Winter Patriot Community Blog

THE MARIA JAMES MURDER: Two Murderers - Part 1

This is the second in a series of articles. If you would like to read the background to this murder mystery and perhaps take up the challenge of working out the solution to the murder and read the source material linked to, go back to the first article here. There are resources including diagrams and 'street scene' photographs there.

Regardless, this article is written on the presumption that you, the reader, have listened to the TRACE series of podcasts by the ABC. You can access them at this page or through iTunes. Search iTunes for "ABC Trace" and you should have no trouble finding the series. Spoiler alert ahead!

The podcast series leaves the question, "Who killed Maria James?" unanswered though it implicates two Catholic priests, Anthony Bongiorno and Thomas O'Keeffe as suspects. I propose to show that it was indeed these two priests and it could not be anyone else based on all the information we have.

While I will be referring to much of the material covered in the audio series, there is much that I won't be and I will presume that you are aware of what I leave out as background and contextual information. You may find placing some of my text in this article difficult to contextualise if you haven't absorbed the audio programmes first. It is an engaging series and you should have no trouble in following along, the nature of the content notwithstanding. So go have a listen if you haven't already.

In 2014, Mr Allan Hircoe went to the Victoria Police to tell them he saw a man with blood on him approach the Thornbury presbytery of St Mary's Parish shortly after midday on Tues 17th June 1980. This was the very time of the murder of Maria James three shops down High St. from the St Mary's property which included a school, church and presbytery.


Street map of the immediate area

http://www.winterpatriot.com/files/images/%20Street%20map%20with%20track...

St. Mary's property bounded by High St, the main thoroughfare through Thornbury, Mansfield St and Rossmoyne St which runs parallel to Mansfield St and the walkway shown behind Maria's shop at 736 High St across Mansfield St from St Marys property. Click here for a larger, higher resolution picture. Click here for an aerial view of how the area looks today. Note: Building additions to the school in front of the Presbytery were not there in 1980 (See Allan Hircoe's hand drawn map of the area in 1980 below.)

Mr Hircoe identified that man as Catholic priest, Fr Anthony Bongiorno. From that moment on, Victoria Police should have realised that the cold case murder of Mrs James was carried out by two men and not one. At least three witnesses had seen another man flee from the shop by its front door on High St and run across High St, nearly being run over by a car in the process, and running off down Hutton St to the west; the opposite direction to the St Mary's presbytery where Bongiorno was seen at the same time covered in blood.

It is impossible for one man to be running away from the crime scene in two divergent directions at the same time. So it is beyond dispute that there were two murderers. That Anthony Bongiorno is one of them should also be beyond dispute. The following lays out why that is.