In 2013, a council electrician named Alan Hircoe opened a newspaper and saw a photograph of a priest. He recognised the face. Years earlier, he said, while working at the presbytery of St Mary's in Thornbury, he had seen that priest come in from the garden wi…The Murder of Maria James - Part 2 of 2
In 2013, a council electrician named Alan Hircoe opened a newspaper and saw a photograph of a priest. He recognised the face. Years earlier, he said, while working at the presbytery of St Mary's in Thornbury, he had seen that priest come in from the garden with blood on his face and hands.
The priest was Father Anthony Bongiorno, and he had tried to force his way into Maria James's bookshop on the afternoon she was murdered.
But he had an alibi, and police believed the DNA had cleared him.
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• Coroners Court of Victoria. Finding into Death with Inquest: Maria Theresa James (COR 1980 1820). Deputy State Coroner Caitlin English. Delivered 31 March 2022, amended 4 April 2022. Findings index: https://www.coronerscourt.vic.gov.au/inquests-findings/findings
• Victoria Police. "Cold case: Maria James." https://www.police.vic.gov.au/cold-case-maria-james
• Victoria Police. "Reward: Maria James." Published 14 June 2024. https://www.police.vic.gov.au/reward-maria-james
• Brown, Rachael. Trace (podcast), Season 1. ABC, 2017.
• Brown, Rachael. "Trace: The unsolved murder of Maria James." ABC News, 21 June 2017. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-21/trace-the-unsolved-murder-of-maria-james/8612964
• Brown, Rachael. "Trace: Witness saw paedophile priest covered in blood near cold case murder victim Maria James' house." ABC News, 28 June 2017. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-28/trace-priest-seen-covered-in-blood-near-maria-james-crime-scene/8652936
• "Trace: Police admit DNA bungle wrongly cleared paedophile priest as suspect in cold case murder." ABC News, 12 July 2017. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-12/trace-police-admit-to-major-dna-bungle-in-maria-james-cold-case/8694870
• "Trace: No sign of conspiracy in Maria James investigation, Victoria Police Commissioner Graham Ashton says." ABC News, 14 September 2017. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-14/victoria-police-investigating-trace-case-dna-mix-up/8944596
• "Inquest into murder of Maria James hears DNA evidence not found on rediscovered evidence." ABC News, 6 September 2021. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-06/maria-james-inquest-begins/100436294
• "Dead priest had the motive, means and opportunity to commit unsolved murder, detective tells inquest." ABC News, 27 September 2021. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-27/unsolved-murder-inquest-hears-of-priest-and-a-murderer/100491298
• "Maria James's family calls for a priest's exhumation, if DNA testing doesn't offer answers." ABC News, 4 November 2021. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-04/application-to-exhume-priest-is-unsolved-murder-case/100499632
• "Coroner delivers open finding in inquest into the 1980 murder of Melbourne woman Maria James." ABC News, 31 March 2022. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-31/maria-james-coronial-inquest-findings/100943730
• "Police offer $1 million reward to solve the cold case of Melbourne mother Maria James." ABC News, 14 June 2024. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-14/maria-james-cold-case-murder-victoria-police-reward/103972070
• "Police offer $1m reward to solve murder of Maria James inside Melbourne bookshop." The Guardian (Australia), 14 June 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/jun/14/maria-james-murder-victoria-police-offer-1m-reward-thornbury-melbourne-bookshop
• "Sons make $1m plea to solve mother's bookshop murder." AAP, 14 June 2024. https://aapnews.aap.com.au/news/police-offer-1-million-reward-to-solve-bookshop-murder
• "Killer's link to bookshop murder examined." AAP via The Canberra Times, 21 September 2021. https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7439775/killers-link-to-bookshop-murder-examined/
• "DNA unknown when Maria James was killed." AAP via The Senior, September 2021. https://www.thesenior.com.au/story/7435659/dna-unknown-when-maria-james-was-killed/more
On 17 June 1980, John James rang his ex-wife, Maria, at her bookshop in Thornbury, Melbourne. She asked him to hang on. He heard voices and a small scream, and then the line went quiet. He strained to hear the muffled conversation being carried out in the sho…The Murder of Maria James - Part 1 of 2
On 17 June 1980, John James rang his ex-wife, Maria, at her bookshop in Thornbury, Melbourne. She asked him to hang on. He heard voices and a small scream, and then the line went quiet. He strained to hear the muffled conversation being carried out in the shop. Then the voices became louder, more aggressive.
Then she screamed again.
Forty-six years and two inquests later, nobody has been charged with her murder.
Subscribe now to Strewth Premium on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/cw/StrewthPodcast
Strewth social media links - https://linktr.ee/strewthpodcast
• Coroners Court of Victoria. Finding into Death with Inquest: Maria Theresa James (COR 1980 1820). Deputy State Coroner Caitlin English. Delivered 31 March 2022, amended 4 April 2022. Findings index: https://www.coronerscourt.vic.gov.au/inquests-findings/findings
• Victoria Police. "Cold case: Maria James." https://www.police.vic.gov.au/cold-case-maria-james
• Victoria Police. "Reward: Maria James." Published 14 June 2024. https://www.police.vic.gov.au/reward-maria-james
• Brown, Rachael. Trace (podcast), Season 1. ABC, 2017.
• Brown, Rachael. "Trace: The unsolved murder of Maria James." ABC News, 21 June 2017. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-21/trace-the-unsolved-murder-of-maria-james/8612964
• Brown, Rachael. "Trace: Witness saw paedophile priest covered in blood near cold case murder victim Maria James' house." ABC News, 28 June 2017. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-28/trace-priest-seen-covered-in-blood-near-maria-james-crime-scene/8652936
• "Trace: Police admit DNA bungle wrongly cleared paedophile priest as suspect in cold case murder." ABC News, 12 July 2017. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-12/trace-police-admit-to-major-dna-bungle-in-maria-james-cold-case/8694870
• "Trace: No sign of conspiracy in Maria James investigation, Victoria Police Commissioner Graham Ashton says." ABC News, 14 September 2017. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-14/victoria-police-investigating-trace-case-dna-mix-up/8944596
• "Inquest into murder of Maria James hears DNA evidence not found on rediscovered evidence." ABC News, 6 September 2021. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-06/maria-james-inquest-begins/100436294
• "Dead priest had the motive, means and opportunity to commit unsolved murder, detective tells inquest." ABC News, 27 September 2021. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-27/unsolved-murder-inquest-hears-of-priest-and-a-murderer/100491298
• "Maria James's family calls for a priest's exhumation, if DNA testing doesn't offer answers." ABC News, 4 November 2021. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-04/application-to-exhume-priest-is-unsolved-murder-case/100499632
• "Coroner delivers open finding in inquest into the 1980 murder of Melbourne woman Maria James." ABC News, 31 March 2022. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-31/maria-james-coronial-inquest-findings/100943730
• "Police offer $1 million reward to solve the cold case of Melbourne mother Maria James." ABC News, 14 June 2024. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-14/maria-james-cold-case-murder-victoria-police-reward/103972070
• "Police offer $1m reward to solve murder of Maria James inside Melbourne bookshop." The Guardian (Australia), 14 June 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/jun/14/maria-james-murder-victoria-police-offer-1m-reward-thornbury-melbourne-bookshop
• "Sons make $1m plea to solve mother's bookshop murder." AAP, 14 June 2024. https://aapnews.aap.com.au/news/police-offer-1-million-reward-to-solve-bookshop-murder
• "Killer's link to bookshop murder examined." AAP via The Canberra Times, 21 September 2021. https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7439775/killers-link-to-bookshop-murder-examined/
• "DNA unknown when Maria James was killed." AAP via The Senior, September 2021. https://www.thesenior.com.au/story/7435659/dna-unknown-when-maria-james-was-killed/more