Australian True Crime

Behind every act of lone actor violence lies a web of personal, social, and ideological influences.   Consultant forensic psychologist Dr Nathan Brooks explores these dynamics in his book Mass Casualty: The Rise of Lone Actors , drawing on research and real-world cases to examine prevention and response strategies.   He joins us on this episode of Australian True Crime with guest host an...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   Craig Semple is a former New South Wales police officer with 25 years’ experience in high-risk law enforcement.   He shares his journey through stress, burnout and, ultimately, recovery, as detailed in his books The Cop Who Fell to Ear...

Craig Semple is a former New South Wales police officer with 25 years’ experience in high-risk law enforcement.   He shares his journey through stress, burnout and, ultimately, recovery, as detailed in his books The Cop Who Fell to Earth and Getting Back Up Again .   You can click here to purchase your copy of The Cop Who Fell to Earth , and Getting Back Up Again .   You can l...

Yesterday, (August 26th, 2025), two police officers were shot and killed in the Victorian town of Porepunkah.   The suspected gunman, Dezi Freeman, is still on the run.   Dezi is an alleged "Sovereign Citizen", so today we are re-issuing our episode from 2023 "Ep #305: Why should we care about conspiracy theorists and so-called sovereign citizens?"   Links: You can find SOS and Sand...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.     Ashton Kline was just 15 when his father murdered his mother, Viola Margaret Kline, in an arson attack in regional Victoria.   He shares how a promise to his mum to care for his younger brother, Grant, has shaped their lives ever sinc...

Ashton Kline was just 15 when his father murdered his mother, Viola Margaret Kline, in an arson attack in regional Victoria. He shares how a promise to his mum to care for his younger brother, Grant, has shaped their lives ever since. Now a nursing educator, Ashton joins us to reflects on resilience, grief, and finding purpose after unimaginable loss. Ashton is also an ambassador for the Alannah &...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   Marilyn Burdon was a 70-year-old mother and grandmother who, in 2017, was killed in her Kew home by her former partner, Charles Bisucci, who then took his own life.   Despite being banned from owning firearms for over a decade, Bisucci was a...

Marilyn Burdon was a 70-year-old mother and grandmother who, in 2017, was killed in her Kew home by her former partner, Charles Bisucci, who then took his own life.   Despite being banned from owning firearms for over a decade, Bisucci was able to access multiple guns, a failure later examined at a coronial inquest that led to recommendations for change.   One of Marilyn’s three ch...

This is a preview of a full-lenth bonus episode for Australian True Crime Plus subscribers. To listen to all of our bonus episodes, plus early and ad-free access to every episode of the podcast, you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts .   In 2019, three-year-old New Zealand boy Lachie Jones was found dead in an oxygenation pond near his home, with police ruling it an accidental drowning.   H...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   In 1998 Wollongong was the scene of two brutal murders, former lord mayor Frank Arkell and much-loved shopkeeper David O’Hearn, committed by 18-year-old Mark Valera.   The violence continued when Valera’s sister, Belinda van Krev...

In 1998 Wollongong was the scene of two brutal murders, former lord mayor Frank Arkell and much-loved shopkeeper David O’Hearn, committed by 18-year-old Mark Valera.   The violence continued when Valera’s sister, Belinda van Krevel, arranged the killing of their father.   Journalist and author John Suter Linton, who chronicled the events in Bound by Blood (2004), joins us to...

In 2003, Kathleen Folbigg was wrongfully convicted of killing her four children - Caleb, Patrick, Sarah, and Laura, and was eventually sentenced to 30 years in prison.   Investigative journalist Quentin McDermott joins us to discuss his new book Meadow’s Law and the extraordinary scientific breakthroughs that helped overturn her conviction.   Quentin is joined by our guest host and...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   Conspiracy theories are reshaping Australian society, with some having devastating real-world consequences.   Drawing on years of investigative reporting, Ariel Bogle and Cam Wilson explore how online extremism takes hold, the uniquely Austr...

Conspiracy theories are reshaping Australian society, with some having devastating real-world consequences.   Drawing on years of investigative reporting, Ariel Bogle and Cam Wilson explore how online extremism takes hold, the uniquely Australian anxieties that fuel it, and how it's weaponised by powerful figures.   You can purchase your copy of Conspiracy Nation here.   Click here...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   Rachelle Childs was a 23-year-old woman whose 2001 murder remains unsolved. Her former boss and main suspect, Kevin Correll, was recently found dead in a hotel room in Thailand.   Journalist Ashlea Hansen has been investigating the case for...

Rachelle Childs was a 23-year-old woman whose 2001 murder remains unsolved. Her former boss and main suspect, Kevin Correll, was recently found dead in a hotel room in Thailand.   Journalist Ashlea Hansen has been investigating the case for her podcast Dear Rachelle, which has uncovered new leads and raised fresh questions. She joins Australian True Crime from Thailand with the...

Earlier this month, Bradley Murdoch died in Alice Springs Hospital's palliative care unit. This episode is a re-issue of our episode from 2019, "The Falconio Mystery Continues".   Show notes: Bradley John Murdoch isn't a good man, but did he murder Peter Falconio? That's the question posed by inimitable True Crime author Robin Bowles in her book DEAD CENTRE and she joins us to explain her exh...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   Frank Arkell was Wollongong’s long-serving lord mayor and state MP (1974-1991), known for his flamboyant style and tireless advocacy for the city during a period of economic upheaval.   Though widely respected in public, allegations ab...

Frank Arkell was Wollongong’s long-serving lord mayor and state MP (1974-1991), known for his flamboyant style and tireless advocacy for the city during a period of economic upheaval.   Though widely respected in public, allegations about his private life and suspected links to a paedophile ring began to arise in later years.   In 1998, Arkell was brutally murdered - a crime that s...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   While the Erin Patterson case has drawn widespread attention, it’s far from the only poisoning story in Australia’s history.   In this episode, Forgotten Australia host Michael Adams joins us to explore other, lesser-known death...

While the Erin Patterson case has drawn widespread attention, it’s far from the only poisoning story in Australia’s history.   In this episode, Forgotten Australia host Michael Adams joins us to explore other, lesser-known death by poisoning cases from Australia's 20th century.   You can listen to the Forgotten Australia podcast here, or wherever you get your podcasts.  ...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   The mushroom murder trial has concluded with Erin Patterson found guilty of killing her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, and attempting to murder Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson.   In this episode...

The mushroom murder trial has concluded with Erin Patterson found guilty of killing her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, and attempting to murder Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson.   In this episode, co-host of the podcast, The Mushroom Trial: Say Grace, Penelope Liersch joins us to reflect on the trial and share exclusive behind-the-scenes insights...

In 2019, Australian man Brenton Tarrant carried out two deadly mosque shootings in New Zealand, live-streaming the attack and claiming to be a "lone actor" driven by white supremacist beliefs.   Investigative reporter Joey Watson questions that label in his new six-part podcast The Secrets We Keep: Lone Actor . He joins us on this episode to share what he uncovered while retracing Tarrant&rsq...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   For over 65 years, the Geelong Revival Center, an extremist Pentecostal network led by founder Noel Hollins, has faced accusations of being a cult.   With Hollins’ death in 2024, the church remains under strict leadership, sparking cal...