THE BACKPACKER MURDERS: IVAN MILAT

Seven victims with seven life sentences. Ivan Robert Marko Milat, the notorious backpack killer, haunted the state of New South Wales in Australia for five years with his brutal campsite killings.

On September 20th in 1992, a group of orienteers discovered the rotting, decaying corpse of a female body. She lay in the bush with multiple gunshot wounds in her body and in the back of the head, she was later identified as Caroline Clarke. The very next day, whilst investigating the area, Police constables Roger Gough and Suzanne Roberts discovered a second body about 30 metres, which was later to be identified as Joanne Walters who had dissapeared from the inner Sydney suburb of Kings Cross in 1992. Over the next five days a search of the surrounding area commenced. No further evidence or bodies were found by investigators and they ruled out the possibility of further discoveries within Belanglo State Forest.

On the first of November in 1993, police sergeant Jeff Trichter found a skull in the forest. Simon Schmidl from Regensburg, Germany had been last seen hitch-hiking on 20 January 1991. The skull was identified as hers. Clothing also found in the surrounding area was also found, but the clothing did not belong to Schmidl, they matched that of another missing backpacker, Anja Habschied. Schmidl's remains were soon found and the cause of death was that of multiple stab wounds to her upper torso.

Again, an investigation of the forest and surrounding area was commenced, this time two more bodies were discovered and they were to be identified as Anja Habschied, whose clothing was discovered with Schmidl's body, and her boyfriend Gabor Neugebauer. They were discovered in shallow graves and much like the other bodies of the hitch-hikers that had been discovered, they suffered multiple stab wounds or gunshots.

Profiling of the killer began by Dr Milton, a forensic psychiatrist.

The main offender he believed would:-
Live on the outskirts of a city in a semi-rural area.
Be employed in a semi-skilled job probably out of doors.
Be involved in an unstable or unsatisfactory relationship
Have a history of homosexuality or bi-sexual activity.
Have a history of aggression against authority.
Be aged in his mid thirties.

At no time did Dr. Milton give any indication that the deaths were the work of a serial killer.

Many aspects of the killings were similar. The killer had spent considerable time with the victims both during and after the murders, as campsites discovered close to the location of each body and shell casings of the same calibre were also identified at each site. Anja Habschied had been decapitated and other victims showed signs of strangulation and severe beatings. It was thought that the murders had been carried out by several killers, at least two, and Ivan Milat's statement had suggested anywhere up to seven people were involved.

On the 13th of November the police received a phone call from Paul Onions in Britain. Onions had been backpacking in Australia several years before and had accepted a ride south out of Sydney from a man he only knew as Bill on the 25th of January 1990. Bill pulled a gun on Onions who managed to escape, flag down a passing car and reported the assault to local police. Onion's statement was backed up by one from Joanne Berry, the woman who pulled over to help Onions after his ordeal. Berry also contacted the investigation, along with the girlfriend of a man who worked with Ivan Milat, who thought he should be questioned over the case.

Milat had quickly become the investigations prime suspect. The police had learned that he had served some prison time and in 1971 he had been charged with the abduction of two women and rape of one of them. Acquaintances told the police about Milat's obsession with weapons, and it was also discovered he had sold a four wheel drive vehicle shortly after the discovery of the bodies of Clarke and Walters. When the connection between Onions and the Belanglo murders were finally made, Onions was asked to fly to Australia to help with the investigation.

On May 5th 1994, Onions possitivley identified Milat as the man who had picked him up and attempted to possibly shoot him. Milat was arrested on 22nd May 1994 at his home, where upon search, it was revealed a cache of weapons, including parts of a .22 calibre rifle that matched the type used in the murders, plus clothing, camping equipment and cameras belonging to several of his victims.

After a long and drawn out trial, on the 27th of July 1996, a jury found Ivan Milat guilty of the murders. He was given a life sentence for each of the murders, plus 12 years for the false imprisonment and attempted murder of Paul Onions.

After a year in Prison, Milat attempted an escape alongside fellow inmate George Savvas. Savvas was found hanged in his cell the next day and Milat was transferred to a maximum security prison.

During his prison time, Milat was questioned about numerous other Murders and Disappearances in the area. Bodies of young women were found in the area, and because of the similarities between them, Milat will never be ruled out as a suspect.

The reality is, there is a chance that Ivan could have murdered more women than those for which he was convicted. However, unless he confesses, no one will ever know the true number of victims attributed to him. Thus, investigators are simply left to guess, hoping to one day strike it lucky and close one of the many unsolved cases that haunt the region.

Milat filled many appeals with the High court, all of which were dismissed. Milat continued to cause self harm by swallowing razor blades, staples and other metal objects. In January 2009, Milat cut off his little finger with a plastic knife with the intention of mailing it to the high court. Doctors failed to re-attach the digit.