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Easey Street Murders · Murder Files Unsealed

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Okay, So we're diving deep into the Easy Street murders,
• 0:03
  a case that's really captured Australia's attention for decades now.
• 0:08
  And I mean, you guys have just sent in a
• 0:11
  ton of stuff about this case, articles, podcasts, everything, so
• 0:14
  clearly you're ready to really get into this one with us.
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah. It's a fascinating case, just so many twists and turns,
• 0:20
  and it went cold for so long. Yeah, and then
• 0:23
  just recently there have been some major development.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: Right, and it's a story that just grabs you right away.
• 0:27
  I mean, the brutality of it all and the fact
• 0:29
  that it happened in such an ordinary setting is just chilling.
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: Absolutely.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: So let's go back to the beginning. January nineteen seventy
• 0:36
  seven in Melbourne. We've got Suzanne Armstrong, a young single
• 0:39
  mother twenty eight years old, and her friend Susan Bartlett,
• 0:43
  a school teacher twenty seven. They're found murdered in their
• 0:46
  home on Easy Street.
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: And it was the neighbors who found them, right, Yeah, it.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: Was actually the neighbors who heard Suzanne's baby, Gregory. He
• 0:53
  was just sixteen months old at the time and he
• 0:55
  was alone in the house. Obviously very distressed. Oh gosh,
• 0:58
  that poor baby, just imagine, I know, and the neighbors
• 1:00
  they went to check on him, and that's when they
• 1:02
  discovered the bodies. The crime scene was just horrific. Suzanne
• 1:06
  had been stabbed twenty seven times, Susan fifty five.
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and there were signs of a struggle too. It
• 1:12
  sounds like Susan really fought back.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it must have been terrifying.
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: And the killer tried to clean up the scene too.
• 1:17
  Oh really, yeah, which makes you think it wasn't just
• 1:19
  a random act of violence. There was some level of
• 1:21
  premeditation involved.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: That's a really disturbing detail, it is. And then to
• 1:26
  add to the mystery, the back door was unlocked, no
• 1:29
  sign of force entry, and the murder weapon was never found.
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: So right from the start, the investigators had a lot
• 1:35
  of questions and not many answers.
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: Right, And they must have felt the pressure too. I mean,
• 1:40
  this case immediately captured the public's attention. Everyone wanted to
• 1:43
  know who could have done this?
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I can imagine. And initially they focused on some
• 1:48
  construction workers who were working behind the house.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Oh right, I remember reading.
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: About that, But that lead went nowhere.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: Huh, So what happened next Well.
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: Fast forward to nineteen ninety nine, they started doing some
• 2:00
  DNA testing on eight prime suspects.
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: Okay, so finally they're starting to use more advanced forensic
• 2:06
  techniques exactly. And did they get any matches?
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: No, unfortunately not. Those DNA tests didn't lead them to
• 2:13
  the killer. Wow.
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: So even with DNA technology, they were still hitting dead ends.
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it was frustrating, I'm sure for everyone involved.
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: And then there's that other case you mentioned, the disappearance
• 2:23
  of Julie Garciasley.
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: Oh. Yeah, that's a really intriguing part of this story.
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: Tell me more about that.
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: So Julie Garciaslei disappeared in nineteen seventy five, and there
• 2:32
  was a suspect in her case who happened to be
• 2:35
  staying next door to the Easy Street house on the
• 2:38
  night of the murders.
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: Hold on, you're saying this suspect in Julie Garcia ci
• 2:41
  Osley's case was right next door to the scene on
• 2:44
  the same night as the Easy Street murders. That's unbelievable.
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: It's quite a coincidence, isn't it.
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: It's more than a coincidence.
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: I think it definitely adds another layer to the mystery,
• 2:53
  and this suspect he was a crime reporter who knew Julie.
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: Wow, was that connection ever fully explored?
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: That's a good question, And to be honest, it's not
• 3:03
  entirely clear how deep they went with that particular lead.
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: So for years the case just went cold, no new leads,
• 3:09
  no arrests.
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: Right, and then in twenty eleven, Ron Iddles decides to
• 3:13
  reopen the investigation. Quietly at first, but then in twenty
• 3:18
  seventeen they increased the reward to a million dollars.
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: A million dollars a million dollar.
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a huge statement. They clearly believe that someone
• 3:26
  out there had crucial information.
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: And it sounds like Adols has a reputation for cracking
• 3:31
  these cold cases.
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: He does. He's known for being really meticulous going back
• 3:35
  over old evidence, looking for things that might have been
• 3:38
  missed the first time around.
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: I can imagine with fresh eyes sometimes you see things
• 3:41
  you didn't see before, right.
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: And he's also really good at building relationships with people,
• 3:45
  getting them to trust him and open up.
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: So it's not just about the evidence, it's about understanding.
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: People too, yeah, exactly.
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: And then finally a major breakthrough in September twenty twenty
• 3:54
  four Pericolus Perry Kurumbliss, a sixty five year old dual
• 3:58
  Australian Greek citizens in Rome.
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: It was huge news here. Almost fifty years after the murders,
• 4:04
  they finally had.
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: An arrest and Krumblas. He was a student at the
• 4:07
  same school where Susan Bartlett worked.
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: Right, that's right. Investigators had been looking at him since
• 4:13
  at least twenty seventeen.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: So why did it take so long to make an arrest.
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: Well, there were some legal obstacles. Kroumbliss had emigrated to
• 4:21
  Greece and Greek law actually protected him from being extradited
• 4:25
  for this case.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: Wow, So they had their suspect, but they couldn't bring
• 4:28
  him back to Australia exactly.
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: It was a really frustrating situation.
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: So how did they finally manage to arrest him?
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: They waited until he left Greece. They issued an Interpol
• 4:38
  red notice basically an international want of notice, and when
• 4:41
  he traveled to Rome they were able to take him
• 4:44
  into custody.
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: So they had to play the waiting game. Sounds like
• 4:47
  something out of a movie, it.
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: Does, doesn't it, But this wasn't a movie. It was
• 4:51
  a real life case with real life victims, and finally
• 4:54
  there was some movement towards justice.
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: And where does Karimlas stand now?
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: Well, he's denying the charge, of course, but he's willing
• 5:02
  to be extradited back to Australia to clear his name.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: Okay, so it looks like we're headed for a trial.
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: It certainly seems that way.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and what about Suzanne's son, Gregory. He was just
• 5:11
  a baby when all of this happened.
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: Yeah, he was adopted by his aunt and grew up
• 5:15
  without knowing his mother. His aunt has been fighting for
• 5:19
  justice all these years, keeping Suzanne's memory alive.
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: It's hard to imagine what they've been through all this time,
• 5:25
  not knowing, the waiting for answers, and now with this arrest.
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: I imagine it's a whole mix of emotions for them. Hope, relief,
• 5:34
  maybe even some fear.
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a lot to process after all this time,
• 5:38
  and there are still so many questions like why why
• 5:42
  did this happen? What could have possibly driven someone to
• 5:44
  commit such a brutal act?
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: That's the big question, isn't it? And we may never
• 5:49
  know the answer for sure, But as we dive deeper
• 5:51
  into this case, maybe we can uncover some clues that
• 5:54
  will help us understand at least a little bit better.
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: I think that's a good place to take a break
• 5:57
  and we'll come back and continue exploring this case just
• 6:00
  a moment. It's amazing to me how this case has
• 6:03
  just become a part of Australian culture.
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's almost like a legend, you know, a dark
• 6:08
  tale that people whisper about exactly.
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: I mean, I think about it. We've got articles about
• 6:13
  the property being sold and re sold. Every time that happens,
• 6:16
  it sparks this renewed interest in the case. And then
• 6:18
  there's the artwork, the books, the podcast It just goes
• 6:20
  on and on, it really does.
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: And it's not just about the facts of the case.
• 6:24
  It's about how people have responded to it, how it's
• 6:26
  affected the community.
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and it's like each of those responses, the art,
• 6:30
  the books, the podcasts, they give us another perspective on
• 6:34
  the case, another layer of meaning. Like we were talking
• 6:36
  about Steve Cox before, the artists who lived near the
• 6:38
  crime scene.
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, his work is really powerful.
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: It is, and it's so interesting how he uses these
• 6:44
  abstract images and muted colors to kind of capture that
• 6:48
  sense of unease, you know, that lingering darkness that hung
• 6:51
  over the neighborhood.
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's like he's not just depicting the events themselves,
• 6:55
  but the emotional atmosphere, the trauma that stayed with people
• 6:59
  long after.
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: The murder exactly. And then you've got the authors like
• 7:02
  Tom Pryor and Helen Thomas who've written books about the case.
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: They've done some incredible research, digging through court documents, police reports,
• 7:10
  interviewing people connected to the case.
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: Yeah, they've really gone deep, haven't they.
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: They have, And it makes you realize how much work
• 7:18
  goes into piecing together a story like this, especially after
• 7:22
  so much time has passed.
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: And it's not just about the facts. It's about trying
• 7:25
  to understand the people involved, their motivations, their relationships, right.
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: And that's something that podcasts do really well too, you know.
• 7:33
  They can explore those human elements in a way that
• 7:35
  other forms of media can't always do.
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and they can really draw you in, make you
• 7:39
  feel like you're part of the.
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: Investigation, exactly. And there have been so many podcasts about
• 7:44
  this case, Case File and soulve Murders, even that recent
• 7:47
  case File presents series that focus specifically on the Easy
• 7:51
  Street murders.
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: It's amazing, isn't it How this case has resonated with
• 7:54
  so many people for so long.
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: It is, and I think part of it is that
• 7:58
  we still don't have all the answers, you know, There's
• 8:01
  still so much we don't know about what happened that night.
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and I think people are drawn to that mystery,
• 8:07
  that sense of trying to solve a puzzle.
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: And with podcasts, listeners can participate in a way they
• 8:12
  couldn't before. You know that they can analyze the evidence,
• 8:17
  come up with their own theories, share their thoughts with
• 8:19
  other listeners.
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: It's become a very interactive experience.
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: It has, and that raises some interesting questions too, you know,
• 8:26
  about the role of true crime media in these cases.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: Like what do you mean?
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: Well, on the one hand, it could be a really
• 8:32
  positive thing, you know. All this attention on a cold
• 8:35
  case can sometimes lead to new tips, new witnesses coming forward.
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I've heard of that happening before.
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: But it can also lead to speculation. This information even
• 8:46
  sometimes it can affect the investigation or harm the people involved.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: That's true. You have to be careful about what you
• 8:51
  put out there.
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: Exactly. It's a delicate balance. You know, we want to
• 8:54
  find the truth, but we also have to be responsible.
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: And that brings us back to the upcoming trial of
• 8:58
  Perry Karumbliss.
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah, this trial is going to be huge, it is.
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: It could really be a pivotal moment, not just for
• 9:04
  this case, but for how we approach cold cases in general,
• 9:07
  especially with.
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: The international element. You know, this arrest and potential extradition
• 9:12
  could set a precedent for future cases where suspects flee
• 9:16
  across borders.
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: So the outcome of this trial could have ripple effects
• 9:20
  far beyond just this one case.
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, and for Gregory Armstrong and his aunt, this trial
• 9:26
  represents a chance for some level of closure, you know,
• 9:30
  a chance to finally see someone held accountable for what
• 9:33
  happened to Suzanne.
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: Yeah, but even if Karumlus is found guilty, there are
• 9:37
  still going to be questions that may never be answered.
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: Like the motive.
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: Exactly why did he do it? What was his motivation?
• 9:44
  We may never know for sure.
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: And that's what makes this case so fascinating, so haunting.
• 9:49
  It's a reminder that sometimes even with all the advancements
• 9:51
  in forensic technology, even with the best efforts of investigators.
• 9:56
  Some mysteries just remain unsolved.
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: But with the trial coming up, we're bound to learn more,
• 10:00
  aren't we.
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: Oh? Absolutely, this is going to be a case to watch,
• 10:02
  that's for sure.
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: It is. And it makes you think about all the
• 10:05
  other cold cases out there, you know, the families who
• 10:08
  are still waiting for answers, the investigators who are still
• 10:11
  searching for that one breakthrough.
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and with DNA technology constantly evolving, who knows how
• 10:16
  many more cold cases might be solved in the years
• 10:19
  to come.
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: It's a fascinating thought, isn't it The idea that the
• 10:22
  past can still reach out and touch us like this?
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: It is. It's a reminder that justice can be delayed,
• 10:29
  but it doesn't always have to be denied.
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: And as we wait for this trial to unfold, it's
• 10:33
  important to remember the victims, Suzanne and Susan. Their lives
• 10:37
  were cut short and their families have been living with
• 10:39
  this pain for decades.
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's impossible to truly understand what they've been through,
• 10:44
  but we can at least try to honor their memory
• 10:46
  by seeking justice and by never forgetting what happened.
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: Well said, and now, before we wrap up this deep dive.
• 10:52
  I'd love to hear your thoughts on the upcoming trial.
• 10:55
  What are your predictions, what are you hoping to see?
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: You know, it's really wild to think about it. We
• 11:00
  could actually be seeing a trial for this case after
• 11:02
  almost fifty years. And I mean, if Cromblis is actually
• 11:06
  extradited and then found guilty, could this become like a
• 11:09
  model case for international legal cooperation. It could? Yeah, yeah,
• 11:13
  it really has all the elements. The way they worked
• 11:15
  around the Greek legal system and using that Interpol red
• 11:18
  notice to finally arresting him in Italy. It's fascinating.
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: It really is like a real life legal thriller, and
• 11:24
  it just shows how complex things can get when you're
• 11:27
  dealing with crimes that cross border.
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: Definitely, and it raises some interesting questions for the future too,
• 11:32
  like how do we as a global society deal with
• 11:36
  these kinds of crimes that go beyond national boundary exactly?
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: Maybe this case will push for some changes, you know,
• 11:44
  like better cooperation between legal systems or stronger extradition treaties.
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: I think that's definitely a possibility. It could make it
• 11:51
  a lot harder for suspects to just flee to another
• 11:54
  country and avoid.
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: Justice, and it makes you wonder, you know, how many
• 11:58
  other cold cases are out there just waiting for that
• 12:00
  one breakthrough.
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: Oh, I'm sure there are countless cases that could be
• 12:03
  solved if we had the right information or the right
• 12:05
  legal tools.
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: And with DNA technology getting more advanced all the time,
• 12:09
  it's exciting to think about how many more cold cases
• 12:12
  might be solved in the years to come.
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's amazing to think about the past reaching out
• 12:18
  and touching the present like that.
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: It is kind of unsettling, but also hopeful in a way,
• 12:22
  like it shows that justice can still be served even
• 12:25
  after all these years. Absolutely, this whole case has really
• 12:28
  made me think about the victims. You know, Suzanne and Susan.
• 12:33
  Their lives were cut short and their families have been
• 12:35
  living with this pain for so long.
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: It's just heartbreaking to think about the impact this has
• 12:40
  had on them. All the years of not knowing and
• 12:43
  the uncertainty.
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: And now with this arrest and the upcoming trial, it
• 12:47
  must be bringing up all sorts of emotions for them. Hope,
• 12:49
  but also probably some fear and anxiety.
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: I can only imagine. And we can't forget about Susanne,
• 12:54
  saying Gregory, he was just a baby when his mother
• 12:57
  was murdered.
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: Right, He's grown up with ever really knowing.
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: Her, and now he has a chance to confront the
• 13:02
  man accused of taking her away from him. It's a
• 13:05
  huge moment for him, I'm sure.
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: And you know, we've talked a lot about the investigators
• 13:09
  and the legal aspects of this case, but we can't
• 13:11
  forget about all the other people who've been touched by
• 13:13
  this story too.
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: Oh, you mean the artists, the writers, the podcasters.
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah, all the people who've dedicated their time and creativity
• 13:20
  to exploring this case. They've helped to keep the story
• 13:23
  alive and keep the pressure on for answers.
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Their work has really contributed to the public discourse
• 13:29
  surrounding this case, and I think it reflects our collective
• 13:32
  fascination with true crime, you know, that desire to understand
• 13:35
  the darker side of human nature.
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: It's like we're trying to make sense of something that
• 13:39
  just doesn't make sense exactly. So as we wrap up
• 13:43
  this deep dive into the Easy Street murders, I think
• 13:45
  we're left with a lot to think about, you know,
• 13:47
  the complexities of justice and memory and a lasting impact
• 13:51
  of these kinds of events.
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: It's a reminder that even though justice can be delayed,
• 13:55
  it doesn't have to be denied, and it highlights just
• 13:59
  how much these crimes effect not just the victims, but
• 14:02
  entire communities exactly.
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: So thank you for joining us on this journey as
• 14:06
  we explored the Easy Street murders. We'll definitely be keeping
• 14:08
  an eye on the case as it develops, and if
• 14:10
  you're interested in learning more about true crime or cold cases,
• 14:13
  we encourage you to check out the books, articles, and
• 14:15
  podcasts we've mentioned today, and remember, sometimes the most compelling
• 14:18
  stories are the ones that remind us of the complexities
• 14:21
  of human nature and the importance of seeking justice while
• 14:25
  still holding onto empathy and compassion. Until next time, stay
• 14:28
  curious and stay informed of