The Family Court Murders

4 murders. 5 bombings. And no one charged. This is the definitive story of the Family Court Murders.

An initiative of the Whitlam Government, the so-called helping court opened its doors in January 1976. But despite the high idealism of the court’s creators, they failed to factor in one universal truth: that in a marital tug of war, one side would always feel more embittered than the other.

Despite the brazen enormity of the shootings and bombings in Sydney from 1980—attacks that hit at the very heart of the judicial system—and a prime suspect publicly named by the Coroner, the police investigation failed to culminate in an arrest and after three decades stalled to a benign review status.

Following a tip-off from a possible witness, the Channel 7 Sunday Night program determined to investigate this cold case. Award-winning true-crime writer and investigative journalist Debi Marshall was part of the team who worked this story.

Thirty-three years on, the horror of these crimes still haunts everyone involved. Witnesses are frightened to speak. Family members live in the dark shadows of grief and fear. Widows and children continue to live without closure.