Joanne Lees received years of media abuse after Bradley John Murdoch attacked her and murdered her partner Peter Falconio in 2001.
Lees managed to escape the terrifying ordeal, but not the horrendous international media that hounded her for the years that followed.
Every aspect of Lees’ life was examined, along with every reaction, facial expression and word she publicly shared.
Later during Murdoch’s trial, Lees would be repeatedly asked about what she was wearing during the ordeal, as well as details of her life in Australia that were frequently depicted as scandalous by the media, despite reflecting many of the lives of backpackers enjoying their youth and travels in another country.
Lees left Australia within hours of being cross-examined during that murder trial in 2005. She turned down hundreds of media requests, according to the judge, while two photographers bought tickets on the same flight to Singapore, hoping to get photos. By choosing privacy and some semblance of control over how photos of her would be shared globally, Lees was seen as refusing to play by the media’s ever-changing rules and thus a legitimate subject of pursuit and scrutiny.
One can understand why Lees had hoped to have some control. In the months that followed the murder and the violent attack she experienced, Lees was treated by the media with suspicion. She was accused of lacking emotion, of faking emotion, and of manipulating the narrative.
Murdoch was later convicted of the murder of Falconio in 2005. He lost multiple appeals and died today in prison.
In November 2000, Lees set off with Peter on the trip of a lifetime, aiming to travel through parts of Asia before arriving in Sydney on working holiday visas in January 2001. They spent five months in Sydney before taking on the well-known backpacker path or purchasing a car for the ultimate road trip.
They were attacked while travelling along the Stuart highway between Alice Springs and Tennant Creek in July 2001, after being flagged down by a man who told them he noticed their van was experiencing engine trouble. Falconia went to the back of the van, Lee heard gunfire, and the man then attempted to kidnap Lee, who managed to escape and hide in bushland for five hours before flagging down another vehicle.
One can only hope that almost a quarter of a century later, Lees finds some peace in learning today that the many who killed her partner and violently attacked her, has died in prison.
But there’s no closure in locating Falconio’s body, which has never been found.
And somehow, even today in 2025, headlines continue to hint at a mystery regarding who killed Falonio.
