The ABC‘s first true-crime podcast, Trace, is responsible for the reopening of a decades-old cold case, after it uncovered new evidence in the murder of Melbourne bookshop owner Maria James.
James was stabbed to death in June 1980, in the back of her bookshop in Thornbury.
Rachael Brown, an ABC journalist and host of Trace, began reviewing the case almost three years ago. The new leads and tip-offs from Trace’s listeners have made it possible for Victorian police to reopen the investigation.
New information includes revelations about possible suspects, and a forensics stuff-up which meant the police never had the killer’s DNA.
The podcast also revealed that one of James’s sons, Adam, who was 11 at the time, was being molested by two Catholic priests who lived and worked in the neighbourhood of Maria’s bookshop: Father Thomas O’Keeffe and Father Anthony Bongiorno.
According to Brown’s investigation, a witness saw Bongiorno on the day of the murder, covered in blood – but police did not interview them at the time, and in 2015 dismissed him as a suspect without providing a reason why.
Both priests have since died.
Adam and his brother Mark James gave an emotional press conference today, saying that they were overwhelmed after the State Coroner’s announcement that the investigation would be reopened.
Adam believes the priests are responsible for Maria’s murder, saying at the press conference:
I want the priests to be investigated, they hurt me and they killed my mum.
I’d like to say that other people like myself, they should speak up, they shouldn’t be scared to speak up and speak about what ever happened to them and I hope they never have to deal with it.
Mark told the ABC that the brothers were grateful to all the listeners of Trace who helped reopen the case.
It does seem miraculous in a way.
Mum’s up there in heaven looking down and a bit of divine influence in there, combined with all of the effort of the people involved, it’s just fantastic, it’s such wonderful news.
It’s been long years pushing for this to get this outcome.
