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Australian Serial Killer Hanged

Cooke terrorized Perth in the early 1960s, randomly targeting his victims, injuring at least 22 and wounding at least 8. His random choice of targets and his random choice of methods of killing contributed to his ability to evade arrest.

Vincent Bloodworth
Vincent Bloodworth
Aug 19, 2022181 Shares3.8K Views
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  1. Cooke’s Known Victims Are
Australian Serial Killer Hanged

Cooke terrorized Perth in the early 1960s, randomly targeting his victims, injuring at least 22 and wounding at least 8. His random choice of targets and his random choice of methods of killing contributed to his ability to evade arrest.

So random were the murders that two of his victims were originally attributed to innocent people. (After his arrest, Cooke attempted to claim these murders, too, but was ignored by police. He told his wife on death row, “Why can’t the authorities believe me?”) The choice of weapons varied between attacks, as well: several rifles were used, and stabbing instruments included knives, scissors, and an axe.

Even the motives for the attacks varied, with Constance Lucy Madrill killed during a panic when Cooke feared he’d be found out, and Shirley Martha McLeod killed while Cooke was “under the influence of a power’ that made him feel like he was God.”

Cooke’s end came when a rifle was found hidden in a bush. The gun was tested and was determined to be a ballistic match for the gun which killed McLeod. Police decided to watch the area to apprehend the gun’s owner when they retrieved the weapon. After 17 days of waiting, Cooke returned for the gun and was arrested. After a failed attempt at an insanity plea, Cooke was found guilty in November 1963 and hanged less than a year later.

With new evidence regarding the murders of Rosemary Anderson and Jillian MacPherson Brewer (the victim's authorities originally did not believe Cooke had killed), presented in 2002 and 2005, respectively, Cooke has officially been named their killer.

Cooke’s Known Victims Are

  • Patricia Vinico Berkman (33). Stabbed, 1959.
  • Jillian MacPherson Brewer (22). Stabbed and beaten, 1960.
  • Rosemary Anderson (17). Hit and run, 1963.
  • Brian Weir (29). Shot, 1963.
  • George Osmond Walmsley (54). Shot, 1963.
  • John Sturkey (19). Shot, 1963.
  • Shirley Martha McLeod (18). Shot, 1963.
  • Constance Lucy Madrill (24). Strangled, 1963.
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