Prison officers’ warning on Ivan Milat’s axe murderer nephew
A CONFIDENTIAL file has offered chilling insights into the mind of Ivan Milat’s axe murderer nephew, with concerns over his “disconcerting” behaviour in jail, lack of empathy and ability to manipulate staff.
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COPYCAT killer Matthew Milat has revealed chilling insights into the mind of a psychopath — a man not even a mother could love — through a series of interviews given from behind prison walls.
A confidential file, obtained by True Crime Australia, suggests Milat may have been able to charm his way through the justice system, manipulating fellow detainees and staff to his advantage.
The 26-year-old nephew to notorious backpacker killer Ivan Milat is currently serving a record 43-year sentence for the torture and brutal murder of his best mate David Auchterlonie in the Belanglo State Forest in NSW in 2010.
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Despite Milat’s ability to quickly get his inmate classification downgraded, thereby granting him greater privileges, his assessors warn expressions of remorse and “positive” social interactions with staff may be little more than an act.
The report found Milat has “little to no empathy” towards his victim but that he articulated “some concern” for the victim’s family.
It was recommended he be treated with guidance from the Psychopathy Check List.
“He was able to give statements that may indicate some level of remorse,” states the report.
“This did however, appear to be internalised at an intellectual level and it is possible that these statements were made to appear to respond in a more socially acceptable way.”
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It was advised Milat be monitored for his “capacity for empathy, social manipulation, rational attitudes and beliefs that support the use of violence and his capacity for meaningful and intimate relationships”.
However, outside of official assessment interviews, custodial staff noted Milat exhibited “disconcerting behaviour”.
This included “inappropriate references to his offence and the use of weapons to staff and other detainees”.
Milat is also able to exercise worrying influence over other inmates, who view Milat through a hero-like status.
One officer who worked with Milat for more than a year saw this in action.
“The other boys were all sort of, ‘oooh, Matthew Milat’ because murder’s considered good in terms of status — the more serious your crime the more status you have,” the officer said.
“I’ve seen the boys try to friend him rather than him friend the boys.”
However, Milat mostly has cut a lone figure and did not seem to form meaningful friendships.
“He’s just quiet, I had no problem with him. I never had to pull him up once for his behaviour,” said the officer.
“But you didn’t want to interact, probably because he was a Milat. He just gives you this vibe. The feeling you used to get around him … I didn’t want to get close because he would manipulate.”
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The officer also noted Milat didn’t receive a single visitor during an 18-month period.
Even his mother, Deb Muelman, appears to have turned her back on him, failing to turn up when requested to attend an appointment for the purpose of his assessment.
“Mrs Muelman failed to appear and has not been contactable since despite frequent attempts at contacting her and other family members,” states the report which also cited him to be somewhat socially isolated.
Prison assessors also noted difficulty interviewing Milat, primarily due to his claim of a “frequent lapse of memory”.
“This was far more difficult when discussing events after the offence than that of those during and prior,” reads the report.
The significance of Ivan Milat in his life was formally discussed with him by counsellors but he dismissed it.
“This was met with an emotionally heightened response stating that he has never had any significant contact,” the report concluded.
The young Milat has maintained study while incarcerated, with counsellors noting “he could have performed far better should he have applied himself” prior to his imprisonment.
Profiling of Milat’s life before his offence details an academically bright young man who was involved in sports and social activities and had positive employment within trades such as plumbing and labouring and demonstrated a good work ethic.
“Matthew reported that he finds it easy to make friends, however, is selective on who he says he trusts,” reads the report.
Milat told interviewers he had enjoyed a series of short, “non-intimate” sexual relationships often with concurrent female partners but was “never concerned with the partners finding out about his promiscuity”.
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On 20 November, 2010, Milat lured Auchterlonie, along with two other friends Cohen Klein and Chase Day, to the site of his great-uncle’s crime spree on the promise of drinking and smoking marijuana in celebration of Auchterlonie’s 17th birthday.
Instead he began a lengthy and merciless attack on Auchterlonie with a double-sided axe, which included making him lie on the dirt and beg for his life for 15 minutes before his death.
It can now be revealed the audio recording of the attack, made on one of the boy’s mobile phones, has left the corrections officer who heard the audio while accompanying Milat to the police station, permanently scarred.
Chillingly, Milat told his assessors he had dreams about his victim for six months prior to killing him but that he would have let him go if he hadn’t “talked back”.
FOREST OF FEAR
VICTIMS support services are urging Halloween merrymakers to keep their ghoulish celebrations away from Belanglo State Forest, out of respect for the many victims who were buried there and their families.
The infamous pine forest 140kms southwest of Sydney first gained grisly notoriety when the seven skeletal remains of the victims of backpacker murderer Ivan Milat were found in 1992 and 1993.
“Considering what happened there and the nature of the murders, from our perspective the community has carried that trauma of those crimes for ever since they happened,” said Kerrie Thompson of NSW Victims of Crime Assistance League.
“Everyone knows about the State Forest and 99.9 per cent of people are aware of what happened in there — the murders were horrific — so it’s questionable whether the forest is the most appropriate place for Halloween celebrations.”
In 2010, the body of murdered mother Karlie Jade Pearce-Stevenson was discovered in the forest by bike riders.
Just months later, the forest would become the final rest place for David Auchterlonie, murdered with an axe by his friend Matthew Milat in a calculated and torturous attack. Auchterlonie’s body was discovered in a shallow grave.
“It’s not just as simple as: let’s go here and have a party. Those actions have an ongoing consequence to the people who’ve lost loved ones and that often gets forgotten when people have great ideas to do something like this,” said Thompson, warning insensitive behaviour may trigger trauma responses in victims’ families.
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In past years, ghost tours have been run of the forest but were shut down when local residents and victims’ families expressed outrage.
“Forestry Corporation has not been approached and is not aware of any organised Halloween tours in Belanglo State forest,” said a representative from the Forestry Corporation of NSW.
“People can enter the forest like any other day, but we ask them to follow directions and be safe, respectful and sensible.