Police offer $1 million reward in a bid to solve cold case of Janita McNaughton
Janita McNaughton was only 23 when she was shot between the eyes while on board a boat with four other people almost three decades ago. Now police are offering a huge reward to solve her mysterious death.
Cold Cases
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Police are launching a $1 million reward to help solve the cold case of a part-time model shot dead on a speedboat more than three decades ago.
Janita McNaughton was 23 years old when she was on board a boat in Western Port Bay along with four other people on December 27 in 1983.
She was shot between the eyes about 5pm and died in hospital later that evening.
The four passengers on the boat initially told police she had been shot from the shore by an unknown gunman but later changed their story, saying it was an accident.
In their second account, police were told the gun belonged to one of the other passengers, who was trying to shoot a floating beer can in the water.
Then they said the gun dropped and a bullet fatally hit Janita.
Homicide Squad boss Detective Inspector Tim Day said police were “keeping an open mind” about the cold case which was reopened in 2015.
“For the past 36 years, investigators have reviewed the case a number of times,” Detective Inspector Day said.
“Initially, police were told the shot was fired by somebody from the shore. However, investigators were then provided with a second version of accounts, including that the shot was fired on the boat after the gun was dropped.
“The one thing we do know is that someone out there will know who is responsible for shooting Janita and the exact circumstances in which she died.”
A then 20-year-old man was charged with perjury admitting he lied to police in his first statement.
In 1983, police charged Theo Komianos with manslaughter, however these charges were later dismissed at a coroner’s inquest in 1984.
He was 29-years-old at the time.
He remains a person of interest in this investigation.
A reward of up to $1 million will be paid at the discretion of the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police for information leading to the apprehension and subsequent conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murder.
Anyone with information about the death of Janita McNaughton is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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