A 75-year-old Victorian man has been extradited to NSW and charged with the cold-case murder of Raymond Keam in an eastern Sydney park more than 34 years ago.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The crime is believed to be one of numerous gay-hate crimes committed in Sydney in the 1980s.
The body of the 43-year-old father was found by a member of the public at the northern end of Alison Park at Randwick, in the early hours of January 13, 1987.
A post-mortem examination revealed he died from severe head injuries and a 1988 inquest found Mr Keam died after being struck by a person or persons unknown.
In 2019 a formal review of the case was conducted under the Homicide Squad's Unsolved Homicide framework and a new investigation was begun by detectives attached to Strike Force Augenaut.
In June a $1 million reward was offered for information about Mr Keam's murder.
Victoria Police arrested a man at a home in Clayton on Wednesday and Strike Force Augenaut investigators successfully sought his extradition in Melbourne Magistrate's Court. He was transported across the border to Albury Police Station where he was charged with murder.
The man was refused bail to appear in Albury Local Court on Thursday.
CEO of NSW LGBTQ health organisation ACON, Nicolas Parkhill, said he hoped the development would reveal "the truth behind what happened to Mr Keam in Alison Park in Randwick in 1987".
"Mr Keam's death occurred during a dark and violent period in Sydney's history. An epidemic of violence, motivated by bias and hate, swept through Sydney and NSW during the 1970s to 1990s, leaving a legacy of pain, grief and trauma," he said in a statement.
"There remain dozens more cases from this time that are unsolved, leaving many families and loved ones without answers or resolution," he said.
Australian Associated Press
