A Swedish national was found dead in a Chermside paddock under mysterious circumstances in 1971, raising questions about whether the case was a tragic suicide or an unsolved murder.
The Discovery
On the morning of 7 June 1971, police were called to a paddock in Chermside, Brisbane, where they discovered the body of a man lying face down near the base of a tree. A .22 calibre Anschutz auto-loading rifle was found approximately two feet away from the body.
Nearby, detectives uncovered nine discharged cartridges, a synthetic cord around the man’s thigh, and an empty beer bottle with a thumbprint. There were no visible signs of struggle, and no suicide note was found in his belongings.
Photo Credit: State Library of Queensland
Forensic Findings
An autopsy revealed that the man had sustained seven gunshot wounds to the heart and two further bullets had pierced his pericardium. Forensic experts noted that all the bullets were fired from the rifle found at the scene. The nature of the injuries, however, raised immediate doubts among investigators.
Detectives highlighted that the rifle required the trigger to be pulled individually for each shot, making it highly improbable for someone to inflict such precise and repeated wounds on themselves.
Photo Credit: Nechako River/Flickr
Detective Les Bardwell, a leading forensic scientist from Brisbane’s Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB), conducted extensive tests on the weapon. Over 2,000 rounds were fired during experiments, with no mechanical malfunctions observed. The rifle, an autoloader and not a fully automatic weapon, functioned properly in all tests. Bardwell’s team ruled out the possibility of accidental continuous fire, which could explain the clustered shots.
Photo Credit: Queensland Museum
Expert Opinions
To verify their findings, Bardwell sought opinions from forensic experts around the world. Authorities in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, France, and West Germany reviewed the case and unanimously stated that such injuries were improbable in a suicide scenario. None had encountered a case where multiple gunshots, particularly to the heart, were self-inflicted.
Despite the global consensus among experts, the coroner’s inquiry ultimately ruled the death as a suicide. The decision relied heavily on the findings of the government pathologist, who maintained that the physical evidence supported a self-inflicted cause of death.
Community Reaction
The ruling sparked widespread scepticism among Brisbane residents and law enforcement officers alike. The improbability of self-inflicted wounds, combined with the lack of clear motive or suicide note, left many questioning the case’s conclusion.
The term “murdercide” was coined by Queensland’s legal community to describe the ambiguity of cases like this, which blur the line between murder and suicide.
More than 50 years later, the Chermside case continues to captivate the public and forensic experts. The circumstances remain shrouded in mystery, with no suspects identified and no definitive answers about what truly happened in Chermside that day.
Published 6-January-2025