A 65-year-old man has been arrested in Rome in connection with the brutal murders of two women in Melbourne, Australia, nearly 47 years ago. The suspect, a dual Greek-Australian citizen, was taken into custody at Fiumicino Airport on Thursday under an Interpol red notice.

The case dates back to January 13, 1977, when the bodies of Suzanne Armstrong, 27, and Susan Bartlett, 28, were discovered in their Easey Street home. Both women had been brutally stabbed, with Armstrong also having been raped. Her 16-month-old son was found unharmed in his cot.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton described the crime as “absolutely gruesome” and one of the state’s most notorious cold cases. He revealed that police had waited for the suspect to leave Greece, where he was protected by the statute of limitations, before making the arrest.

Technological advances have played a crucial role in re-examining the case. In 2017, police offered a reward of AUS $1 million (approximately US $680,000) for information leading to an arrest after new leads emerged. Recent DNA testing linked the suspect to the crime through a close relative.

It has been reported that the suspect was stopped by police on the night of the murders and found in possession of a large knife, but he was not questioned about the killings at that time as investigators focused on other suspects.

Sources By Agencies