Maria James inquest: Thornbury bookshop murder victim’s son speaks about case

The son of slain bookshop owner Maria James has spoken out about the vicious murder of his mum more than 40 years ago.

The son of slain bookshop owner Maria James has rejected suggestions her ex-lover could have been responsible for her unsolved murder.

Mark James also claimed a priest named as a suspect publicly humiliated her in church and lashed claims against her character.

Mr James gave evidence on Wednesday at the coronial inquest into his mother’s unsolved murder at their Thornbury home in 1980.

“She was a very good woman who was protective of my brother and me,” he told the court on Wednesday.

Single mum Maria James was killed at the back of her Thornbury bookshop. Picture: Coroners Court via NCA NewsWire

No one has ever been charged over her death but the latest probe named six persons of interest including Catholic priests Father Anthony Bongiorno and Father Thomas O’Keeffe. Both have since died.

Both priests were “scary” and Mr James said there was “unpleasantness” between his mum and Fr Bongiorno over adult books she sold at her shop.

“Father Bongiorno at church had roasted mum - I remember mum talking about that with me - she was very upset that he criticised her about those books,” Mr James said.

The books were sealed and kept in a “little cardboard box” in the bookshop at the front of their home.

But his mum wasn’t the only one who sold them in the area, he told the court.

Mr James said his mother had broken up with the married real estate agent Peco Macevksi weeks before her murder.

Mr Macevski is the only living person of interest.

“Mum wasn’t comfortable continuing that relationship under those circumstances and she was crying and was upset when she spoke about it,” he told the inquest.

But despite taking police to Mr Macevksi’s office he didn’t believe he was the one responsible for her death.

“Of course not - he didn’t kill my mum,” Mr James said.

Mark James wanted another probe into the unsolved murder of his mother Maria. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

He also lashed previous claims in the media that she was a “woman of ill-repute” as “ridiculous”.

“That’s total nonsense,” he said.

“I’m also aware of Father Bongiorno casting aspersions on my mother’s character and if that was true that my mother was a prostitute or she was a woman of ill-repute ... I would say that, but that’s not the case”
Earlier, the court was told it wasn’t clear if a knife block with a missing blade found at the murder scene was collected for forensic examination.

Former crime scene examiner Terrence Collins said he didn’t seize the item and could “only assume” someone from the fingerprint division had examined it.

“I don’t know who examined it or removed it from the scene,” he said.

A green jumper Mrs James was wearing at the time she was killed had also gone missing, the court was told.

The inquest in front of Coroner Caitlin English is probing the circumstances of the single mother’s death, the police investigation and who may be responsible.

Originally published as Maria James inquest: Thornbury bookshop murder victim’s son speaks about case