Murder of Betty Shanks

The Murder of Betty Shanks is one of the oldest and most notorious unsolved murder cases[1] in Queensland, Australia.

Betty Shanks
Betty Shanks in September 1952
Bornc.1930, Wilston, Queensland
Died (aged 22)
Grange, Queensland, Australia
Alma materThe University of Queensland

Overview

On the night of 19 September 1952, 22-year-old Betty Shanks got off a tram at Days Road Terminus in Grange, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, after attending classes in the city and started her short walk home. Her violently beaten body was found in the garden of a house on the corner of Carberry and Thomas Streets the next morning at 5:35 AM,[2] by a policeman who lived nearby.[3] At the time it was Queensland's biggest criminal investigation ever,[4] and as of 2010 a reward of A$50,000 is still current.[2]

Investigation

An attack by a sex offender was considered very early in the investigation.[5] Another theory is that the murderer attacked the wrong woman, and was actually interested in a doctor's receptionist – who also walked home down the same street at the same time, and had keys to the surgery which contained drugs.[4] A number of people have confessed over the years, however all have proven to be false.[6]

Books

Several books have been written about the murder and the authors have outlined who they believe the murderer to be. These works include:

  • Who Killed Betty Shanks? (2006 (revised in 2012), author: Ken Blanch) Blanch suggested that Shanks was killed by a soldier.[7][8][9]
  • I Know Who Killed Betty Shanks (2014, author: Ted Duhs) Duhs theorized that Eric Sterry killed Shanks.[9][10]
  • The Thomas St Affair (2016, author: Lyle Reed) Reed proposed that Shanks was killed by a police officer riding a motorbike. The author did not reveal the killer's name in interviews prior to the book being published but did indicate he was a member of his family.[11][12]

Film
  • The Wilston Murder: The story of Betty Shanks (2012) This documentary was produced and directed by student filmmakers Maya Weidner and Becky Newman, respectively, as a university project. The women believed the story was one that could resonate with a modern-day audience. Newman recalled learning about the murder at a young age, as her family was interested in history and had read Ken Blanch's book, Who Killed Betty Shanks? but believed the story was largely forgotten among her generation.[13]

See also

References
  1. "History Mystery: Betty Shanks" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  2. "Murder of Betty Thomson Shanks $50,000 Reward". Archived from the original on 15 September 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  3. "Shanks Murder suspect traced". The Courier-Mail. 3 April 2007. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  4. "New light on Brisbane's most infamous murder case - 730 Report". 3 April 2007. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  5. "Police search extends in Brisbane Crime". The Canberra Times. 22 September 1952. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  6. "Shanks Murder suspect traced". The Courier-Mail. 3 April 2007. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
  7. Moore, Tony (21 September 2012). "Betty Shanks: An enduring mystery". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  8. Foley, Peter (29 September 2012). "Doctor cleared of Shanks murder". The Queensland Times. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  9. Pierce, Jeremy (16 October 2014). "The 1952 unsolved murder of Betty Shanks in Brisbane sparks battle between publishers of rival books". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  10. "FROM the VAULT - The unsolved murder of Betty Shanks". Queensland Police Service Media. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  11. Gould, Joel (6 December 2015). "Betty Shanks murder cracked by Ipswich author". The Queensland Times. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  12. Gould, Joel (12 June 2016). "Author to name former copy as Betty Shanks' killer". The Queensland Times. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  13. Sim, Jack (14 September 2012). "Students Recreate Crime: Betty Shanks - The Wilston Murder; Brisbane Crime Inspires Local Filmakers..." Retrieved 22 April 2018.
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