Milat's relative did 'what family does'

24 Oct 2011, 2:25 pm   -   Source: AAP

A relative of serial killer Ivan Milat, who has pleaded guilty to the murder of a 17-year-old boy, said he was "doing what his family does".

A teenager related to serial killer Ivan Milat told friends he was doing "what his family does" when he killed a 17-year-old boy with an axe.

"You know me, you know my family. Do you know the last name Milat? I did what they do," he said, according to court papers.

David Auchterlonie's body was discovered in a shallow grave off a dirt road in the Belanglo State Forest last year.

The killing took place in the same NSW southern highlands forest where Ivan Milat murdered seven backpackers in the 1990s.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty in Campbelltown Children's Court on Monday to the November 20 murder.

The following day he told friends: "You know my last name. Do you know what my family is known for? I killed somebody last night".

"At one stage, the axe got stuck, so I had to kick the back of his head to get it loose."

According to court papers, the teenager also told friends that he was going to murder someone on the night of the killing, but they thought he was joking.

David Auchterlonie, the teenager and two other friends drove to the forest about 9.30pm.

The murder and about 15 minutes of dialogue was captured during a video recording on one of their mobile phones.

It shows the victim rolling a marijuana cigarette in the front seat when the teenager, who was standing by the boot, calls out to him.

David gets out of the car and a double-edged axe is swung into his torso.

"From what I've heard, you're the one who's going around telling people about the money that I stole from my mum's house," the teenager says to him.

"I swear to God, I haven't," David replies.

The accused responds: "Shut the f*** up" before directing David to lie on the ground face down and to stay still.

For another ten minutes, he threatens the victim and urges him to confess to spreading rumours.

"You move, I chop your head off."

According to court documents, the phone then records the sound of an axe hitting the victim.

"Whilst the victim was lying with his head on the ground, the accused ... swung back the axe and hit the deceased in the back of the head, where the axe remained lodged in the deceased's skull," the police statement said.

"The deceased died instantly, and the sound of the air leaving his body is also captured on the recording."

The documents state the teenager pulled the axe out of David's head by dragging him across the road. He and another boy then covered the body with branches before all three left the forest in the vehicle.

The accused teenager, who appeared via audio visual link, showed no emotion as his lawyer entered his guilty plea.

He will be sentenced in the Supreme Court in Sydney on December 2.

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube