Killing of Frank Newbery

Background

Frank Newbery was a World War II veteran who operated Frank's Ham & Beef, a convenience store at 27 Union Street in the inner-city suburb of Cooks Hill, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The shop had operated daily for 57 years before his death, and in 2001 the Cooks Hill community elected him "Best Grocer in the World" in recognition of his 50 years of service.

The Killing

On 12 March 2007, Newbery was beaten to death inside his store. He is believed to have been attacked sometime between 4:00pm and 4:30pm that day. He was bludgeoned with a "large blunt object" that was never recovered, and his body was found concealed under cardboard boxes. Bruising on his knuckles indicated he had attempted to resist his attacker.

Investigation

New South Wales Police initially treated the case as a robbery gone wrong, since the cash register had been opened and money was missing. Strike Force Rynan was established to investigate. However, authorities later confirmed that $1,500 was found in Newbery's pocket after the attack, prompting police to also consider the possibility of a targeted assault.

A coronial inquest was held in 2012, presided over by Deputy State Coroner Mark Buscombe. The inquest concluded that Newbery had been "attacked by a person or persons that were unknown." A suspect was described as wearing a hat or beanie and dark clothing, and having long hair; two witnesses reported seeing a man matching this description crouching in the shop shortly after 4:00pm on the day of the murder. Police examined hundreds of similar robberies, investigated parolees, and collected DNA swabs from everyone known to have visited the shop that day. Two DNA samples recovered from the scene remain unidentified.

In 2017, Detective Inspector Peter Mahon stated that police remained uncertain of the motive, noting that if the attack had been a robbery, it would be expected that the offender would have searched Newbery and taken money from his wallet.

Aftermath

Police identified several persons of interest during the investigation, including a man whose driver's license was found at the store, a schizophrenic drug user who was an involuntary patient at a nearby mental health facility and had left the grounds twice on the day of the murder, and a man from Port Stephens who reportedly bragged about killing Newbery. Both of these individuals were later ruled out by police. As of May 2026, the case remained unsolved, and the New South Wales Government continues to offer a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.