Bruce Burrell

Bruce Allan Burrell (25 January 1953 – 4 August 2016) was an Australian convicted kidnapper and double murderer, who in 2006 was sentenced to serve life imprisonment plus 44 years for the 1995 murder of 74-year-old Dorothy Davis and the 1997 murder of 39-year-old Kerry Whelan, neither of whom was ever found, with Burrell not revealing the location of his victims' bodies. Burrell died at the Prince of Wales Hospital at Randwick, whilst still in prison custody on 4 August 2016, aged 63, from lung and liver cancer.^[2]

Legal cases

Murder of Kerry Whelan

Kerry Whelan was last seen getting into a Mitsubishi Pajero four-wheel-drive with Burrell leaving the Parkroyal Hotel in Parramatta during May 1997, the day after which Whelan's husband Bernie Whelan received a $1 million dollar ransom note.^[3] Whelan's body has never been found^[3] The first trial was a hung jury, with Burrell being convicted on the second trial. The kidnap and conviction became one of Australia's most infamous crimes.

Whelan, who had been a friend and former employee of the family, laid charges in 1999, which were subsequently dropped, but re-instated in 2002, after a formal inquest. On 31 July 2008, Burrell was granted the right to have his murder conviction reheard.^[3]

Dorothy Davis

Dorothy Davis was a 74-year-old wealthy widow living in Lurline Bay, Sydney. On 30 May 1995, Davis left her apartment to visit Burrell's wife. She was never seen again. Burrell was charged with Davis's murder and later found guilty by a jury, stating financial gain as a motive.^[4]

References