No charges for wife of alleged cop killer
Charges against the wife of alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman and another man will no longer be pursued by police.
Freeman was on the run after allegedly shooting dead Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart while serving an arrest warrant at his home in Porepunkah, about 300 kilometers north-east of Melbourne.
Hundreds of police participated in the manhunt, and more than 400 officers were deployed in the hours and days after the murders on August 26.
Police had previously focused their investigation on 42-year-old Amalia Freeman and arrested her and a 15-year-old boy during a raid on a home in Porepunkah on August 29.
Detective Superintendent Jason Kelly told reporters in September that a brief of evidence was being compiled to potentially prosecute the fugitive’s wife for obstructing police at the time of the shooting.
Police have since confirmed they will not be pursuing charges.
“A 42-year-old Porepunkah woman and a 56-year-old Porepunkah man were interviewed by Task Force Summit investigators in relation to the chargeable offense of obstructing police,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said in a statement on Friday. he said.
“A third person was interviewed for the crime of attempted theft.”
Despite a meticulous investigation in which experienced detectives prepared a brief of evidence, a spokesman said there was currently insufficient evidence to support the investigation.
“These briefings were independently reviewed and the same conclusion was reached,” the spokesman added.
“Any information received by police in relation to these matters will be evaluated thoroughly and acted upon as appropriate.”
Police returned to the property in February and carried out a five-day search, involving cadaver dogs and specialist officers from across the country, to find the fugitive.
The search ended without any developments.
There have been no sightings of Freeman since he was shot or any signs of life since he disappeared into the bushes.
Detective Inspector Adam Tilley had previously said Freeman either died in the national park, escaped from the park and was sheltered by others, or fled the area without any help.
Officers investigated thousands of pieces of intelligence, including numerous tips from the public; The capture of Freeman remained the agency’s “number one priority.”
A $1 million reward – the largest in Victorian history – is also being offered, along with the possibility of compensation for information leading to the capture of the fugitive.
