Cairns police and prosecution to provide behind the crime presentation of violent 2013 murder
A Biloela man was found violently murdered on a Far North property, with his killer voluntarily revealing himself to police in a bid to sway the facts, before becoming entangled in his own web of lies. How do get behind the scenes of this investigation.
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A Biloela man was found violently murdered on a Far North property, with his killer voluntarily revealing himself to police in a bid to sway the facts, before becoming entangled in his own web of lies.
Local crime fanatics will be offered a rare chance to go behind the scenes of the 2013 case, as Cairns Criminal Investigation Branch Detective Sergeant Matt Hogan presents details of what began as missing persons case and concluded as a hunt for a violent murderer.
The two-hour presentation on Thursday evening at JCU is part of a Community Supporting Police charity fundraiser, with the organisation’s efforts supporting the force’s officers and families.
The Behind the Crime – Web of Lies presentation will tell the tale of Travis Davis, a 28-year-old from Biloela who had travelled to Cairns in September 2013 for a fresh start.
One month later, he was dead – found in bushland near Kuranda in a wild pigs’ den.
His killer William Reid was sentenced to life in prison in April 2016.
Sergeant Hogan said the two men had met at a northern beaches veterinary clinic, before Mr Davis visited Mr Reid’s residence at Mona Mona, near Kuranda, with his dog on multiple occasions.
While Mr Davis was killed in October 2013, he wasn’t reported missing by his mum until November 12 of that year.
“So we starting with the usual – looking at phone and bank records to get an idea of where he may have been and build a timeline, but we became even more suspicious,” Sergeant Hogan said.
He said about November 19, days after the missing person report, there had been multiple Crime Stoppers calls, including one from the man eventually convicted – who attempted to paint a picture of Mr Davis’ whereabouts, suggesting he’d left town.
Sergeant Hogan said he would be presenting to the audience how police conducted interviews with key witnesses and how they picked apart the lies in the killer’s statement and the techniques used during the investigation.
“It was a lot of old school policing, but it’ll be good to show the public how it’s not like the movies; there’s this perception that interviews are all about leading up to the ‘big moment’ of a confession, but really, it’s about keeping your composure and even if you know you’re being lied to, holding your nerve and letting the process play out.
“So it’s about that look behind the curtain for the people to come and see how things are done.
“And then you can do a bit of armchair psychology on some of the stories of being told.”
His presentation will be followed by Crown prosecutor Claudia Georgouras’ perspective from a judicial role.
The event beings at 6pm on Thursday, and tickets are available on Eventbrite.
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