Archives: Dark Stories: On This Day In True Crime History - Page 36
2009: Millionaire Michael McGurk Shot Dead Outside His Cremorne Home
On the evening of 3 September 2009, millionaire businessman Michael McGurk was shot dead in the driveway of his home in Cremorne, Sydney. His young son witnessed the killing. McGurk had been embroiled in a bitter legal dispute with property developer Ron Medich over a failed business deal.
The murder triggered one of the most complex organised crime investigations in New South Wales in years. Ron Medich was ultimately convicted in 2019 of arranging the killing, and sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison.
1857: Two Men Hanged at Melbourne Gaol for the Brutal Murder of a Brothel Madam
On a wet, cloudy night in 1857, Chong Sigh and Hing Tzan entered the brothel of Sophia Lewis on Exhibition Street, in Melbourne, intending to rob and murder her.
Chong Sigh cut the sleeping woman’s throat, but the first wound was not fatal. Hing Tzan held her down while a second, deeper cut was made. When Lewis moved again, Hing Tzan returned to her and, according to the men’s later confession, almost severed her head from her body.
The pair then plundered the room and slipped away into the night, narrowly avoiding a constable on his beat before eventually scattering to Geelong and Ballarat.
Both men were arrested, confessed and were convicted of murder. Their statements confirmed that Chong Sigh had conceived the plot, with robbery as the motive, while Hing Tzan carried out the final fatal attack.
At Melbourne Gaol, the two men presented a striking contrast on the scaffold. Chong Sigh was overcome with emotion and cried loudly, while Hing Tzan remained comparatively composed and appeared to chant a prayer. Hing Tzan briefly resisted when the execution cap was placed over his head, apparently fearing that his hair was about to be cut, but quickly became calm. Both men were hanged on 3 September 1857.
Hooded man holding a glowing lantern in a dark forest
1984: The Milperra Massacre: Seven Dead in Father’s Day Bikie War at Sydney Tavern
On Father’s Day, 2 September 1984, a heavily armed convoy of Comanchero motorcycle club members descended on the Viking Tavern car park in Milperra, a south-western suburb of Sydney.
The Comancheros had been at war with the newly formed Bandidos, a breakaway chapter, whose split from the Comancheros founder had curdled into open conflict. When both clubs converged on a swap meet that day, gunfire erupted in the car park. Seven people died, including a 14-year-old girl caught in the crossfire, and twenty-eight others were wounded.
The Milperra Massacre became the bloodiest single clash in the history of Australian outlaw motorcycle clubs.
1816: Constable Thomas Wright Killed After Removing an Illicit Still from the Army Barracks
Early morning, September 2nd 1816, Constable Thomas Wright was standing outside the Guard Room at the army barracks in Sydney‘s outer settlement of Windsor when he was assaulted with a cutlass. The attack is believed to have been motivated by his earlier removal of an illicit still from the barracks.
Three soldiers, were tried for his wilful murder and all three were acquitted owing to conflicting witness statements. According to the Sydney Gazette, the trial had excited considerable interest and ended in a manner gratifying to general feeling, but left the true circumstances of Wright’s death unresolved.
