‘Black Widow’ killer Patricia Byers admits to murdering Carel Gottgens in bail bid

QUEENSLAND’S “black widow” killer has finally admitted to murdering her missing partner — and she’s using a loophole in the law to get out of jail.

‘Black Widow’ Patricia Byers is hoping a loophole in the law could see her released from jail. Picture: File

QUEENSLAND’S “black widow” killer has finally admitted to murdering her missing partner, in an attempt to get out of jail under the new “no body, no parole” laws.

Patricia Byers murdered one partner and tried to kill another by shooting him in the head as he slept.

Carel Gottgens — her first victim — was never found and Byers is using a loophole in the law to get out of jail, 17 years after she was convicted of his murder.

Now in a South Australian prison after requesting a transfer, Byers has finally confessed to killing Mr Gottgens, telling police she hit him with a blunt object and he fell in the Coomera River.

Her confession came soon after SA introduced a “no body, no parole” law, designed to reunite grieving families with the bodies of their loved ones.

But Byers’ story involved a scenario where police were unable to find Mr Gottgens’ body.

Detectives are understood to be sceptical of her confession, which goes against evidence given at trial that blood, believed to be Mr Gottgens’, was found in the bedroom.

Murder victim Carel Theodorous Gottgens.

A campaign is under way by families of missing murder victims to bring the same law to Queensland.

Mr Gottgens, Byers’ partner of eight years, disappeared in 1990 as he was preparing to leave her for another woman. She told his family he had run off.

It was only in 1993, when she shot John Asquith — but failed to kill him — during a romantic weekend aboard a boat, that police realised Mr Gottgens may have been murdered.

Police found evidence she had forged a series of documents to get hold of Mr Gottgens’ assets — including a luxury house and boat.

A forensic examination of the couple’s bedroom found evidence of blood on the walls that could have belonged to Mr Gottgens. Byers denied killing him and claimed he was still alive.

The “black widow” murderer had used the same tactic on her second victim, forging Mr Asquith’s signature to take out a hefty life insurance policy with her as a beneficiary.

Homicide detective Acting Superintendent Damien Hansen said police from Queensland flew to SA to meet with Byers.

“We have conducted a search after she gave us some informa­tion. We did not find any remains and we have reported that back,” he said.

South Australia’s Corrections Minister, Peter Malinauskas, would not discuss Byers’ parole application but it is understood she has been moved to a facility to ­prepare for parole.