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The Family Murder's
According to SA police, The Family, a gang of up to nine homosexual men, was responsible for the abduction and rape of up to 200 boys and the murder of five people during a 10-year reign of terror between 1973 and '83. The first person killed was Alan Barnes, 17, who disappeared on June 17, 1979, while hitchhiking in Adelaide. His body, which had been washed and redressed, was found a week later on the banks or a reservoir. An autopsy revealed he had died of blood loss associated with severe internal wounds caused by a blunt object thrust into his anus. The death disgusted Adelaide but there was worse to come. The body of Neil Frederick Muir, 25, was skilfully dismembered into 43 pieces and found in a plastic bag in Adelaide's Port River on August 28, 1979. The final death was that of Richard Kelvin, 15, the son of a prominent Adelaide newsreader. A court heard evidence Bevan Spencer Von Einem had kept the schoolboy captive in a drugged state for up to five weeks before killing him. Von Einem, who maintained his innocence and refused to nominate anyone else involved in the death. was sentenced to a then SA record, 36-year non-parole period. A.A |
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Doctor allegedly linked to Family murders A FORMER Adelaide man has been arrested and charged with sex crimes allegedly linked to the notorious "Family murders". The man was charged with five counts of rape, which allegedly occurred in the 1980s. He is now based in Sydney and he was arrested by NSW police officers last month after a warrant was issued. He is expected to remain in Sydney before he appears in court in Adelaide in a fortnight. Channel 9 reported the man was a doctor with links to suspects in the "Family murders". That was the name given to the murders of Richard Kelvin, Mark Langley, Alan Barnes, Neil Muir and Peter Stogneff, who died between 1979 and 1983. The five deaths are linked to a group of homosexuals who preyed on young men, picking them up, drugging them and sexually abusing them. Only one member of the group, Bevan Spencer von Einem, has been brought to justice. He is serving a life sentence for the murder of Richard Kelvin. Detectives completed a cold-case review of the murders late last year but no new charges were laid then. AdelaideNow (1-2-2011) |
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Family murder truth may never be known THE 30-year-old Family murders are destined to remain unresolved, with a major cold-case review failing to unearth any new evidence. Without any convincing new evidence, the three long-standing and key suspects - and the already convicted murderer Bevan Spencer von Einem - will not be charged. The decision comes after more than 18 months of renewed investigations and protracted forensic examinations into the murders of the five young males between 1979 and 1983. While detectives have concluded their inquiries, final forensic tests on a number of exhibits in the case that could provide evidence against a number of the suspects is yet to be completed - but forensic officers are not confident they will be positive. Major Crime officer-in-charge, detective Superintendent Grant Moyle, said the results of the forensic testing may result in further investigations being conducted and would determine "if there is any evidence to take action against any individual". "(But) I have not received any further information that would allow us to take these matters forward at this stage," he said. The review of the Family murders was the largest cold-case review conducted by Major Crime detectives with all witnesses reinterviewed, DNA swabs taken from the four suspects and their associates and dozens of exhibits re-examined at the Forensic Science Centre. It examined the murders of Richard Kelvin, Mark Langley, Alan Barnes, Neil Muir and Peter Stogneff who were killed between 1979 and 1983. The five deaths have been linked to a close-knit group of homosexuals who preyed on young men by picking them up, drugging them and sexually abusing them. Only one member of the group, Bevan Spencer von Einem, has been brought to justice. He is serving a life sentence for the murder of Richard Kelvin. Although his 24-year non-parole period expired last November, he has not yet applied for release. It is understood several detectives who worked on the review believed there was enough evidence to put von Einem and another suspect, an eastern suburbs businessman, on trial for one of the unsolved murders, but this view was not shared by senior officers. Supt Moyle said a "cautious approach" needed to be taken when assessing the available evidence before launching any prosecution because the "the outcome is definitive". "I am certain if there was enough evidence action would have been taken in the past," he said. A $1 million reward and immunity from prosecution are available for anyone who provides information that leads to a conviction in the murders. "I would hope the reward would be an incentive for some people to come forward. I certainly feel there are a lot of people who do know a lot more about what happened to these victims than have come forward," Supt Moyle said. "It is never too late for them to come forward and I don't think anyone involved in this should ever sleep easy. "No one should think these cases are forgotten. They are not. "It is never too late for someone to come forward with information regarding them. We will follow it up." Alan Barnes' brother, Charlie, echoed his remarks, stating he believed that those responsible would one day be held accountable. "I would like them to shed the guilt and remorse they must be carrying around and come forward and bring this to a conclusion," he said. "I know the police are like bulldogs and will not let go of this. They may well tap you on the shoulder one day. "I am over wanting revenge for what happened to Alan, I just want to see justice prevail one day." Sunday Mail (5-12-2010) Nigel Hunt |
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Focus on three key suspects BEVAN Spencer von Einem is the only man convicted of committing any of the Family murders but three others have long been prime targets of the police investigation. BEVAN SPENCER VON EINEM Convicted of the murder of Richard Kelvin in 1984. Police have evidence he was with Alan Barnes after he was abducted and drugged. He was one of the last people seen with Neil Muir. Currently serving a life sentence in Port Augusta prison. OTHER SUSPECTS #1. Eastern suburbs businessman. Visited von Einem after his 1984 conviction. Interviewed in late 1983 and denied involvement in the Kelvin murder. Has also denied knowledge of the other murders, despite an informant telling police he saw him with von Einem and an unconscious Alan Barnes on the night Barnes was abducted in June 1979. Refused to answer questions when approached as part of the cold case review. #2. Former Adelaide doctor who is well known in gay circles. Former lover of a well-known Adelaide lawyer. The pair used to pick up, drug and abuse young men. Known to have supplied drugs to von Einem and suspect 1 which were used to incapacitate hitch-hikers. Lives in Sydney and refused to answer questions as part of the cold case review. #3. Former male prostitute who is a close friend of von Einem and suspect 1. Police have considerable information that implicates him in picking up, drugging and sexually abusing hitch-hikers. Believed to have been with von Einem and suspect 1 when Kelvin was abducted, but has denied this. Now a bus driver in Brisbane, he fled Adelaide shortly after the cold case review was launched. Sunday Mail (5-12-2010) |
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Family Murders Were 'About Snuff Movies' THE Supreme Court has heard claims that Adelaide's notorious Family murders "were really about making snuff movies". Anti-child abuse campaigner Malcolm Barry Standfield allegedly made the "snuff movie" claims in 2004, during a private conversation with South Australian Premier Mike Rann's now chief of staff Nick Alexandrides. Standfield, 67, and fellow campaigner Wendy Utting, 39, have both denied criminally defaming two politicians and two senior police officers by claiming they were pedophiles. "(Standfield) told me that over the weekend he had been somewhere at Wingfield, he said, and that he was speaking to a bloke, as he called him, who had given him information," Mr Alexandrides said. "(The man) had told him that the so-called Family murders . . . were really about making snuff movies." The "Family murders" centre on the deaths of five teenagers in Adelaide in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Two of the men named as pedophiles in a fax allegedly sent by Utting and Standfield in April 2005 briefly testified in court yesterday afternoon. A serving MP said he had "absolutely not" been involved in any kind of pedophile activity and denied ever using an alias. A senior police officer vehemently denied knowing or having a sexual encounter with sex abuse informant Shaine Moore - who was found dead at his Kilburn home in 2005. The trial before Justice Ann Vanstone continues. The Adelaide Advertiser (21-11-2008) Andrew Dowdell |
THE reward in relation to the so-called Family murders has been doubled to $1 million in a bid to flush out new information in the cases which date back to the 1970s. South Australian Premier Mike Rann said the murders of five young men were some of the most violent unsolved crimes in the state's history. "This crime, this evil that was inflicted on these young people has had a massive adverse impact on the lives of their families and friends ever since," Mr Rann said. "It is a scar on our history. Most of us cannot think of crimes worse than the torture and murder perpetrated on these young innocent victims." The killings of Alan Barnes, Neil Muir, Mark Langley, Peter Stogneff and Richard Kelvin date back to the period between 1979 and 1983. Only one man has ever been convicted in relation to the deaths with Bevan Spencer von Einem serving a life sentence, but only in relation to the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin in 1983. The killings were dubbed the Family murders because of suggestions a group of closely-connected, high-profile men were involved. Police have since revealed they have four suspects in the case, but have refused to disclose their identities. "Most South Australian believe that von Einem had accomplices," Mr Rann said. "There are people out there in the community who can come forward with information." As well as increasing the reward for the Family murders, the Government has also doubled to $200,000 the reward for a string of other unsolved crimes, including the disappearance of the three Beaumont children in 1966. AAP (28-10-2008) |
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PREMIER Mike Rann would increase the reward to solve the notorious Family sex murders if Police Commissioner Mal Hyde asked him to do so. Mr Rann today said Mr Hyde had not yet asked him to increase the existing $500,000 reward, but he would "totally support" him if he did so. It was revealed in the Sunday Mail today that senior police are in the final stages of drafting a request to the State Government to post a reward of up to $5 million to help solve the notorious Family sex murders. The reward revelation comes a week after Major Crime Investigation Section detectives questioned convicted killer Bevan Spencer von Einem over the unsolved murders. It is understood police may ask the Government to post a reward of $1 million for each of the five Family murders - those of Richard Kelvin, 15, Mark Langley, 18, Alan Barnes, 16, Neil Muir, 25, and Peter Stogneff, 14. "I haven't heard from the Police Commissioner, but if the Police Commissioner comes to me in the next week or so and says we want to increase the level of reward, he is an extremely responsible person and we will back him," Mr Rann said. "It would be silly for me to pre-empt what he is going to say on the basis of a figure named in the newspaper from an unnamed source, but if the Police Commissioner believes that upping the reward would help lead to the arrest, prosecution and successful conviction of those who are involved in the worst, vilest, most evil killings in the history of Australia then it is money well spent. "We would totally support whatever the police commissioner comes to me to ask." Von Einem, 61, is the currently the only member of the Family to face justice. He is serving a life sentence with a 24-year non-parole period for the murder of Richard Kelvin in 1983. AAP (26-10-2008) Joanna Vaughan |
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POLICE are set to ask the State Government to post a reward of up to $5 million to help solve the notorious Family sex murders. The Sunday Mail understands senior police are in the final stages of drafting a request for the reward, which would be the biggest in SA history. They believe increasing the reward from the current $500,000 could prove a vital component in prompting a breakthrough in the long-running cases. Detectives conducting a cold-case review of the murders believe many people with information have chosen to remain silent. It is understood the review has uncovered new evidence implicating a number of key suspects, but police are seeking to exhaust all avenues of inquiry in the five murders before making a decision on whether any person should be charged. The reward revelation comes a week after Major Crime Investigation Section detectives questioned convicted killer Bevan Spencer von Einem over the unsolved murders. Major Crime officer-in-charge Detective Superintendent John Venditto yesterday would not comment directly on the reward amount, but when asked if the existing $500,000 reward was adequate, he replied: "no". "Given the progress that has been made to date and that the review relates to the investigation of five unsolved murders, it is logical that we would review the amount of reward offered against contemporary standards," he said. The highest reward to solve a murder in South Australia at present is for information leading to a conviction in the 1994 National Crime Authority bombing that killed WA police officer Geoffrey Bowen. That reward – $1 million – was posted in May following an exhaustive review of the NCA bombing case file by senior detectives that failed to find any new evidence against prime suspect Domenic Perre or any other persons. It is understood police may ask the Government to match that reward for each of the five Family murders – those of Richard Kelvin, 15, Mark Langley, 18, Alan Barnes, 16, Neil Muir, 25, and Peter Stogneff, 14. Von Einem, 61, is the only member of the Family to face justice – he is serving a life sentence with a 24-year non-parole period for the murder of Richard Kelvin in 1983. Det-Supt Venditto has revealed the review had identified four key suspects and that inquiries were concentrating on them and their past and present associates. In March, the Sunday Mail revealed that key suspects in the murders were being DNA-tested as part of the renewed investigations. The review has targeted up to a dozen people – the key suspects and associates of them, and von Einem. One of the major targets is an eastern suburbs businessman aged in his 60s. He was von Einem's closest associate when the murders occurred between 1979 and 1983. Another target, a former Adelaide doctor, is living in Sydney. Detectives have travelled to Sydney to both interview and obtain a DNA profile from him. Another key suspect has shifted to Queensland, with detectives a fortnight ago interviewing him and obtaining a DNA sample from him. The Family murders review is the largest conducted by Major Crime's cold case team. It has so far reviewed 1000 statements with 1800 lines of inquiry identified. A dozen detectives assigned to the review have interviewed and re-interviewed dozens of people and taken DNA samples from an unknown number of them. The detectives have also submitted a number of exhibits to Forensic Science SA for re-testing using new technology, and a number have been sent for first-time testing. The exhibits include clothing worn by the victims, clothing seized from suspects at the time of the murders and other objects seized from the homes of suspects. Anyone with any information on the Family murders is urged to contact BankSA Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000. Police have assured those with information that their safety fears will be addressed and any information provided in confidence. Sunday Mail (26-10-2008) Nigel Hunt |
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CONVICTED serial killer Bevan Spencer von Einem will never be released if Premier Mike Rann has his way. He has asked Attorney-General Michael Atkinson to examine ways of keeping von Einem "in Jail for good". "I believe he should die in prison," Mr Rann told The Advertiser yesterday. "I think there would be justifiable community outrage if von Einem was released. "... he will probably go down in infamy as South Australia's most hated man for the dreadful crimes he has committed." Von Einem, 59, is eligible for parole in November, 2008. He is serving life with a 24-year non-parole period for murdering teenager Richard Kelvin in 1983. It is understood the Government will examine two options - rejecting parole if it is recommended by the Parole Board or introducing special laws to ensure he stays in jail - as has been done in Britain. Questions were raised in State Parliament on Wednesday about special treatment for the killer including claims by an anonymous prisoner that von Einem had "celebrity status" in Yatala prison, had sexual relations With another prisoner and had items smuggled into him. The Government said yesterday von Einem was afforded no special privileges, could not access the internet, was not considered a celebrity and that there was no evidence of rape or sexual abuse. Correctional Services Minister Terry Roberts said a prison officer had been disciplined over the matter of an unauthorised item of clothing - an apron - being brought into prison for von Einem. Opposition justice spokesman Robert Lawson said Mr Rann's plan to keep von Einem in jail was a toejerk response "to revelations that his government has failed to run an effective prison system". Adelaide Advertiser (10-11-2004) Greg Kelton/ Bryan littlely |
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MIKE Rann must have felt at least a cold twinge of anxiety this week over allegations that the man convicted of utterly contemptible crimes, Bevan Spencer von Einem, has been receiving preferential treatment in Yatala prison. As the leader of a government constantly trumpeting its supposedly tough stance on crime, one of the things the Premier would least want to have to confront is a revelation that the state's most detested convicted murderer is being given carte blanche to queen it over his fellow inmates and captors. Particularly given Mr Rann is likely to have to decide inside the next three years - when von Einem becomes eligible for conditional release - whether to stage another of his controversial interventions with the Parole Board and especially when so many usually well-informed citizens of this state remain convinced that, while von Einem was correctly adjudged to be guilty of the appallingly inhumane crime for which he was sentenced to life in jail, he had not been acting alone. Rightly or wrongly, the suspicion not only remains but has become enhanced in many quarters that a massive coverup was successfully achieved at the time. And that von Einem took the rap to protect associates who included some of toe state's most influential judicial and political identities. Speculation that the real and entire facts would one day emerge - and that the identity of all the culprits and their further activities would eventually be revealed - has heightened in recent times following the death of von Einem's mother and of other people often linked by rumour to the activities of the so-termed Family. All of which makes it easier to believe that people with power might deem it advisable to ensure von Einem's Yatala tenancy is made as comfortable as he would want it to be. Far and away the biggest problem surrounding this weeks allegations is that they have been introduced by a fellow prisoner who may well have his own devious reasons for making them - reasons which could involve everything from jealousy and hatred to political opportunism. That aside, having read a copy of his manuscript - albeit with names, signature and other identifying material omitted - we find it to be a reasonably convincing, detailed and persuasive document. Uncommonly so in fact, given the literary skill of your average Yatala recidivist. What intrigues most is the contention that von Einem is planning a High Court challenge in an attempt to overturn his conviction. And that he will be citing allegations of police corruption at the time of his original arrest, together with fresh evidence he feels-able to proffer in mitigation since his mother's death. Such a possibility would undoubtedly be welcomed, even assisted, by those who subscribe to the theory that widespread conspiracy was involved not just in the Kelvin murder but others for which no person has yet been charged. Whether it eventuates remains to be seen. As does the Government's course of action in response to the prisoner's assertions, as tabled in Parliament, that von Einem has unrestricted movement within the entire protective custody unit, regularly preys on other prisoners, pampers those he intends to seduce with gifts and the promise of thousands of dollars, and has a status "amongst all staff and prisoners which can only be compared to that of a celebrity". Those are damning and infuriating allegations which, if proved correct, could well trigger the sort of recriminations which, in time, might also unlock some horrible secrets. We hope so. Adelaide Advertiser (11-11-2004) Geoff Roach |
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EVIDENCE in the case of so-called "Family" killer Bevan Spencer Von Einem may have been deliberately suppressed by police, it was claimed yesterday. Defence lawyers have also asked the Full Court of the Supreme Court to find that the Attorney-General, Mr Griffin, lied in an affidavit about the action he took in relation to Von Einem's petition for mercy. Von Einem is serving a 24-year non-parole period for the 1983 abduction and murder of Richard Kelvin, 15, the son of Channel 9 newsreader Rob Kelvin. Von Einem attended court yesterday for the judicial review of advice formed by the Attorney-General on the basis of a report from the Solicitor- General, which resulted in the Governor rejecting Von Einem's petition for mercy last December. But counsel for Von Einem, Mr Michael Abbott, QC, told the court yesterday that Mr Griffin was obliged to also consider his own powers to refer the matter back to the Supreme Court. Mr Abbott said there was no indication in any correspondence, nor any ministerial note, that Mr Griffin had considered that option. However, in Mr Griffin's affidavit - on which the court refused permission for him to be cross-examined - he said he had considered and rejected the idea. The Solicitor-General, Mr Brad Selway, QC, yesterday described as "bizarre" the suggestion that the statement was a lie and urged the court to believe Mr Griffin's oath. Mr Abbott also told the court that fresh evidence which had been the subject of the petition might not only have supported Von Einem's testimony but provided him with an alibi. One witness, Edward Sincock, told police he had seen Kelvin in Rundle Mall after the time he was said to have been abducted. The advice to the Attorney-General had been that Sincock was "notoriously unreliable" and a convicted paedophile. However, Mr Abbott said Sincock's "predilection for young boys" would have made him more reliable as, on his own statement, he paid particular attention to the youth he saw in the mall that night. Mr Abbott also said there were two other statements which had only recently come to light from witnesses with similar accounts, which in the very least supported Sincock's statement. Apart from the abduction evidence, Mr Abbott said documents discovered recently showed the date of death could have been later than originally thought. This could mean that Von Einem was under heavy police surveillance at the time Kelvin died, he said. Mr Abbott said that even the Solicitor-General had criticised the fact that this evidence had not been made available by police before the trial and recommended the matter be brought to the attention of the police commissioner. He said the admission that this evidence might have been deliberately suppressed amounted to a miscarriage of justice and demanded action from either the Governor or the Attorney-General. Mr Abbott said it was not necessary to prove the evidence could have resulted in an acquittal, but the matter should be revisited to uphold- the principles of procedural fairness and natural Justice. The court reserved its decision. Adelaide Advertiser (9-9-1998) Fiona Clark |
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Key figure in Von Einem's freedom bid identified THE key witness in the bid to reopen the Von Einem case is a convicted paedophile and "notoriously unreliable", according to documents filed with the Supreme Court by the Solicitor General. The witness cannot be identified. But he is central to the attempt by Bevan Spencer Von Einem to reopen the case in which he was convicted in 1984 of the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin. In February this year, the Governor, Sir Eric Neal, acted on the advice of the State Government to reject a petition by Von Einem to reopen the case. Von Einem is now applying to have that decision reviewed. The evidence of the witness is claimed to support Von Einem's defence case at trial, where he said he had dropped Kelvin off in the city in the evening of June 5, 1983. The witness gave a statement to police in 1983 that he had seen a youth matching Kelvin's description in Rundle Mall that evening. Solicitor-General Mr Brad Selway, QC, in a document filed with the court, says the fact the witness is "notoriously unreliable" is probably why the statement was withheld from the defence. He says the witness was either mistaken or lying, and the only reason the statement could have been of any use to Von Einem is that it could have enabled him to "invent a different lie" to match exactly the witness's story. Another document, filed in support of the Solicitor-General's report, says the witness may have been an associate of Von Einem's who provided a "set-up or fabrication" and that his own history was questionable. "There was information that he may have been arrested for an abduction in Melbourne," the document reads. "And there was an anonymous telephone call by someone about the whereabouts of the victim which was believed to be falsely reported by (the witness)". In his report to the Solicitor-General, also on file, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Paul Rofe, QC, says the witness is a convicted paedophile. Further investigations by The Advertiser have revealed the witness was convicted of seven child sex offences in the 1980s. The last four were committed while he was on parole for the first three. He was also questioned before sentencing about the so-called "Family" killings but investigators said he provided no new information. The Solicitor-General will argue for the Von Einem application to be struck out when it again goes before Justice Duggan next month. Adelaide Advertiser (13-5-1998) Fiona Clark |
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