Venus Bay: Adam Troy Bennett faces court over Peter Hillier murder

A man reported missing years ago has been charged with a murder discovered at Venus Bay as it’s revealed the alleged victim had also been reported missing.

A man who has been missing for two years has been charged with the murder of another missing man, whose body was found in a house on South Australia’s West Coast on Monday.

Adam Troy Bennett, 43, of Lake Haven in NSW, Tuesday appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court from the Port Lincoln police cells after being arrested for the alleged murder of Peter Hillier, 64.

Police believe the pair were exploring Australia together on a road trip.

Local police were called to a home on Sandham St, at Venus Bay, about 11am where they found the body of Mr Hillier inside. He had previously been reported as missing by his niece on May 25 this year.

Mr Hillier – also from Lake Haven – had been travelling with Mr Bennett, who coincidentally had also been reported missing in 2020.

Police believe the pair left NSW after Mr Hillier bought a motorhome about a month ago to travel around Australia, starting in South Australia.

They further claim the pair arrived in Venus Bay on May 5 and had been staying in several rentals across the town.

Alleged murder victim 64-year-old Peter Hillier. Picture: SA Police

Venus Bay general store owner Nicole Elliott said she had come to know the men quite well since they arrived.

“They came in regularly and I’m the managing agent for the holiday homes, so I was actually looking after their bookings,” she said.

She said the last time she saw Mr Hillier was on Sunday, when the pair came in to purchase tobacco and other groceries. She said that the next morning, Mr Bennett came back to the store alone and used the nearby payphone to call an ambulance.

Police said Mr Bennett told them the pair went fishing on Sunday and afterwards started drinking.

Police also said that Mr Bennett claimed Mr Hillier had fallen from a vehicle on the Flinders Hwy while intoxicated the night before.

A supplied photo of the motorhome owned by Peter Hillier whose body was found at Venus bay. Picture: SAPOL

He claimed they had returned home and Mr Hillier had gone to sleep on the couch. Police also allege that Mr Bennett said Mr Hillier was unresponsive the next morning.

Superintendent Des Bray said: “As a result of our investigation we’ve drawn the conclusion that is not true and the acquaintance (Mr Bennett) has been arrested for his murder. He suffered significant injuries to his body and we don’t believe they are consistent with falling from a vehicle.”

Ms Elliott said she found nothing suspicious about either of the men.

“Obviously, everyone has a past, we don’t know about that,” she said. “But they were very friendly, polite, courteous and always happy. “I actually went up there one day to drop off some salmon they had left in a previous home they’d stayed in and I heard them singing and carrying on.”

Nicole Elliott, Venus Bay general store owner. Picture: Robert Lang

Superintendent Des Bray, Major Crime Investigation Branch. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

The home Peter Hiller was found in at Venus Bay. Picture: Robert Lang

It is understood the pair had moved into the Sandham St address on May 23 after the property they were staying in on nearby James St ran out of water.

Police appealed for the public’s help regarding any sighting of the two men or the Mercedes Benz motorhome in which they were travelling.

A visitor in the house next door, Anthony Lopresto, 42, said he travelled from Adelaide to holiday there each year and was shocked when police started arriving.

“We’ve been here since the 23rd and didn’t hear or notice anything strange, we thought the old bloke just liked to keep to himself,” he said. “There was no banging or screaming, my dad thought he heard a knock on the door Sunday morning but that was it.”

He said he hadn’t seen Mr Hillier since Wednesday. Supt Bray said a motive was not yet clear.

Police are appealing for anyone with dashcam footage from the Flinders Highway or surrounding roads on Sunday, May 29 to contact police.

Anyone with any information is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestoppers.sa.gov.au.