The Snowtown murders (also known as the bodies in barrels murders) were a series of murders committed by John Justin Bunting, Robert Joe Wagner and James Spyridon Vlassakis between August 1992 and May 1999, in and around

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. A fourth person, Mark Haydon, was convicted for helping to dispose of the bodies. The trial was one of the longest and most publicised in Australian legal history. Most of the bodies were found in

barrels A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, u ...

in an abandoned

bank vault A bank vault is a secure space where money, valuables, records, and documents are stored. It is intended to protect their contents from theft, unauthorized use, fire, natural disasters, and other threats, much like a safe. Unlike safes, vaults a ...

Snowtown, South Australia Snowtown is a town located in the Mid North of South Australia 145 km (90 miles) north of Adelaide and lies on the main road and rail routes between Adelaide and Perth – the Augusta Highway and Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line. The ...

, hence the names given in the press for the murders. Only one of the victims was killed in Snowtown itself, which is approximately north of Adelaide, and neither the twelve victims nor the three perpetrators were from the town. Although motivation for the murders is unclear, the killers were led by Bunting to believe that the victims were

paedophiles Pedophilia ( alternatively spelt paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puberty a ...

homosexuals Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...

, or "weak". In the case of some victims, the murders were preceded by

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...

, and efforts were made to appropriate victims' identities,

social security Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...

payments and bank accounts. Although initially the notoriety of the murders led to a short-term economic boost from tourists visiting Snowtown, it created a stigma, with authorities considering a change of the town's name and identity.

Investigation

Initially, the body of Clinton Trezise was found at Lower Light in 1994, although no connection to Bunting was made at this time. Similarly, the death of Thomas Trevilyan in 1997 was initially treated as a

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

. It was police inquiries into Elizabeth Haydon's disappearance which eventually led them to Snowtown, and on 20 May 1999, the remains of eight victims were found by the

South Australian Police South Australia Police (SAPOL) is the police force of the Australian state of South Australia. SAPOL is an independent statutory agency of the Government of South Australia directed by the Commissioner of Police, who reports to the Minister for ...

in six plastic barrels in a disused bank vault. For this reason, the murders were dubbed the "bodies in barrels murders". It is believed that the bodies had been held in several locations in South Australia before being moved to Snowtown in 1999. Prosecutors believe that the killers moved the bodies after they became aware of the ongoing police investigation. Two more bodies were found buried in the backyard of Bunting's house in Adelaide. Police later arrested and charged Bunting, Wagner and Mark Haydon on 21 May 1999 for the murders (Vlassakis was arrested later, on 26 May 1999). At the time of the arrest, Vlassakis lived in Bunting's home.

Trials and verdicts

The trial of Bunting and Wagner lasted almost twelve months, the longest in the history of South Australia. In December 2003, Bunting was convicted of committing eleven murders, and Wagner of ten murders, of which he had confessed to only three. Vlassakis pleaded guilty to four of the murders. In 2004, Haydon was convicted on five counts of assisting with the murders (of which he admitted to two). The jury did not come to a decision on two murder charges against Haydon, and another charge of assisting murder, at which the senior prosecutor,

Wendy Abraham Wendy Jane Abraham (born 6 May 1960) is a judge of the Federal Court of Australia, sitting in Sydney. She was appointed on 7 May 2019 for a term to end 6 May 2030. Abraham took silk in 1998 and is a member of the bars of South Australia (1982 ...

, indicated that she would seek a

retrial A new trial or retrial is a recurrence of a court case. A new trial may potentially be ordered for some or all of the matters at issue in the original trial. Depending upon the rules of the jurisdiction and the decision of the court that ordered ...

on those charges. The final count against Bunting and Wagner—that of murdering Suzanne Allen—was dropped on 7 May 2007, when a jury had been unable to reach a verdict. Justice

Brian Ross Martin Brian Ross Martin (born 2 September 1947) is an Australian jurist. He was a judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia before being appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory in 2004. He served in the Northern ...

determined that Bunting was the ringleader, and sentenced him to 11 consecutive terms of

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

without the possibility of release on

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

. Wagner was sentenced to 10 consecutive terms under the same conditions, and at his sentencing, he stated from the dock: "Paedophiles 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." Vlassakis was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences with a non-parole period of 26 years and Haydon was sentenced to 25 years with non-parole period of 18 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 Snowtown is a town located in the Mid North of South Australia 145 km (90 miles) north of Adelaide and lies on the main road and rail routes between Adelaide and Perth – the Augusta Highway and Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line. The ...

'', a dramatisation depicting the murders and the events leading up to them.

Victims

* Clinton Trezise, 22, killed 31 August 1992, body found 16 August 1994 * Ray Davies, 26, killed December 1995, body found 26 May 1999 * Suzanne Allen, Bunting's ex-girlfriend, 47, died November 1996, body found 23 May 1999 (perpetrators were tried but not found guilty as a result of a hung jury; her case was never tried again, but it is believed she was likely a victim of Bunting) * Michelle Gardiner (Born Michael Gardiner), 19, killed September 1997, body found 20 May 1999 * Vanessa Lane (Born Barry Lane), Wagner's ex-partner, 42, killed October 1997, body found 20 May 1999 * Thomas Trevilyan Vanessa Lane's last partner, 18, killed 5 November 1997, body found 5 November 1997 in Kersbrook * Gavin Porter, Vlassakis's friend, 29, killed April 1998, body found 20 May 1999 * Troy Youde, Vlassakis's half-brother, 21, killed August 1998, body found 20 May 1999 * Frederick Brooks, 18, killed September 1998, body found 20 May 1999 * Gary O'Dwyer, 29, killed October 1998, body found 20 May 1999 * Elizabeth Haydon, Mark Haydon's wife and Frederick Brooks's aunt, 37, killed 21 November 1998, body found 20 May 1999 * David Johnson, Vlassakis's stepbrother, 24, killed 9 May 1999, body found 20 May 1999

Perpetrators

Several individuals were involved in the murders: John Bunting, Robert Wagner and Mark Haydon were all charged with the killings; additionally, James Vlassakis pleaded guilty to four murders and provided testimony in exchange for a lesser sentence. John Justin Bunting (born 4 September 1966 in Inala,

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

) was found to be the leader of the perpetrators. When he was 8 years old, Bunting was beaten and

sexually assaulted Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

by a friend's older brother. He is reported to have "enjoyed weaponry, photography and

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

," and grew to develop a strong hatred of

and

. At age 22, Bunting worked at an

abattoir A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility. Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...

and reportedly "bragged about slaughtering the animals, saying that's what he enjoyed the most". Bunting moved to a house in

Salisbury North Salisbury North is a suburb in the City of Salisbury, part of the greater Adelaide conurbation in South Australia. It was built by the South Australian Housing Trust on a greenfield site in the early 1950s, mainly to house employees of the near ...

in 1991 and befriended his neighbours Mark Haydon and Robert Wagner. Robert Joe Wagner (born 28 November 1971 in

Parramatta Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

) was befriended by Bunting in 1991. Bunting encouraged Wagner to assist in the various murders. James "Jamie" Spyridon Vlassakis (born 24 December 1979), along with his mother and half-brother, lived with Bunting and was gradually drawn into helping with the murders. Vlassakis, 23, helped torture and kill his own half-brother, Troy Youde, and his stepbrother, David Johnson. He confessed in 2001 to four murders, including Johnson's, and became a key witness for the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

. The detail he provided, supported by other evidence, helped convict Bunting and Wagner. Vlassakis was sentenced in 2002 to a minimum of 26 years and is held in isolation in an unidentified South Australia prison. Mark Ray Haydon (born 4 December 1958), an associate of Bunting, was initially the subject of "suppression orders or statutory provisions prohibiting publication" and could not therefore be identified as anything other than an alleged perpetrator. In January 1999, he reportedly rented the abandoned

state bank A state bank is generally a financial institution that is chartered by a federated state, as opposed to one regulated at the federal or national level. State banks differ from a reserve bank in that it does not necessarily control monetary policy ...

building at Snowtown. A jury deadlocked on the murders of Haydon's wife, Elizabeth Haydon, and of Troy Youde. The murder charges were not retried when Haydon pleaded guilty to helping the serial killers dispose of the bodies of Elizabeth and Youde.

Community impact

The notoriety of the murders led to a short-term economic boost from tourists visiting Snowtown, but created a lasting stigma.Snowtown: Living with a death penalty

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

7 May 2011 ''

'' reported in 2011 that Snowtown would be "forever stigmatised" due to its association with the murders. Shortly after the discovery of the bodies in Snowtown, the community discussed changing the name to "Rosetown", but no further actions were taken. , one shop in Snowtown was selling souvenirs of the murders "cashing in on Snowtown's unfortunate notoriety". The house in Salisbury North where Bunting lived and buried two bodies was demolished by its owner, the

South Australian Housing Trust The South Australian Housing Trust (SAHT) is an independent statutory authority originally established by the Government of South Australia responsible for providing low-cost rental housing to working people and their families, as a means of ...

. The other place in Murray Bridge has been sold. 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. After holding an open house which raised $700 for charity through charging an entrance fee, the property sold later that year 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.

In media

Film

'', also known as ''The Snowtown Murders'', a

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

based upon the life of John Bunting, was released in Australia on 19 May 2011.

Music

Australian comedian

Eddie Perfect Eddie Perfect (born 17 December 1977) is an Australian singer-songwriter, pianist, comedian, writer and actor. Widely known for his role as Mick Holland in Network Ten, Channel Ten's TV series ''Offspring (TV series), Offspring'' in which he pe ...

wrote a demo song for "Snowtown the Musical" intended to be screened at the 2011 ''

Inside Film Awards The Inside Film Awards (now known as the IF Awards) is an annual awards ceremony and broadcast platform for the Australian film industry, developed by the creators of Inside Film Magazine, Stephen Jenner and David Barda, and originally produced fo ...

'' that he was hosting. The song was not broadcast.

Jason Whalley Jay and the Doctor are the on-air names of Australian radio duo Jason Whalley and Lindsay McDougall, on radio station Triple J. Best known as members of punk band Frenzal Rhomb, they performed occasional late-night shifts on Triple J until 20 ...

and

Lindsay McDougall Lindsay "The Doctor" McDougall (born 9 March 1978) is an Australian rock guitarist and radio presenter. Since 1996, he has been the lead guitarist in punk rock band, Frenzal Rhomb alongside lead singer Jay Whalley. He has co-written songs with f ...

of punk band

Frenzal Rhomb Frenzal Rhomb are an Australian punk rock band that formed in 1992 in Sydney. Three of the group's albums have entered the top 20 on the ARIA Albums Chart: ''A Man's Not a Camel'' (1999), '' Hi-Vis High Tea'' (2017) and ''Smoko at the Pe ...

formed a short lived acoustic band named Self Righteous Brothers, releasing an album in 2005 containing the song 'There's No Town Like Snowtown'.
6 September 2022

Books

Books detailing the crimes include: * Marshall, Debi: ''Killing for Pleasure: The Definitive Story of the Snowtown Serial Murders'', * Mitchell, Susan: ''All Things Bright and Beautiful: Murder in the City of Light'', * McGarry, Andrew: ''Snowtown Murders: The Real Story Behind the Bodies in the Barrels Killings'', * Pudney, Jeremy: ''Snowtown: The Bodies in Barrels Murders: The Grisly Story of Australia's Worst Serial Killings'', * Cawthorne, Nigel: ''The Mammoth Book of New CSI: 31 New Real-Life Crime Scene Investigations'',

Documentaries

*''

Crimes That Shook Australia ''Crimes That Shook Australia'' is an Australian true crime Television documentary, documentary television series that premiered on Crime + Investigation (Australian TV channel), Crime + Investigation on 16 April 2014. Stan Grant (journalist), S ...

'' – Series 3 Episode 01: "Snowtown: The Bodies in the Barrels Murders" – aired 18 February 2018. *''

Crime Investigation Australia ''Crime Investigation Australia'' is an Australian true-crime series that first premiered on pay TV Foxtel's Crime & Investigation Network in August 2005. The series was also rebroadcast on Free to air Nine Network, and made its debut there on ...

'' – Series 1 Episode 09: "Snowtown: Bodies in the Barrels" – aired 2005 *''

Casefile True Crime Podcast ''Casefile True Crime Podcast'', or simply ''Casefile'', is an Australian crime podcast that first aired in January 2016 and is hosted by an Australian man who remains anonymous. The podcast is released on a Sunday (EST) for three consecuti ...

'' – "Case 19: Snowtown" – 14 May 2016 *''City of Evil'' – Series 1 Episode 02 – aired 16 September 2018