The Snowtown murders (also known as the bodies in barrels murders) were a series of murders committed by John Justin Bunting, Robert Joe Wagner and James Spyridon Vlassakis between August 1992 and May 1999, in and around Adelaide, South Australia. A fourth person, Mark Haydon, was convicted for helping to dispose of the bodies. The trial was one of the longest and most publicised in Australian legal history.
Most of the bodies were found in barrels in an abandoned bank vault in Snowtown, South Australia, hence the names given in the press for the murders. Only one of the victims was killed in Snowtown itself, which is approximately 140 kilometres (87 miles) north of Adelaide, and neither the twelve victims nor the three perpetrators were from the town. Although motivation for the murders is unclear, the killers were led by Bunting to believe that the victims were paedophiles, homosexuals, or "weak". In the case of some victims, the murders were preceded by torture, and efforts were made to appropriate victims' identities, social security payments and bank accounts.
Two more bodies were found buried in the backyard of Bunting's house in Adelaide.
On 20 May 1999, the remains of eight victims were found by the South Australian Police in six plastic barrels in a disused bank vault. For this reason, the murders were dubbed the "bodies in barrels murders"
The former Snowtown branch of the State Bank of South Australia. Like many rural banks, the branch was no longer in service. The red brick building in the town’s main street proved to be a chamber of horrors. Six black plastic barrels were located behind the old bank vault’s 10-cm thick metal door. They contained acid and human body parts from eight different victims, including 15 human feet.
Snowtown crime scene: during submissions, it was revealed that serial killers Wagner and Bunting cooked flesh from their final victim.
Police Technical Services Officers remove items from a former bank building at Snowtown.
Another two bodies were found days later in the backyard of a Salisbury North home.
Mark Haydon (L), John Bunting (C), and Robert Wagner (R)
Wagner, who is serving 10 consecutive life sentences without parole for his role in the 1999 murders, has penned a creepy letter as part of the request.
Snowtown (also known as The Snowtown Murders) is a 2011 Australian biographical crimedrama directed by Justin Kurzel in his directorial debut and written by Shaun Grant based on the true story of the Snowtown murders.
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