Olive Violet Ruby Duck (also known as Olive Moores; 27 March 1912 – 19 May 1925) was a 13-year-old Australian girl who was murdered on 19 May 1925 by her father, Oliver Johnson Duck in a case of paternal filicide. Johnson Duck shot and killed his daughter while they were travelling on horseback between

Marmor Marmor is a form of marble. It may refer to: * Marmor, Queensland, a town in Queensland, Australia * Judd Marmor (1910–2003) American psychiatrist * Kristian Marmor (born 1987), Estonian footballer * Marmorie, or Marmor, a warhorse in the French ...

and Calliope in Central Queensland after which he carried the body on horseback until he reached the

Calliope River The Calliope River is a river located in Central Queensland, Australia. The river rises in the Calliope Range inland from the industrial port city of Gladstone, flows past the town of Calliope, before emptying into the Pacific Ocean just north o ...

where he buried Olive's body on the riverbed, and hid the weapon. Johnson Duck then surrendered himself to police at Calliope at approximately 10pm on 21 May 1925 where he confessed to his daughter's murder, prompting police to retrieve Olive's body from the Calliope River and transport it to

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

for a

post-mortem examination An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any dis ...

. Olive's body was then transported to

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

, where she had lived with her maternal grandmother Margaret Moores since her mother relocated to

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 ...

when she was an infant. Duck's body was buried in the

South Rockhampton Cemetery South Rockhampton Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery at Upper Dawson Road, Allenstown, Queensland, Allenstown, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1860 to 1970. It is also known as Dawson Road Cemetery and Rockhampt ...

on 22 May 1925. Johnson Duck was charged with wilful murder and appeared in the Rockhampton Police Court several times between 23 May 1925 and 10 June 1925, when he was committed to stand trial. Johnson Duck's trial commenced at the Rockhampton Supreme Court on 7 July 1925, and was held over two days. The case concluded on 8 July 1925 when a jury returned a verdict of

wilful murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...

.(9 July 1925
Marmor Tragedy: Duck found guilty
''The Morning Bulletin''. Retrieved 9 August 2019.(9 July 1925
"Wilful Murder", Duck found guilty - life imprisonment imposed
''The Evening News''. Retrieved 9 August 2019. Judge Frank Brennan sentenced Johnson Duck to

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 ...

with hard labour. Johnson Duck applied for leave to

appeal In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of clarifying and ...

, but his application was rejected. Johnson Duck died in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

on 30 July 1972. Like other murders to take place in Central Queensland during the early 20th century, such as the

murder of Fanny Hardwick Fanny Hardwick (12 January 1875 – 2 June 1901) was a young woman who was murdered in Rockhampton, Queensland by her former partner, Portuguese wharf labourer John RheubensThis spelling of the murderer's surname reflects his signature on a lett ...

and the murder of Emily Salsbury, the murder of Olive Duck generated interest from the national press.(31 May 1925
Father pursues daughter with loaded revolver, Olive Duck's vain race for life
''

Truth Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth 2005 In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as beliefs ...

''. Retrieved 9 August 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duck, Olive Female murder victims Filicides in Australia Incidents of violence against girls Murder in Queensland