VIC: $50,000 reward to find murderer of Fitzroy grandfather

AAP General News (Australia)
04-06-1999
VIC: $50,000 reward to find murderer of Fitzroy grandfather

By Ilsa Colson and Heather Gallagher

MELBOURNE, April 6 AAP - Police today posted a $50,000 reward for information leading to
the conviction of the murderer of an elderly pensioner found stabbed to death in his flat more
than two years ago.

The announcement of the reward was timed to coincide with a coronial inquest into the
death.

The inquest heard that 65-year-old grandfather Joseph Edward Hecker, known as Peter Binns,
died in his 10th floor flat in inner suburban Fitzroy on July 1, 1996 some time between 1.30am
and 8.30 am.

"I formally find that the deceased died from a stab wound to the heart inflicted by a
person or persons unknown," coroner Elizabeth Lambden told the court.

Mr Binns's body was found on a double bed in his flat by a neighbour early on July 1.

The neighbour had noticed the security door that Mr Binns usually locked was open. There
was no sign of burglary or break-in.

Detective Senior Sergeant Christopher Enright told the court Mr Binns had received stab
wounds to the chest.

"Dr Michael Burke (from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine) also identified a
number of parallel injuries to the back of the deceased's neck which were not lethal but
which, because of their number and nature, raised the possibility of torture," Sgt Enright
said.

Mr Binns had had more than one girlfriend simultaneously and had also lived for several
years with Betty David, mother of the late Gary David, a Melbourne criminal renowned for
self-mutilation.

Ms David had died of natural causes in 1990 and extensive examination of that relationship
and subsequent ones had not resulted in police finding a suspect or motive for Mr Binns's
murder, Sgt Enright said.

Police had also investigated reports that Mr Binns gave keys to his flat to people he
trusted, but were still unable to find a suspect for his murder.

Nor had police found the blade believed to be the murder weapon, while a theory that the
blade had been attached to a walking-stick owned by Mr Binns was also unproven.

Mr Binns's son Karl Hecker, one of the dead man's six children, said outside the court that
he was glad the inquest was over but did not consider the ordeal finished.

He agreed with a police description of Mr Binns, who spent two years in jail for burglary
in the early 1960s, as a "scallywag".

"Even today, you go around Fitzroy and there'd still be people who'd talk about him. He
just had so many different sorts of friends," Mr Hecker said.

He hoped the reward would lead "to a full end" of the ordeal.

"The fact that it's been offered - I think that's a start in a good direction," he said.

Detective Superintendent David Sprague earlier told reporters that police had a number of
suspects, and believed the assailant or assailants must have been known to Mr Binns, since
there was no sign of a break-in at his flat.

"We need a lot of people to resolve this matter and we're hoping that the $50,000 timed
today to coincide with the inquest will just jolt someone to contact the Homicide Squad or
Crime Stoppers," Det Supt Sprague said.

"We're hoping that will motivate someone or trigger someone's conscience to let us know
exactly what they know about the murder of Peter Binns - who was a harmless type of
character."

AAP imc/er/it

KEYWORD: BINNS NIGHTLEAD

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