INTRODUCING: The Case Of Snowtown Parole
In just over a week, one of the murderers behind Australia's most infamous serial killings is set to be released on parole.
The Case Of Snowtown Parole looks at James Vlassakis's role in the killings and why he has been given the opportunity for parole, when it was denied for the other two murderers, and how he will be reintegrated into the community.
In this season of The Case Of, Stephen Stockwell will be joined by ABC reporters James Wakelin and Rebecca Brice. James reported from Snowtown the day the bodies were uncovered in May 1999.
Follow The Case Of in the ABC Listen app or wherever you get your podcasts so you can get the full story when it drops on Tuesday.
The Case Of is the follow-up to the hit podcast Mushroom Case Daily, and all episodes of that show will remain available in the back catalogue of The Case Of.
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Transcript
It's one of Australia's most depraved serial killings.
It's what everyone thinks of when you hear the word Snowtown.
The bodies in the barrels, and now the body's in the backyard.
Three men work together, targeting and cruelly killing members of their own community.
It's a story that South Australia would rather forget, but one of those men is about to leave prison on parole.
I think he's genuinely remorseful.
In May 1999, in a disused bank vault in a town an hour and a half north of Adelaide, police found the remains of eight people in acid-filled barrels.
Shortly after, they found even more buried in an Adelaide backyard.
In the end, three men were convicted of murder.
John Bunting, the ringleader, was found guilty of 11.
Robert Wagner, the muscle, was found guilty of 10.
And James Lasakis, a teenager at the time, four.
The trial of John Bunting and Robert Wagner took almost almost a year and at the end they were sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.
James Versakis didn't see a trial.
He pled guilty to four murders and was also sentenced to life, but with the possibility of parole after 26 years.
James Spirit and Vlasakis wept as he pleaded guilty to killing his half-brother Troy Yude, his stepbrother David Johnson, Gary O'Dwyer and Fred Brooks.
This year is 26 years since James Versakis was sentenced, and his parole has been approved.
In just over a week, he's expected to start reintegrating with the community.
When decades-long non-parole terms are set, think Aaron Patterson's 33-year non-parole period, the other end can be hard to imagine, but this is what it looks like.
In the case of Snowtown Parole, we find out why Vasakis has been given this opportunity when it was denied to the other murderers, and how the Snowtown victims' families feel about the decision.
For this season, I'll be joined by senior ABC reporters James Wakeland and Beck Bryce.
James was actually at the Snowtown bank vault the day the bodies were uncovered.
We'll have our first episode dropping in the KSOL feed on Tuesday, so make sure you're following us in the ABC Listener or wherever you get your podcasts.
