Son receives ‘last chance’ for cold case justice over 1992 murder of his father Hugo Benscher

It was the murder that shocked the Gold Coast almost 30 years ago. But now, the victim’s son believes he has received his “last chance” at justice.

A MAN whose elderly father was murdered in brutal circumstances on the Gold Coast 27 years ago believes he has received his “last chance” at justice, after cold case cops decided to review the case last week.

Hugo Benscher was 89 when he was killed in a botched home invasion in his luxury canal-front home.

A friend found him unresponsive in the hallway of his Paradise Point home about 8am on Sunday, June 21, 1992. He had been gagged, blindfolded and suffered a severe head injury.

COLD CASE: The 1992 murder of 89-year-old Hugo Benscher in his Gold Coast home remains unsolved

The house had been raided and ransacked, leading detectives to believe it was a robbery gone wrong.

Hugo Benscher was 89 years old when he was killed in 1992, thought to be the victim of a home invasion gone wrong.

Queensland’s Cold Case Investigation Team made a fresh public appeal for information last week and said they were hopeful of cracking the case.

Mr Benscher’s son, Ron, who is now 72, said someone out there knew more than they were letting on — and the case depended on them coming forward.

“This has got to be the last chance I think after 27 years. If nothing is achieved on this sort of occasion, I think, you know, what are the chances down the track?” Ron said.

In 2006, Detective Sergeant Daren Edwards said it was believed two men were involved in the break-in at Mr Benscher’s home.

A 2003 picture of Ron Benscher of Bondi Junction, Sydney, holding photograph of his murdered father.

In the coming weeks, detectives will travel to New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania to reinterview original witnesses and to approach new witnesses who have been identified in the investigation.

Mr Benscher invented an inflatable ball bladder and valve for sporting equipment and was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1903, before he migrated to Australia in 1948.

He lived most of his life in Sydney with his wife and sons, retiring to the Gold Coast in 1986 after his wife died.

During his six years living on the Gold Coast, he was a regular attendee of the Runaway Bay Yacht Club.

The reward for information leading to the arrest of a killer or killers rose from $100,000 to $250,000 in 2014. But still no arrests have been made and the case remains open.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Originally published as Son receives ‘last chance’ for cold case justice over 1992 murder of his father Hugo Benscher