The Sundown Murders: Part II:
Execution or Exoneration?
In December 1957, the bodies of Thyra Bowman, her daughter
Wendy, and family friend, Thomas Whelan were found at the Sundown Station in
South Australia’s outback.
Raymond Bailey had been arrested and charged for the murders,
claiming he, “had gone mad”.
The case against Bailey was overseen by Justice Reed. It
took a jury 96 minutes to decide that Bailey was guilty. Evidence was not
overwhelming against Bailey, but a statement he alleged to have given to police
was enough to convict.[1]
Police also found gunshot casings at the murder site that matched casings found
in Bailey’s car.
Bailey was found guilty and sentenced to hang.
It was announced in newspapers
that Raymond John Bailey would be hanged at the Adelaide Gaol on 17 June 1958.[2]
He received a reprieve from hanging for one week after claiming there was a
fourth body, he had buried. Bailey claimed he had witnessed a man burying the
body of Mrs Bowman, and that he killed the man in self-defence. He also claimed
to have buried the knife near where Mrs Bowman's car was found. Police took
Bailey back to the Station, but he could not produce evidence of the buried
body.
Bailey was hanged at 8am, Tuesday, June 24, 1958, in Her Majesty’s Adelaide
Gaol.[3]
As an interesting footnote to this case. Stephen Bishop, an investigative journalist
has pushed for an exoneration for Bailey. Bishop believes his confession was
coerced under duress, and that Detective Glen Hallahan forced Bailey’s
confession. Bishop also claims that evidence was overlooked, or ignored, such
as footprints that were too large to be Bailey’s, being found at the murder
location.
[1] 'Bailey Found Guilty Of Sundown Murder', The Canberra Times, (21 May 1958), p. 8., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91250953.
[2] 'Bailey to Hang on Tuesday', The Canberra Times, (21 June 1958), p. 3., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article136300645.
[3] 'Bailey Hanged For Murder Of Mrs. Bowman', The Canberra Times, (25 June 1958), p. 12., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article136301002.
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