Joseph Schwab

Overview

Joseph Schwab was a German man who murdered five tourists in the Northern Territory and Western Australia in June 1987. He was dubbed “The Kimberley Killer” by the Australian press.

Timeline

• June 1987 — A father and son were shot dead while fishing on the Victoria River in the Northern Territory.
• Days later in June 1987 — Three tourists were shot dead at Pentecost River Crossing near Wyndham, Western Australia.
• Mid-1987 — A seven-member team of police officers from the Tactical Response Group and an officer from the forensic division were sent from Perth to Kununurra to assist Kimberley police.
• June 1987 — Schwab was killed during a shoot-out with police at a desert campsite in Western Australia after an aircraft was used to flush him out; he emerged from bushland near Fitzroy Crossing, fired at the police and the plane, and police returned fire, killing him.

The offence

In June 1987, Joseph Schwab shot dead five people (four males and one female) during a ten-day killing spree across remote Northern Territory and Western Australia.

The first killings involved a father and son, who were shot dead while fishing on the banks of the isolated Victoria River in the Northern Territory. Police were unable to determine a motive, roadblocks were set up, and the killer escaped capture and crossed the border.

Days later, three tourists—described as a newly engaged couple and their friend—were shot dead at Pentecost River Crossing near Wyndham, Western Australia, in circumstances similar to the earlier killings. Police began to suspect that a serial murderer had started a rampage across the region.

Investigation

After the Pentecost River Crossing killings, a seven-member team of police officers from the Tactical Response Group and an officer from the forensic division were sent by chartered aircraft from Perth to Kununurra to assist Kimberley police with the investigation.

A helicopter pilot, Peter Leutenegger, from Napier Downs station, raised the alarm after spotting a camouflaged vehicle in bushland near Fitzroy Crossing. Because police were uncertain whether the vehicle belonged to the gunman, they deployed an airplane to flush him out.

An armed man emerged from the bushes and fired at the police and the plane with a semi-automatic weapon. Police returned fire and killed the gunman.

Death of Joseph Schwab

Joseph Schwab died during a shoot-out with police at a desert campsite in Western Australia in June 1987.

He was identified as Joseph Schwab, a 26-year-old German tourist. A security guard in his native country was referenced, and his motive for the killings was described as unknown.

Victims

The victims were named as: Marcus Bullen, Lance Bullen, Phillip Walkemeyer, Julie Warren, and Terry Bolt.

Aftermath

The crime was featured in a 2007 episode of Crime Investigation Australia entitled “The Kimberley Killer”.

Joseph Schwab’s motive for the random killings remained a mystery. The events were associated with one of the biggest manhunts in Australian history and ended in a police siege at a remote outpost in Western Australia’s Kimberley region.