ABC News Daily Who is Dezi Freeman, the accused police killer?
Aug 27, 2025
Mahmood Fazal, a dedicated Four Corners reporter who has spent months exploring the sovereign citizen movement, discusses the chilling events surrounding Dezi Freeman, who is accused of killing two police officers. He highlights the complex motivations behind Freeman's actions and the alarming rise of the sovereign citizen ideology, especially during the pandemic. The conversation also covers the broader implications of these beliefs for public safety and law enforcement, shedding light on a growing threat in Australia.
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Search Warrant Turned Deadly
- Police executing a routine warrant in a small alpine town were met with fatal gunfire that killed two officers and wounded a third.
- The suspect, identified as Desi (Dezi) Freeman, fled into dense bushland and is believed to be heavily armed and experienced in wilderness survival.
Survivalist Profile Makes Searches Hard
- Sovereign citizens often overlap with doomsday preppers and off-grid survivalists who are familiar with bushcraft.
- That overlap makes suspects like Freeman harder to locate because they know the terrain and survival techniques.
Well-Known In Sovereign Circles
- Desi Freeman was well known within sovereign citizen circles and became outspoken online and in person after COVID.
- Neighbours recalled him as an ordinary country man until he 'fell down the rabbit hole' and began rejecting law enforcement.