Deaths of Karen Edwards, Tim Thomson, and Gordon Twaddle re-examined in inquest

Tristie, a German Shepherd-Doberman cross, was shot while Thomson was living there. He told a friend that he was very upset about the incident and did not know who was responsible.

The 31-year-old later told the school’s principal that he feared his dog would be shot and killed if he stayed.

By September, Thomson and his friend Twaddle, who was working and living in Alice Springs at the time, planned to travel to Queensland on their motorbikes.

Thomson wrote to his girlfriend Edwards, who lived interstate, and invited her to join. He agreed, flying to Alice Springs to meet the couple.

Before leaving, Thomson fitted his red BMW motorcycle with a sidecar so his dog could travel with him.

Although the group did not have an official itinerary, they planned to return to Melbourne for Christmas to spend the holidays with family. Edwards and Thomson met while living in Melbourne a few years ago after moving from New Zealand. Also from New Zealand, Twaddle had become close friends with Thomson and they shared a love of motorcycles.

A witness who was living near Thomson at the time on duty told the inquest he saw a 31-year-old Toyota Landcruiser parked on Thomson’s property some time before the 31-year-old abandoned his job and duty.

He said he was outside talking to a friend when he saw the LandCruiser drive through his door. He also told the inquest he saw Thomson in the passenger seat with a man he did not know driving.

Thomson eventually abandoned the post and several people reported seeing him, his girlfriend, and friends. The investigation found that a traveler on the road took a photo because he saw a dog in the basket.

There were also sightings of the group traveling in company with a man, a third motorcyclist.

Hughes read a police statement from a man, now Dead, who saw the group of friends while working at the Aileron Hotel, north of Alice Springs. He described Thomson and Twaddle and a third man who explained that they had tested the bike before trips to Cairns.

The man told police that all three appeared to be “pretty high on drugs” and that he heard Thomson say to Twaddle: “Did you buy anything from that guy in Alice Springs?”

Later that night the worker reported “trouble developing with some aboriginals outside the hotel” and the group walked out for 10 minutes. Thomson returned to carrying an uncollected .22 rifle, the worker believed.

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“I said to him, ‘What do you want to do, start a riot that brings this to the bar?’ Hughes read from the statement.

“I was worried about the rifle and said [Thomson] If Aborigines saw it, they would probably take theirs and there would be trouble. ”

The group had a conversation with the worker, who said that the locals were difficult to understand. Thomson arranged to leave the language tapes for his worker the next morning.

He did not see the group again until 2 October 1978, but this time the party consisted of Thomson, Twaddle and Edwards. They also had a dog with them.

Before arriving at Mt Isa, the trio stopped at Moondarra Caravan Park with a receipt showing three adults staying for two nights worth $6.

Witnesses at the park saw the group, including one who saw a Toyota LandCruiser visit, and the friends left the site in the car.

One night, around 20:00, a witness reported the arrival of a brown-and-white four-door landcruiser. He then noticed that the basket on Thomson’s bike had been packed into the Toyota.

“As Toyota was leaving, she remembers a male voice calling out and beckoning the dog to the car,” Hughes said.

Both tents are gone and the smaller bike is no longer there, Hughes said.

The group was later seen in Mt Isa, including three real estate workers who remembered seeing their window on West Street.

Twaddle’s blue Suzuki motorcycle was abandoned near a service station in Mt Isa from October 5, 1978.

Hughes said there was evidence of a dog being found at Mt Isa Dump on October 6.

Hughes recalled that “MT ISA Council collected Dogcatcher Tristie from the dump… on October 6, 1978. He believed the dog had not been there for more than a few days. Tristie was kept on the pound for four days before being put to sleep.”

“Police also found a number of personal items in a 44 gallon drum lining the entrance to the Mt Isa City dump.

“These included three motorcycle helmets… Police inquiries identified these helmets as similar to those known to have been used by Mr Thomson and Mr Twaddle. Other items recovered from the drums were also consistent with Ms Edwards’ items.”

Thomson’s body was discovered on the morning of 24 October 1978 by a couple walking with a greyhound. One of the dogs was bolted after a wild pig and while chasing the dog the body was discovered in a bank.

The pair went into town to alert police, who later discovered two more bodies about 50 meters from Thomson – his girlfriend Edwards and Twaddle.

Post-mortem examinations, the friends each died from gunshot wounds from a .22-caliber rifle. Scientific examination of the bullets established the view that two different types of ammunition were used.

However, the analysis revealed that even if police found the gun, it would not be possible to prove through ballistics that it was the gun used to kill the friends.

Police were able to identify Edwards by markings on his watch, linking him to a jeweler in his native Victoria. His father recognized the watch in a newspaper article and confirmed that he bought it for him.

How the group was killed in Spear Creek has been the subject of police investigations spanning almost two decades, and cold case detectives are still investigating the case.

Police were believed to have made a breakthrough in 2019 when former prison guard Bruce John Preston, who previously worked at NSW’s Goulburn Supermax prison, was arrested and charged with the Outback murders.

However, prosecutors dropped all charges against Preston in July 2023.

Hughes told Court Preston he would give evidence at the inquest. He said the red BMW motorcycle was found in Preston’s possession and he was convicted at the time and fined $300.

The inquest before Coroner David O’Connell is scheduled to run until October 17 and will investigate how the trio died, their travel movements, including where they stopped, and the conditions of their camp at Moondarra Caravan Park.

It will also examine a fourth rider seen with the group and the connection to the Toyota LandCruiser.

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