One of Australia’s most infamous serial killer cases is the subject of a two-part drama on Channel 7 called The Claremont Murders. Part 1 premiered over the Easter long weekend, and soon Part 2 will reveal the gripping conclusion to the case that rocked the state of Perth for 25 years.
The True Story Behind The Claremont Murders
In 1996, 18-year-old Sarah Spiers disappeared from the Perth suburb of Claremont in the early hours of the morning. She had been at a club with her friends and called a taxi, but was gone when the driver arrived. Her disappearance attracted huge publicity, and her fate remains unknown.
Two years later, 23-year-old Jane Rimmer disappeared from the same area under similar circumstances. Fifty-five days later, her body was found about 40kms outside of Claremont. In 1997, 27-year-old Ciara Glennon disappeared while walking home from a club in the same area of Claremont. Witnesses saw an unidentified car stop near her on the Stirling Highway just after midnight. Ninteen days later, her body was found in Eglinton, about 50-minutes outside Claremont.
How Did They Catch the Claremont Killer?
Within 48 hours of Sarah’s disappearance, the case was taken over by the Major Crimes Squad. After Jane’s disappearance, a special taskforce was established to investigate links between the cases. And after Ciara’s disappearance, police confirmed they were searching for a serial killer.
The investigation initially centred on the vehicle seen near Sarah and Ciara’s last known locations, and then on Perth’s taxi drivers. A massive fingerprint and DNA-testing exercise was carried out on the drivers, which led to a reform of the taxi industry in Western Australia but did not lead to an arrest.
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Eventually, WA police sent forensic samples to a highly specialised team in the UK, who were able to discover traces of DNA underneath Ciara Glennon’s fingernails that police believe belonged to her attacker.
In December 2016 — 20 years after Sarah’s disappearance — police charged 48-year-old Bradley Robert Edwards with the murder of Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon. Edwards would eventually be charged also for the violent attack and rape of two other young women in 1995 and 1988. Two years later, he was also charged for the murder of Sarah Spiers. Following a seven-month-long hearing, Edwards was found guilty of the murders of Rimmer and Glennon, but not of Spiers due to a lack of evidence.
He was sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in prison. As Supreme Court Justice Stephen Hall passed the verdict, he said, “I recognise that there is a high likelihood that you will die in prison.”
Where to Watch The Claremont Murders
Part 2 of The Claremont Murders will focus on the more recent part of the investigation. The synopsis for part 2 reads: “Almost a decade after Taskforce Macro was disbanded, a new generation of detectives has quietly re-opened the case with renewed focus: no more ‘convenient suspect’, just follow the evidence. This time they are going to get their man.”
The Claremont Murders stars Ryan Johnson (How To Please A Woman, Doctor Doctor) as Bradley Robert Edwards, Kate Ritchie (Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities, Home and Away), Erik Thomson (How To Please A Woman, Aftertaste), Catherine Văn-Davies (The Twelve, Barons), Aaron Glenane (Shantaram, Snowpiercer), and more. It’s written, directed and produced by the creative team behind Catching Milat and other Australian true crime series.
The Claremont Murders Part 2 will premiere on Monday, 17 April at 9pm on Channel 7 and 7plus.
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