Magnets, wall cavities: Murder suspect’s concealment strategy

Shandee Blackburn’s ex-boyfriend John Peros created an elaborate security set-up for his gun safes involving magnets and wall cavities in a bid to deter police from accessing them.

Police found Shandee Blackburn’s former boyfriend had an elaborate security set-up for his gun safes. Picture: Michaela Harlow

Shandee Blackburn’s former boyfriend John Peros created an elaborate security set-up for his gun safes involving magnets and wall cavities in a bid to deter police from accessing them.

Mr Peros also used secret compartments behind a microwave, in a cupboard and in the arm of a clothesline to hide items including keys, paperwork and a digital recorder.

Detectives discovered the concealment strategy when they visited Mr Peros at his flat on Evan St, Mackay, to seize his firearms and ammunition in late February 2014.

Amateur boxer John Peros did not want to reveal to police his secret hiding strategy in his flat. Picture: Lee Constable

It had been just over a year since Blackburn, 23, was stabbed to death walking home alone from work in the sugar and mining town on Queensland’s central coast.

Mr Peros sounded stressed and didn’t want to have anything to do with detectives who arrived at his home. “I’m not interested in talking to you guys, I’m recording this conversation,” he said.

Police were recording, too, and their verbal sparring match is revealed in investigative podcast ­series Shandee’s Story, examining the unsolved murder. Mr Peros denies any involvement.

Detective Sergeant Lisa Elkins from Mackay’s Criminal Investigation Branch told Mr Peros his firearms licence had been revoked. It meant he had to immediately surrender the licence, his Glock pistol and rifles stored at his place for a friend.

Concerns had been raised about the state of his mental health, Sergeant Elkins said.

Mr Peros did not want to reveal the secret hiding places he used to store his gun safe’s keys, while police weren’t going to look away because of the safety risks. A standoff ensued.

Asked by Detective Sergeant Scott Furlong if he was worried about what else might be found with his key, Mr Peros replied: “No, no, not at all … I like to hide my stuff.”

Mr Peros eventually relented after being warned that he could be arrested for obstructing police.

Sergeant Elkins noted in police logs that after locating several keys, Mr Peros opened two safes in the flat.

One had ammunition and three long firearms.

A smaller safe had the handgun.

“There were several places across the unit that he had things hidden,” Sergeant Elkins wrote.

Episode 6 of Shandee’s Story, Losing It, details the increasing pressure on Mr Peros.

“It appeared that he had removed a piece of the wall behind the microwave and placed a grill over the front.

“He removed keys from this hole. It appeared that he had removed a piece of timber out of the bottom of the cupboard above the fridge and placed a grill over this.

“He removed paperwork and a digital recorder out of this.

“He had to use tools to remove the arm from the internal clothesline and this is where he stored a key.

“He had to use a set of magnets to get a key from inside the roof cavity, to which access was gained through the downstairs bathroom manhole.”

In the space of a week, Sergeant Elkins had compelled Mr Peros to turn in the guns, to give a sample of DNA, to be fingerprinted and filmed and photographed, and to attend coercive hearings.

The pressure was intense – and on the same day police were seizing the guns, journalists received an official briefing about a vehicle of interest. Friends and family immediately recognised it as looking like Mr Peros’s white Toyota HiLux.

Anyone with information about the murder of Shandee Blackburn can contact Hedley Thomas at [e-mail]