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Ivan Milat's Chilling Serial Backpacker Murders Still Haunt Australia · Murder Files Unsealed

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  Speaker 1: Right, diving in again today. Well it's a dark one,
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  Ivan Malot.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, Yeah, definitely a dark one.
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  Speaker 1: The Australian backpacker murder died in prison was at twenty nineteen,
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  but I mean everyone's still talking about him, still trying
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  to figure out his crimes, and I mean I guess
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  whether there were even more.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think the fact that he died it might
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  have brought closure, I guess to some people. But there's
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  a lot of people, you know, especially families who lost people,
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  unsolved cases from that time. For them, it's just more questions.
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  Speaker 1: So we've got articles, court documents, even some I guess
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  psychological profile.
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  Speaker 2: You've really done your homework.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I mean it seems like you really want
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  to know not just what happened, but like why why.
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  Speaker 2: Me a lot exactly. I mean, we can go over
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  the crimes themselves, but the real deep dive for me
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  at least, is trying to figure out the guy. You know,
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  was there something about his past, something that maybe you know,
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  experts could look at now and say, oh, that's a
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  red flag.
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  Speaker 1: Right. Okay, so let's start with the basics. Yeah, seven backpackers,
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  all like late teens, early twenties, vanished hitchhiking south of
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  Sydney early nineties later. Obviously, their bodies were found in
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  the Bilannglo State Forest.
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  Speaker 2: In the Blangla Forest. That's important, right, Melot. He was
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  a hunter, knew that area really well. So you combine
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  that with how he hid the bodies, it just points
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  to like real planning. It wasn't spur of the moment,
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  you know, this was calculated.
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  Speaker 1: Two of those victims were British, right, Carolyn Clark and
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  Joanne Walters. Yeah. I think their cases especially got a
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  lot of attention worldwide, partly because I mean it kind
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  of messed with that whole idea of Australia being this safe,
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  you know, haven for backpackers. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: And for me it was really striking about their cases,
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  and I mean several of the others is how brutal
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  it was, multiple stab wounds, signs of torture. I mean,
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  this wasn't just about killing. There was like a real
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  rage there, almost like he needed.
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  Speaker 1: To make them suffer, like some kind of power thing. Yeah,
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  you know, exert control, but in just the worst way.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that need for control, that's something you see a
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  lot with serial killers. But Melot, I mean it just
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  seems even stronger with him.
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  Speaker 1: You mentioned his background earlier, maybe there's something there. What
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  was his family like, his upbringing?
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  Speaker 2: Well, he was one of fourteen kids, so right away
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  you got to think about what that's like, right, all
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  those siblings, Maybe a ton of competition. Maybe he didn't
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  get enough attention, you know, like he was invisible.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, not exactly your typical family setup. And some reports
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  even say that violence was I don't know, almost normal
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  in the family.
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  Speaker 2: And that could be huge. We know that seeing violence,
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  especially as a kid, it can really mess you up.
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  You can become desensitized to it, like it starts to
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  seem like, I don't know an okay way to deal
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  with things.
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  Speaker 1: So you're saying, maybe those two things together, the violence
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  and maybe some neglect, it all mixed together in that
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  big family. Maybe that's part of how Milan turned out
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  the way he did.
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  Speaker 2: It's complicated, right, and can't say for sure, but when
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  you look at his life, how he started with petty theft,
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  then burglary, and then well, it's hard not to wonder
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  if it's all connected.
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  Speaker 1: He even went to trial for rape back in the seventies. Hitchhiker,
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  just like his later victims. Right, he was acquitted though, And.
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  Speaker 2: That's interesting too, Right means he could manipulate people, get
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  away with things even way back then.
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  Speaker 1: And I mean there were all these stories about him
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  bragging to his friends about how violent he could be,
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  how he didn't care about hurting people, like he wanted
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  them to be scared of him, like he was capable
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  of anything.
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  Speaker 2: Classic psychopath, right, no remorse, no empathy.
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  Speaker 1: But there's this one story that really stands out to me.
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  It's like a turning point almost. Paul Onions, the British
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  backpacker who managed to get away from Mela back in
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  nineteen ninety.
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  Speaker 2: This is oh yeah, before they found any bodies, before
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  Melot was even on their radar. It's a real glimpse
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  into how he operated, how he could be charming, you know,
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  put people at ease.
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  Speaker 1: And then right Onions was hitchhiking, just like well a
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  lot of the victims. And this guy picks him up,
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  call himself Bill right starts asking these questions like who
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  knows where he is? If he has any like combat training.
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  Speaker 2: It's all about figuring out how vulnerable the person is, right,
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  getting information? Is he alone? Does anyone know where he is?
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  Could he fight back like a predator sizing up its prey.
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  Speaker 1: Onions said he had this bad feeling, but he tried
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  to ignore it. Then they get close to the Blangla
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  forest and Bill pulls over says he wants to find
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  some music. Assessed, Yeah, classic, but of course it was
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  all in act. He pulls out a gun, some rope
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  and tells Onions this is a robbery. Wow. But Onions
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  he saw his chance and just ran.
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  Speaker 2: Smart guy.
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  Speaker 1: They struggled, Dell haughty, even fired a shot, but Onions
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  managed to flag down a car and escape.
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  Speaker 2: Lucky break.
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  Speaker 1: He told the police everything, but they didn't connect it
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  to Malot at the time, obviously right. It wasn't until
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  years later after they arrested Milot that Onions saw his
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  photo in the paper, recognized him as Bill. And you
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  know that testimony him being able to id a lot,
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  it was huge for prosecution.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's what really nailed it.
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  Speaker 1: So this whole thing with Onions his close call, it's
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  not just about how predatory me Lot was, but the
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  good reminder you know, trust your gut. If something feels off.
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  Speaker 2: It probably is absolutely I mean, even in a place
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  like Australia, you know known for being friendly, relaxed. There
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  are still bad people out there.
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  Speaker 1: When they arrested me a lot in ninety four, it
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  was huge news for the investigators. I mean it was
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  just the start, right, they had their guy, but they
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  also had a ton of evidence to go through, this
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  giant puzzle to put together.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, like a giant puzzle.
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  Speaker 1: And what they found, well, it paints a pretty horrific
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  picture of this guy meticulously planning and carrying out these killings.
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  Speaker 2: It really does like he turned that forest into his own,
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  i don't know, hunting ground.
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  Speaker 1: Almost hunting ground. Yeah. Yeah. They searched his house, right,
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  and they found all this stuff, backpacks, camping gear, even
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  close from some of the victims, like I don't know,
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  like a creepy museum of his crimes.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. And the thing is it wasn't just those souvenirs,
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  you know. They also found weapons, bullets, some that matched
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  what he used in the murders. So it's like he
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  didn't just want to do it, you wanted to keep
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  the memories, the trophies.
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  Speaker 1: Ugh, that's just it's messed up. And for the families,
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  i mean, finding their kids stuff like that, it must
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  have been just awful.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely and imagine knowing that your son or daughter spent
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  their last moments with this guy, surrounded by that stuff.
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  Speaker 1: So the trial starts in ninety six, and of course
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  it was huge news. Everyone was watching, and the prosecution
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  they just laid it all out, all this evidence tying
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  Malt to the murders.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and it wasn't just the physical stuff, right, They
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  had people who testified, Paulinian's obviously telling a story about escaping.
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  It all built up this picture of Melt, how he
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  pick his victims, how cold he was about.
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  Speaker 1: It all but Melt. Even with all that evidence, he
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  still said he didn't do it. Even tried to blame
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  one of his brothers.
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  Speaker 2: See that's that manipulation again. Even when he's caught red handed,
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  he can't just admit it. Got to make up more lies.
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  Speaker 1: It's like you liked the attention. Yeah, being called Australia's
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  worst serial.
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  Speaker 2: Killer could be for someone like Malot, someone who needs
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  that power, that control. Even being on trial like that
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  maybe felt good to him.
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  Speaker 1: Twisted right. So the jury finds him guilty, all seven counts,
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  seven life sentences, no parole. Justice right, But even with
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  Malot locked up, that's not the end of the story.
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  Speaker 2: No, not at all, because there's still those questions like
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  did he really act alone?
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  Speaker 1: The accomplice theory, it's been around forever. What's the strongest
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  evidence for that?
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  Speaker 2: Well, a couple of things. The judge even during sentencing,
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  he said he thought that at least two of the
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  murders it had to be two people. Really, yeah, not
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  just guessing. He'd seen all the evidence, right, and that's
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  what he thought.
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  Speaker 1: Wow, okay, So what else makes people think there was
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  someone else?
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  Speaker 2: Well, there's some forensic stuff like at one of the
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  crime scenes they found a cigarette butt and the DNA
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  wasn't malots. Back then the DNA tech wasn't as good,
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  But it means someone else is there.
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  Speaker 1: You can't just ignore that.
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  Speaker 2: Right, And then there's witness statements things that don't quite
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  fit with how Melot usually did things. Some of the
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  victims were tied up in ways that I don't know,
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  suggested someone who knew a lot about knots, like military
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  training or something that didn't really match Millot.
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  Speaker 1: So maybe someone ex military or even like law enforcement.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe someone who knew how to restrain people.
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  Speaker 1: That opens up a whole new set of possibilities.
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  Speaker 2: Doesn't it Absolutely if there was someone else, who were they,
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  what did they do and are they still up there?
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  Speaker 1: That's a scary thought. But even if they found this
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  other person, I mean, would it really make a difference
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  for the families.
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  Speaker 2: Probably not. That's the thing with these cases, even with answers,
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  even if someone's convicted, it's never really over.
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  Speaker 1: Millot. He didn't just cast a shadow over that forest,
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  did he? There are other missing people, other families wondering
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  if he was involved.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, you're talking about those three young women right, disappeared
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  near Newcastle back in the late seventies when Millett was
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  working on the roads up there.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly. LeAnn Goodall, Robin Hickey, Amanda Robinson. Their cases,
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  I mean, they've been cold for so long. There's some
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  stuff that points to me a lot, but not enough
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  to charge him.
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  Speaker 2: One of them, Leam Goodall, she was last seen hitchhiking
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  right near where Millot was working. Another one, Amanda Robinson,
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  disappeared after being at a pub Millot used to go to,
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  and Robin Hickey. Some of her things were found by
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  a road construction site where milla had been working.
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  Speaker 1: It's just too much of a coincidence. Isn't it.
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  Speaker 2: It really is, And they questioned a lot about it,
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  but never charged him. He said he didn't do it, obviously,
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  but with all his lying, who knows.
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  Speaker 1: So many loose ends, unsolved cases, maybe an accomplice and Malot, well,
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  he took your secrets with him. It makes you wonder,
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  you know, and it reminds you that even in a
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  place like Australia, bad things happen.
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  Speaker 2: You're right, you can't just assume you're safe anywhere. It's
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  a reminder to be careful, to pay attention.
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  Speaker 1: So the Blanglow Forest, it'll always be connected to Malot.
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  But then in twenty ten things got even and worse.
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  Malat's great nephew, Matthew Malot he killed a teenager in
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  the same forest.
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  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, like some kind of I don't know, family
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  curse or something. Matthew malt He and a friend lured
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  this seventeen year old kid out there, attacked him with
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  an axe and a machete.
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  Speaker 1: It's too similar, isn't it to what Ivan Malot did?
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  Same forest, same brutality.
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  Speaker 2: You have to wonder, right about nature versus nurture. Was
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  Matthew Malot? Was he born that way? Or Is it
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  because of his family, the stories he heard growing up
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  with Ivan Malot as his great uncle.
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  Speaker 1: I mean it's a big question, isn't it. But it
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  shows you how violence it can keep going like a cycle.
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  You know, it affects families, communities for generations. I don't know.
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  It's just with his great nephew doing basically the same
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  thing in the same place, it feels like there's something
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  something bad in that family.
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  Speaker 2: It's definitely creepy, and I think it plays into why
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  people are so obsessed with serial killers. You know, we
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  want to understand how someone can be like that, how
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  a family can produce someone like that. It's like we
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  want to believe we're It's.
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  Speaker 1: Like, yeah, like we want to find that one thing,
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  that one difference between us and them so we can
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  feel safe, right.
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  Speaker 2: Like there's got to be some explanation, some experience they
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  had or I don't know, something in their brain that's different.
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  But a lot of times it's just not that simple.
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  Speaker 1: And a lot I mean, he was so arrogant, even
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  when they had all that evidence against.
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  Speaker 2: Him totally, he'd loved the attention. I think even in prison,
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  the hunger strikes, hurting himself. It was all about control,
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  you know, making sure people were still focused on him.
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  Speaker 1: It's like he wanted to be famous, not just for
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  the murders, but for getting away with it in a way.
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  Speaker 2: And in a way he kind of did, right. I
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  mean everyone knows his name, the Blanglo Forest, it's like
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  his place now and all those unanswered questions maybe the accomplice. Yeah,
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  it just keeps people fascinated.
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  Speaker 1: So what do you think how did the Malat case
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  change Australia.
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  Speaker 2: Well, practically speaking, it changed how the police do things,
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  especially missing persons cases. They're more aware of hitch hiking
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  and they share information with other countries better.
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  Speaker 1: Now. It's sad that it took something like that to happen,
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  but yeah, even in Australia you have to be careful.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely. But it wasn't just the practical stuff the Malot case.
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  It kind of broke this idea that Australia was like
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  this perfect safe place.
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  Speaker 1: It made people realize that bad things can happen anywhere.
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  Speaker 2: And for the families, well, there's just no way to
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  describe what they went through. They'll never really know why
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  it happened.
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  Speaker 1: It makes me think about those unsolved cases. What would
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  it take to finally solve them. I mean, is it
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  even possible.
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  Speaker 2: It's tough to say. The technology keeps getting better, the
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  DNA stuff. Maybe they could find something new in the
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  old evidence.
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  Speaker 1: That would be something. But even if they don't, it's
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  important to remember the victims, right, keep trying to find
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  answers and learn from what happened.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely, we can't let them be forgotten. And you know,
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  maybe by keeping their stories alive, by trying to get
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  justice for them, maybe we can make things safer.
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  Speaker 1: So this has been intense, to say the least. The
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  backpacker murders, the accomplice, the unsolved cases, and Millot himself.
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  Speaker 2: It really takes you into a dark place, doesn't it.
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  But it also shows how strong people can be. The families,
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  the investigators, they never gave up.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks for being here today. It's been uh well, I've
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  learned a lot, And for everyone listening, thanks for joining
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  us on this deep dive. It's been a tough one,
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  but hopefully you got something out of it. Until next time,
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  stay curious, keep learning, but stay safe out there.