Hitman theory raised as police offer $1 million reward to help catch Antje Jones’ killer

The hunt to catch a killer who has walked free for decades after the horror execution of Melbourne mum Antje Jones in 1981 has prompted police to offer a $1 million reward to help crack the case.

Antje Jones was shot dead in her brother’s house in St Albans in 1981.

Police are today increasing the pressure on a key cold case murder suspect by posting a $1 million reward to solve the execution of Antje Jones.

The homicide squad on Monday confirmed Ms Jones’ former husband Clifford Jones remains a “person of interest” in the decades-old killing.

She had moved from Melbourne to Queensland with her young son to live with her parents after her divorce from Mr Jones and was just visiting Melbourne at the time of her death.

Homicide squad cold case team detectives on Monday told the Herald Sun they last year received new evidence which was significant enough to spark the reinvestigation of the murder of the mother of one.

Ms Jones, 34, was shot dead in the bedroom of her brother Eric Bart’s house in Theodore St, St Albans, on September 15, 1981.

She was either woken by the intruder coming into where she was sleeping or she was awake in bed at the time and was startled by the person who broke into the house.

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Forensic evidence suggests Ms Jones bravely tried to grab the gun off the killer immediately before being shot multiple times with a handgun.

Clifford Jones had a strong alibi showing he was almost certainly elsewhere at the time Ms Jones was murdered — but one theory detectives are working on is that a hitman may have been hired to dispose of the body.

Last night, Ms Jones’s son, Chris, told the Herald Sun he hoped the $1 million reward would help bring charges, and closure for his family.

“I hope the $1 million reward brings police the information they need to lay charges because it would be great to finally get justice for my mother after all this time,” he said.

“Charges being laid wouldn’t bring my mother back, but it would provide some closure for me and the rest of the family.”

Chris Jones said his father’s very occasional visits after the murder stopped suddenly, when he was 11.

“The last time I saw him, in 1989, he told me something had gone ­terribly wrong in his life,” he said.

“He was crying.”

The Herald Sun is not suggesting Mr Jones was involved in the death of his former wife, just that he remains a suspect in the new homicide probe — he has repeatedly told police he had nothing to do with his former wife’s murder. He has never been charged or arrested in relation to the murder.

“Clifford Jones is one of the persons of interest that we are investigating,” homicide cold case team detective sergeant Paul Rowe told the Herald Sun on Monday.

“However it’s important to keep an open mind and there is certainly the possibility of a number of people being involved.

“One avenue we are exploring is that the person directly responsible for Antje’s death was acting on behalf of a third party.

“That third party obviously had motivation to see harm caused to Antje.

“There are a number of people who account for Clifford Jones’ movements at the time of Antje’s death; however we always keep an open mind with any investigation with respect to any potential alibis.”

Ms Jones’ son — who was aged three when his mother was murdered in 1981 — is estranged from his father, Clifford Jones.

Chris Jones told the Herald Sun: “I was only three when my mother was murdered in 1981 so don’t have any real memory of what happened. My maternal grandparents brought me up.

“I have come to terms with it and got on with my life. I have children of my own.”

Homicide Squad Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper on Monday told the Herald Sun there were people with information which would help “identify Antje’s killers”.

Antje Jones with her son, Chris.

He said he hoped the $1 million reward would persuade those people to come forward.

“Over the years we have followed up a number of avenues of inquiry and we now believe one of our key persons of interest in this case may have organised for Antje to be killed,” Det-Insp Stamper said.

“Antje was in Melbourne appearing as a witness in a court case for a car crash from several years earlier and decided to stay longer and take the opportunity to catch up with family and friends.

“Instead of returning home to her little boy in Queensland, Antje’s life ended violently in Melbourne.

“Thirty-eight years is a long time to keep a secret — people’s circumstances can change over the years and someone who may not have wanted to provide information to police previously may now feel ready to do so.

“We still believe this case is solvable. We are committed to providing justice for Antje and her loved ones and bringing those responsible before the courts.”

Evidence suggests Antje Jones was murdered about 8.30am on September 15, 1981, as a neighbour, Iris Johnson, heard a loud metallic bang at that time. One of the shots fired by the killer went through the house and hit a metal oil tank outside.

Ms Jones was staying with her brother Eric Bart when she was murdered and was sleeping in what he described to police as the TV room.

Antje Jones, pictured with her then husband Clifford Jones.

He told police his sister was only married to Clifford Jones for about a year and that they had one child together.

“She left him on a number of occasions, but returned prior to their final separation.

“Clifford had been married two or three times. The marriage broke up finally when my sister found out about another woman,” Mr Bart told the coroner during the Antje Jones inquest in 1983.

Mr Bart said his sister went to bed about 1pm on the night before she was murdered and that he and his teenage daughter Camille, the only other person living in the house, had left for work about 8am the next morning without seeing her.

It wasn’t until about 3.20pm that Mr Bart’s other daughter Fiona, then aged 15 and who lived elsewhere with her mother, popped over to visit her Aunt Antje and looked into the TV room.

“As I looked in, I could see a hand stretched out on a couch,” Fiona told the coroner during the Antje Jones inquest.

“I realised it was probably Antje because that’s where she had been sleeping.

“I went closer and I could see that it was Antje, She was in her brown dressing gown and she was lying on her left side.

“I called her name twice but she didn’t answer so I walked in and shook her knees, but she didn’t move.

“Then I noticed some blood on the inside of her left arm.”

Antje Jones with son, Chris.

Fiona Bart then ran to a neighbour for help and an ambulance and police were called, but it was too late as Ms Jones was already dead.

It is likely the killer was watching as Mr Bart and his daughter left for work about 8am, leaving Antje Jones home alone in the locked house.

Police discovered the top of a wooden trellis fence on the property had been recently broken in such a way it suggested somebody had climbed over it.

They also found evidence the home had been broken into.

The then senior sergeant Michael Friend and fellow homicide squad detective Sal Perna broke the news to Clifford Jones that his former wife had been shot dead.

They visited him the day after the murder at the business he ran, Hampstead Road Auto Centre in Maidstone, and then took him into Russell St police headquarters for several hours of questioning.

Mr Jones denied then that he was involved in his former wife’s death and has continued to deny it during other interviews with police over the years.

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Det-Insp Stamper on Monday said he still believed the case was solvable.

“A reward of up to $1 million will be paid at the discretion of the Chief Commissioner of Police for information leading to the apprehension and subsequent conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murder of Antje Jones,” he said.

“In appropriate cases, the Director of Public Prosecutions may consider, according to established guidelines, the granting of indemnification from prosecution to any person who provides information as to the identity of the principal offender or offenders in this matter.”

Det-Insp Stamper urged anyone with information about the murder of Antje Jones to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au