Shandee Blackburn murder: Cold case features in new podcast from The Australian

This is Shandee’s story; her cold-blooded murder in a friendly and relaxed Queensland community. Here’s how you can listen to this gripping new podcast from Hedley Thomas.

A brutal unsolved murder that has haunted Mackay for eight years is being examined by Gold Walkley-award winning podcast investigator Hedley Thomas.

Thomas — who created the global smash-hit cold case podcasts The Teacher’s Pet and The Night Driver — says the killing of Shandee Blackburn is a crime that can be solved.

The podcast — Shandee’s Story — launches today and has brought new hope for Vicki Blackburn, Shandee’s mother, and her daughter Shannah.

“I feel like all through this justice process there’s so much that’s been hidden,” Vicki Blackburn said.

“I’d like people to see the evidence and then make their decisions.”

The Australian is launching a new podcast series named Shandee's Story – taking a look at the brutal unsolved murder of Shandee Blackburn that has haunted Mackay for eight years.

Thomas has been working for six months on his investigation into the murder of Shandee, who was stabbed and left to die in a gutter on Boddington St, Mackay, while walking home from work in 2013.

CCTV cameras in the area showed an unidentified figure sprinting towards Shandee and then racing away as she lay dying.

Shandee Blackburn is seen in CCTV footage just before she was murdered on her way home from work. Picture: Supplied

“In the six months we’ve been on this case we’ve discovered some remarkable facts which were not understood before. I’m confident we have the potential to make a profound difference,” Thomas said.

“This is still a cold case for police because Shandee’s murderer, whoever he is, remains at large.

“It is our hope the podcast investigation might finally result in the person behind the savagery of Shandee’s slaying being brought to justice.

“Whatever happens, we will give Shandee her voice back. This is her story and her cold-blooded murder in a friendly and relaxed Queensland community, and it highlights many things which haven’t come out before.”

Shandee Blackburn died after a stabbing on Boddington Street in February 2013.

Thomas has a long connection to Mackay via his wife, Ruth Mathewson, who began her journalistic career at The Daily Mercury.

“Ruth’s mother Mary ran the blood bank and her dad Iain was a much loved bagpipe-playing kilt-wearing GP in town,” Thomas said.

“We’ve been back many times with our children too. It’s a place we remember with a lot of fondness.”

Shandee Blackburn

Shandee’s former boyfriend John Peros was charged with her murder but found not guilty at a jury trial in 2017.

Police closely investigated and questioned a local man with a record of violent offending, William Daniel.

John Peros and his lawyers accused William Daniel, who denied wrongdoing, of having killed Shandee in a robbery gone wrong.

After hearings in 2019, coroner David O’Connell last year found Peros was responsible for Shandee’s death.

Peros has consistently denied any involvement.

Vicki Blackburn with a photo of Shandee when she was in Las Vegas preparing to go on the Stratosphere.

Shandee’s Story is created by The Australian, a sister publication of the Daily Mercury.

It will be an important examination of the complexities of the justice system, said The Australian’s national crime correspondent David Murray, a former Mackay resident who in the mid-1990s attended the same school Shandee would later attend, St Patrick’s College, and is assisting in the reporting.

“The audio in this podcast is as harrowing as it gets. Shandee’s family are incredibly brave and need a proper resolution,” Murray said.

It’s hoped the podcast will generate new leads from members of the public, and anyone with information on the case is urged to email the team directly at [e-mail]

Subscribers to The Australian hear episodes first and get exclusive access to stories, images and videos. Subscriptions start at just 50 cents per day for the first 12 weeks (conditions apply). To find out more, go to shandee.com.au or scan this QR code.

QR code to The Australian's new podcast Shandee's Story – a deep dive into the brutal unsolved murder of Shandee Blackburn that has haunted Mackay for eight years.