Notorious child murderer Bevan Spencer von Einem has been rushed to a prison hospital, with the families of his victims afraid he will take his secrets to the grave.
Notorious child murderer Bevan Spencer von Einem has been rushed to a prison hospital, with the families of his victims afraid he will take his secrets to the grave.
Von Einem, believed to be suffering from lung cancer, was taken from Port Augusta Prison to Yatala Labour Prison.
The 79-year-old was convicted in 1984 to serve a life sentence for the rape and murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin, the son of Channel Nine newsreader Bob Kelvin.
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Kelvin was abducted and held captive for five weeks before his body was found and dumped in the Adelaide Hills.
"It's always going to be an open book when there's no closure, no justice. It's always going to be there," his friend Karl told 9News.
He was one of the so-called family murders, the group of unsolved murders of young men and teenagers in Adelaide in the 1970s and '80s.
Von Einem was also ordered to stand trial over the deaths of 18-year-old Mark Langley and 16-year-old Alan Barnes, but those charges were later dropped.
Detectives believe he was not acting alone, though no one else has ever faced justice.
"He was my brother, a year and 21 days younger than me. I'm going to pass not knowing," Alan's sister Robin Barnes told 9News.
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"That is going to be handed down to my children. I don't want that for them."
It is hoped that in his final days, Von Einem would speak his truth, which could help the families of some of those victims find closure.
"The time has come. Please, give us peace. Give us something, please," Robin pleaded.
"He could at least give us something. There's so many people that need closure from this, me being one of them. If he's got any conscience, just give us something," Karl said.
It is feared Von Einem will die with his secrets.
9News understands his condition is so dire that he is no longer capable of a confession.
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