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What we’re listening to – Trace podcast, ABC Radio

by Fiona West | Aug 8, 2017 | media, reviews

Thirty-seven years ago Melbourne single mother-of-two Maria James sent her eldest son off to school with a chilling message: “If anything happens to me look after your brother.”

That afternoon in June 1980, Maria was dead, found brutally stabbed 68 times in her home at the back of her Thornbury second-hand bookshop, in Melbourne’s northern suburbs. Police believe she knew her killer.

The case was the first for “Australia’s greatest detective” Ron Iddles, who retired this year with a 99% record of solving more than 320 homicides. The murder of Maria James represents the elusive 1%. But now, assisting ABC journalist Rachael Browne in her two-year investigation into the cold case, it appears hopeful the unsolved murder – and Iddles’ record – could finally be set straight.

This Serial-style podcast has a Bowraville flavour with an equally perplexing true-crime narrative. Broadcast over four consecutive weeks (but now available for binging while episode five is under way), Trace tells the story of Maria’s brutal unexpected death, and the at-times bizarre and unbelievable associated events surrounding her life and her community.

At the core of the story are Maria’s two boys, Mark and Adam, who help narrate the dark tale with love, anger and, understandably, strong emotion. Their recollection of events will have you seething, crying and cheering, such is the nature of this compelling podcast and the way it has been skilfully laid out.

Youngest son Adam, who has cerebral palsy and Tourette Syndrome, was 11 at the time of the murder. In the days leading up to his mother’s death he told her he had been sexually abused by the local Catholic priest, Father Anthony Bongiorno. Adam, now 48, said his mother indicated she would take care of it. He believed she was planning to confront the priest.

The web of suspects at the time included a married real estate agent with whom Maria had had an affair, a loner who tried to sell pornographic magazines to Maria who was seen in the vicinity the morning of the murder, a Telecom worker who committed suicide days after being questioned, and a secret admirer who had recently sent her flowers.

ABC journalist Rachael Browne has done an incredible job in reopening this challenging case and uncovering fresh information, including a major police bungle in which police were found to have mixed up the DNA from Maria’s bloodied pillow case with a DNA sample from a different murder scene. This has left question marks hanging over all the suspects previously ruled out, including Father Bongiorno, who died in 2002.

In light of this embarrassing bungle, Victorian police have publicly apologised and will retest exhibits from the crime scene to obtain a correct DNA sample for potential matching with former suspects.

Mark, 50, and younger brother Adam are now hopeful the Victorian Coroner will schedule a fresh inquest, potentially allowing for people interviewed by Browne to give evidence, for fresh DNA samples to be collected, and for an exhumation order to be made.

In the meantime, while Trace waits on the Coroner’s decision, the team continues to follow up leads, which keep coming in. More than 150 emails with relevant information have been received since the podcast started in late June.

If you love delving into an unsolved crime and enjoy a good home-grown podcast featuring old-school investigative journalism, listen to Trace and follow the case.

You can listen to all four episodes here or subscribe to the podcast on the ABC Radio app or download it from your preferred podcasting app. – Fiona West