Shortcomings in investigation cited in Australian tourist murder case — ABC News Australia
In Lismore, New South Wales, Australia, police did not investigate several persons of interest thoroughly enough in the unsolved 2005 murder of German tourist Simone Strobel. This view was expressed by senior barrister Philip Strickland, who assisted the coroner during the most recent coronial inquest into Strobel's death, ABC News Australia reports.
Strobel was 25 when she was found dead in Lismore. For almost 20 years, police's main suspect was her boyfriend Tobias Moran, formerly surnamed Suckfuell. At the same time, the 2024 coronial inquest concluded that key elements of the police theory about his possible involvement were unlikely.
Investigation of other individuals
According to Strickland, police were justified in thoroughly investigating Moran, but should have paid more attention to other individuals. They included men who were in the area on the night of Strobel's murder and who, according to reports from members of the public, allegedly confessed to the killing.
Strickland believes law enforcement should have obtained DNA samples from these individuals more promptly and compared them with forensic evidence from the scene. One of the men, who reportedly claimed to have killed Strobel and had convictions for violent crimes, was DNA-tested only seven years after the crime. Another man, who also allegedly confessed to the murder, was asked to provide a DNA sample only in 2024.
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Evidence and police position
Neither Moran nor other individuals mentioned at the latest coronial inquest were linked to the crime scene through forensic evidence. Physical evidence includes an unknown male DNA profile found on a black top, the only item of Strobel's clothing that was recovered. Yellow and blue fibres, likely originating from items of clothing, were also found near where her body was discovered.
In 2007, the New South Wales coroner said there was a “very strong suspicion” regarding Moran's possible involvement in Strobel's death. The second coronial inquest in 2024 overturned those findings. In 2022, state police charged Moran with murder and intent to pervert the course of justice, but the charges were withdrawn the following year. A local court found that the charges had been brought without reasonable grounds.
New South Wales Police said the case is being reviewed by the unsolved homicide unit, while a forensic review is being conducted in line with the coroner's recommendations.
