True crime sleuth invited Brisbane cold case suspect into home
A woman testified at a coroner's inquest that she entered into a relationship with a murder suspect in an attempt to solve the 1989 cold case of Annette Mason. The woman admitted her actions were reckless but stated she felt compelled to take the investigation into her own hands.
Why it matters
This case highlights the ethical and safety risks associated with amateur 'true crime' sleuthing and the potential interference with official police investigations.
A woman obsessed with true crime podcasts and a teen girl's murder started a relationship with a suspect in a bid to solve the cold case, a coroner has heard. The woman spoke of her "reckless" plan when the long-running inquest into 15-year-old Annette Mason's murder resumed for a one-day hearing on Wednesday in Brisbane. Annette was bludgeoned to death in a house she shared with friends in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, in November 1989. No one has been charged over Annette's death. The inquest heard the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, contacted police claiming to have new evidence in 2025. She claimed a suspect told her previously undisclosed details about the brutal murder while they were living together. The woman consumed podcast episodes and news stories about the cold case murder before seeking out a suspect, Queensland coroner Terry Ryan heard.
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