A to Z Challenge: I (serial killers)

Ivan Milat — Backpacker Killer

Fast Facts:

  • Born in 1944 in Australia
  • Killed at least 7 hitchhiking backpackers and attacked 1
  • The surviving victim was able to identify him in a line-up
  • He was charged with 7 murders and one attack
  • He was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 6 years for the attack and 7 consecutive life sentences for the murders

Ivan Milat was one of 14 children who lived in a rural area. His parents worked hard and were strict with their large family. As a boy, Milat took care of his appearance and had a fascination with guns and hunting. From his late teens he was in trouble with the police for crimes such as housebreaking, car theft and armed robbery.

In his 20s Milat was acquitted of the rape of two female hitchhikers. The first known murder victims were two female British backpackers. Their bodies (found a year after they went missing), which showed evidence of being stabbed and shot multiple times (there were indications of sexual assault), were found in Belangalo State Forest. Bullets retrieved from the bodies were retained for forensic purposes. Near where they were found, a male British backpacker had had a narrow escape a year earlier. He’d been picked up by Milat but grew worried about Milat’s behaviour and managed to escape, even after Milat pulled a gun on him.

Another set of bodies were found 2 years later. They’d been missing for 4 years. Examination of the remains, as well as the crime scene, found similarities to the previous murders, linking the cases. A massive search of Belangalo State Forest was undertaken, finding a German backpacker who’d been missing for 2 years and then another 2 victims, also from Germany.

Milat used a wide range of methods, including beating, strangulation, shooting, stabbing and decapitation as well as sexually assaulting both men and women, which made it difficult for police to narrow the suspect list. International media interest helped, with the earlier almost-victim contacting police regarding his attack by Milat. He was flown to Australia where he picked out Milat from a line-up. When police searched Milat’s property a large volume of evidence was found as he’d kept personal effects of his victims.

Milat was charged with 7 murders as well as attempted attack of the surviving victim. He pleaded not guilty to all charges but was convicted. He was sentenced to 6 years for the attack and 7 consecutive life sentences for the murders. Originally serving time in Maitland Prison, he was moved to Goulburn Prison after an attempted jail break. Police believe he was involved in many more murders than for those he was convicted.

22 comments on “A to Z Challenge: I (serial killers)

  1. A nasty piece of work indeed! Amazing how long it took to catch him. They found stacks of guns and literally a tonne of ammo in his house! This would have been around the time of the Port Arthur massacre, I think?

    • It was about a year before the Port Arthur massacre, so no gun laws here at the time. Mind you, I doubt he would have handed them in during the amnesty. Did you watch the mini-series on Milat? It was well done.

  2. I’ve just taken a few minutes to get caught up on the last few posts, and now I think I need to watch a funny movie or something! What a lot of horrible men! It is fascinating, though.

  3. An Aussie one this time! I guess he didn’t want the US to lay claim to all the evil out there.

    Dena
    https://denapawling.blogspot.com/

    • Ugh, he could have left it to you. Ironically, I was in the US when he was caught so I missed much of the news about him (it was the same time as OJ Simpson so Milat made only one small paragraph in a US paper).

  4. Australia did away with capital punishment in the 60s. So the tax payers are still paying for this monster’s incarceration. This is a good series. Glad to come across it through AtoZ. I’ll go back and read the other entries.

    I is for Innocence

    • Varad, yes, we are still paying. We’re also paying for the monster responsible for the Port Arthur massacre (the one that resulted in the change to our gun laws). But I’m glad we have laws that at least keep them locked up (you’ll understand why further down the alphabet).

      Glad you like the series.

  5. I wonder if it was any consolation to the two female hitchhikers to know that Milat’s acquittal on the rape charges was wrong. But what an awful thing to have to be right about!

    I’m struck by how many of these serial killers, so far, could have been stopped so much earlier if only…. That fact must haunt the families of the victims and especially the police.

    I is for It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again

    • Karen, I imagine they were grateful they hadn’t met the same fate. I think “if only” must haunt so many. Sad.

  6. Wow – each post I read just keeps getting more and more interesting! Great writing!

    • Thanks, Giggles. As macabre as it sounds, I did try and choose the more “interesting” of the scarily big list of serial killers.

  7. This is one of those crimes that is haunting, it’s also one of the few I can never watch on those crime scene shows that dig up all the details. Such an evil man.
    Tasha
    Tasha’s Thinkings – Movie Monsters

  8. This is one of the reasons I would never hitchhike. You never know who’s gonna pick you up.

    Is This Love by Whitesnake

    • I agree, Lauren. Since the Milat case you don’t really see hitchhikers in Australia anymore (there were a lot more before the case).

  9. First I couldn’t go into the water (a killer of a different nature though) and now I can’t backpack. What’s next??

    • Hmmm, so don’t visit the doctor, or see a nurse, don’t hitchhike or turn tricks, you can’t even sit in a car with a friend. The world can be a scary place!

  10. AJ,

    I hadn’t heard about him, but what a piece of work. Wow. That first guy was certainly lucky. I’m sure he thinks about that. Thanks again for such an interesting theme.

    • I agree, Julie. But it’s weird to think he didn’t realise what a close shave he’d had until years later.

  11. How criminals like this plea “not guilty” is beyond me.
    Note to self: it was a good decision not to backpack in my life. Only half kidding.

    https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/2018/04/i-is-for-irvine.html
    https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/2018/04/j-is-for-jerusalem.html

    • I struggle with the fact they’ve brutally taken lives, but seem to want to do anything to get out of suffering even a tiny bit of the fate of their victims.

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