Edward Leonski The Brownout Strangler

By the time Japanese launched their air attack force on the US Naval base of Pearl Harbour, in Hawaii, raining down a hail of metal from the Pacific sky, the US had already been quietly preparing an Oceania invasion force, flooding troops into hastily prepared Army bases in Eastern Australia. With over a million American troops passing through the country, statistics might suggest that some would have been less desirable guests than others. The frightening reality that at least one would turn out to be a serial killer was a different matter entirely, a reality that certainly seemed to catch both the Americans and the Australians equally by surprise.

SOURCES

Shaw, Ian (2018) Murder at Dusk: How US soldier and smiling psychopath Eddie Leonski terrorised wartime Melbourne. Hachette Australia, Sydney, Australia.

The Argus (1942) Murdered Woman in Doorway. The Argus, Mon 4 May, p3. Melbourne, Australia.

The Sun News Pictorial (1942) Albert Park Doorway Discovery. The Sun News Pictorial, Mon 4 May, p3. Melbourne, Australia.

Brisbane Telegraph (1950) The Brownout Killer. Brisbane Telegraph, Fri 16 Jun, p.5. Brisbane, Australia.

The Kalgoorlie Miner (1942) Melbourne Murder. The Kalgoorlie Miner, Mon 11 May, p.3. Kalgoorlie, Australia.

The Sun (1942) Melbourne Police Hunt Brownout Strangler. The Sun, Wed 20 May, p.3. Sydney, Australia.

Brisbane Telegraph (1942) Leonski Hanged. Brisbane Telegraph, Mon 9 Nov, p.6. Brisbane, Australia.

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