery:17,375 Kidnapping/abduction:726

In 2007 - Homicide:283 Assault:176,077 Sexual assault:19,954 Robbery:17,996 Kidnapping/abduction:733

In 2008 - Homicide:293 Assault:170,720 Sexual assault:19,992 Robbery:16,513 Kidnapping/abduction:788

In 2009 - Homicide:293 Assault:175,277 Sexual assault:18,807 Robbery:15,238 Kidnapping/abduction:564

In 2010 - Homicide:260 Assault:171,083 Sexual assault:17,757 Robbery:14,582 Kidnapping/abduction:603

In 2011 - Homicide:274 Assault:117,873 Sexual assault:17,238 Robbery:13,617 Kidnapping/abduction:670[26]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Haydon trial was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  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 Snowtown: Living with a death penalty The Age 7 May 2011
  4. ^ Aussie Criminals. (2012). Snowtown Murders: Bodies in the Barrels. Retrieved from : http://aussiecriminals.com.au/2012/04/25/Snowtown-murders-bodies-in-the-barrels/
  5. ^ Aussie Criminals. (2012). Snowtown Murders: Bodies in the Barrels. Retrieved from : http://aussiecriminals.com.au/2012/04/25/Snowtown-murders-bodies-in-the-barrels/
  6. ^ Aussie Criminals. (2012). Snowtown Murders: Bodies in the Barrels. Retrieved from : http://aussiecriminals.com.au/2012/04/25/Snowtown-murders-bodies-in-the-barrels/
  7. ^ Aussie Criminals. (2012). Snowtown Murders: Bodies in the Barrels. Retrieved from : http://aussiecriminals.com.au/2012/04/25/Snowtown-murders-bodies-in-the-barrels/
  8. ^ Aussie Criminals. (2012). Snowtown Murders: Bodies in the Barrels. Retrieved from : http://aussiecriminals.com.au/2012/04/25/Snowtown-murders-bodies-in-the-barrels/
  9. ^ Aussie Criminals. (2012). Snowtown Murders: Bodies in the Barrels. Retrieved from : http://aussiecriminals.com.au/2012/04/25/Snowtown-murders-bodies-in-the-barrels/
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference gruesome trail was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ a b c d e "Sadists get life - National - www.theage.com.au". The Age. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  12. ^ 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).
  13. ^ a b AAP (19 December 2004). "Bodies-in-barrels trial not over". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  14. ^ "Snowtown killers 'cooked victim's flesh' - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC Online. 19 September 2005. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  15. ^ "Final Snowtown murder charge dropped". ABC News. 8 May 2007.
  16. ^ "Snowtown suppression orders lifted for film". Australian Associated Press. 20 January 2011.
  17. ^ Tourists snap up souvenirs of Snowtown's past The Advertiser 15 July 2012
  18. ^ If walls could talk The Australian 30 June 2012
  19. ^ THE infamous Snowtown Bank has sold The Advertiser 29 August 2012
  20. ^ Snowtown bank sold The Age 29 September 2012
  21. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1680114/
  22. ^
    • Snowtown Murders: The Real Story Behind the Bodies in the Barrels Killings, Andrew McGarry, ISBN 0-7333-1482-1
    • Snowtown: The Bodies In Barrels Murders: The Grisly Story of Australia's Worst Serial Killings, Jeremy Pudney, ISBN 0-7322-6716-1
    • All Things Bright And Beautiful: Murder In The City Of Light, Susan Mitchell, ISBN 1-4050-3610-9
  23. ^ Ramsland Katherine. (2013). Defining ‘serial killer’: So much Confusion. Psychology Today. Retrieved from: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/shadow-boxing/201304/defining-serial-killer-so-much-confusion
  24. ^ Serial-killers. (2014). Compare Australia Serial Killers. Retrieved from: http://serial-killers.findthedata.org/d/d/Australia
  25. ^ Australian Government. (2012). Australian crime: facts & figures. Australian Institute of Criminology. pp.1-4. Retrieved from: http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/facts/2012/facts12.pdf
  26. ^ Australian Government. (2012). Australian crime: facts & figures. Australian Institute of Criminology. pp.1-4. Retrieved from: http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/facts/2012/facts12.pdf

External links[edit]

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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