Murder of Betty Shanks explained

Betty Shanks
Birth Date:	10 October 1929, Wilston, Queensland
Death Place:	Grange, Queensland, Australia
Alma Mater:	The University of Queensland

The Murder of Betty Shanks is one of the oldest and most notorious unsolved murder cases^[1] in Queensland, Australia.

Overview

On the night of 19 September 1952, 22-year-old Betty Shanks got off a tram at Days Road Terminus in Grange, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, after attending classes in the city and started her short walk home. Her violently beaten body was found in the garden of a house on the corner of Carberry and Thomas Streets the next morning at 5:35 AM,^[2] by a policeman who lived nearby.^[3] At the time it was Queensland's biggest criminal investigation ever,^[4] and a reward of A$50,000 is still current.

Investigation

An attack by a sex offender was considered very early in the investigation.^[5] Another theory is that the murderer attacked the wrong woman, and was actually interested in a doctor's receptionist – who also walked home down the same street at the same time, and had keys to the surgery which contained drugs. A number of people have confessed over the years, however all have proven to be false.^[6]

Related works

Books

Several books have been written about the murder and the authors have outlined who they believe the murderer to be. These works include:

• Who Killed Betty Shanks? (2006 (revised in 2012), author: Ken Blanch) Blanch suggested that Shanks was killed by a soldier.^{[7] [8] [9]}
• I Know Who Killed Betty Shanks (First edition 2014; Second edition 2019; Third edition 2022; author: Ted Duhs) Duhs theorized that Eric Sterry killed Shanks.^{[9] [10]}
• The Thomas St Affair (2016, author: Lyle Reed) Reed proposed that Shanks was killed by a police officer riding a motorbike. The author did not reveal the killer's name in interviews prior to the book being published but did indicate he was a member of his family.^{[11] [12]}

Film

• The Wilston Murder: The story of Betty Shanks (2012) This documentary was produced and directed by student filmmakers Maya Weidner and Becky Newman, respectively, as a university project. The women believed the story was one that could resonate with a modern-day audience. Newman recalled learning about the murder at a young age, as her family was interested in history and had read Ken Blanch's book, Who Killed Betty Shanks? but believed the story was largely forgotten among her generation.^[13]

See also

• List of unsolved murders

Notes and References

1. Web site: History Mystery: Betty Shanks . 9 February 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090107045619/http://www.australianhistorymysteries.info/yc_2007/entries/mcooper/bettyshanks.pdf . 7 January 2009 .
2. Web site: Murder of Betty Thomson Shanks $50,000 Reward . 9 February 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090915193110/http://www.police.qld.gov.au/News+and+Alerts/rewards/s/shanks.htm . 15 September 2009 .
3. News: Shanks Murder suspect traced. 9 February 2010. 3 April 2007 . The Courier-Mail.
4. Web site: New light on Brisbane's most infamous murder case - 730 Report. . 3 April 2007. 9 February 2010.
5. News: Police search extends in Brisbane Crime. The Canberra Times. 22 September 1952. 9 February 2010.
6. News: Shanks Murder suspect traced. 20 February 2010. 3 April 2007 . The Courier-Mail.
7. News: Betty Shanks: An enduring mystery . 21 September 2012 . Moore . Tony . Brisbane Times . 7 December 2016.
8. News: Doctor cleared of Shanks murder . 29 September 2012 . Foley . Peter . The Queensland Times . 7 December 2016.
9. News: The 1952 unsolved murder of Betty Shanks in Brisbane sparks battle between publishers of rival books . 16 October 2014 . Pierce . Jeremy . The Courier-Mail . 7 December 2016.
10. Web site: FROM the VAULT - The unsolved murder of Betty Shanks . 25 November 2014 . Queensland Police Service Media . 7 December 2016.
11. News: Betty Shanks murder cracked by Ipswich author . 6 December 2015 . Gould . Joel . The Queensland Times . 7 December 2016.
12. News: Author to name former copy as Betty Shanks' killer . 12 June 2016 . Gould . Joel . The Queensland Times . 7 December 2016.
13. Web site: Students Recreate Crime: Betty Shanks - The Wilston Murder; Brisbane Crime Inspires Local Filmakers... . 14 September 2012 . Sim . Jack . 22 April 2018.