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Murders of Noel and Sophia Weckert

SOLVED1975Bruce Highway, between Rockhampton and Mackay, Queensland3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On 22 March 1975, Noel Milton Weckert and his wife Sophia Janine Weckert were travelling along the Bruce Highway between Rockhampton and Mackay, Queensland, en route to a skydiving event at Emu Park. The couple had departed Townsville the previous afternoon and apparently stopped near the Connors River, between Sarina and Marlborough, for a break. Noel Weckert was shot twice at close range while seated in his stationary, seat-belted vehicle, sometime between 4 am and 4:30 am. His body was discovered by a truck driver at around 6 am.

Sophia Weckert was missing from the scene, and police believed she had been abducted by her husband's killer. A large search operation followed, including roadblocks along the highway between Townsville and Maryborough, an investigation into a sighting of a similar vehicle near the Queensland/New South Wales border at Wallangarra, and the apprehension of a man and woman stealing fuel in Brunswick Heads. Police divers searched waterholes along the Connors River. On 27 March 1975, a local man with car trouble discovered Sophia Weckert's body near Kennedy Creek, roughly 30 kilometres north of where her husband had been found. Police believed she had been shot in the back while trying to flee.

Initial investigative focus centred on a prison escapee from Palen Creek Correctional Centre, who was arrested in a raid at Wavell Heights on 30 March 1975 but was cleared of involvement after police concluded he had been in Brisbane at the time of the murders. The Queensland Government offered a $20,000 reward on 1 April 1975. In June 1975, police obtained admissions from two inmates at Goulburn Jail in New South Wales, leading to the extradition of Raymond John Wylie and Maxwell John Harper, and separately of Janice Christine Anne Payne, a 17-year-old from George Town, Tasmania. All three were charged with murder and appeared at Mackay Magistrates Court on 9 July 1975, later being committed to stand trial following proceedings in Mackay.

Two trials were held in Rockhampton. In the first, concluding in early 1976, Wylie was found guilty of murdering Noel Weckert and sentenced to life imprisonment; Harper and Payne were convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to seven years. In the second trial, concluding 23 February 1977, Wylie and Harper were found guilty of murdering Sophia Weckert and sentenced to life imprisonment, while Payne was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to ten years, partly concurrent with her earlier sentence. Appeals by Harper and Payne were dismissed by the Queensland Court of Criminal Appeal in May 1977, and Payne's further application to the Full High Court was refused in November 1978.

The murders intensified public concern about safety on the Bruce Highway between Marlborough and Sarina, an area already known as "death alley" and later "The Badlands" due to repeated violent incidents. Police increased highway patrols in response, and the road was realigned in 1982.

Key facts

Victims
Noel Milton Weckert, Sophia Janine Weckert
Date
1975
Location
Bruce Highway, between Rockhampton and Mackay, Queensland
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1975-03-21

    Noel and Sophia Weckert depart Townsville, travelling toward Emu Park for a skydiving event.

  2. 1975-03-22

    Noel Weckert is shot dead near the Connors River; Sophia Weckert goes missing, believed abducted.

  3. 1975-03-27

    Sophia Weckert's body is discovered near Kennedy Creek.

  4. 1975-03-30

    Police raid a house in Wavell Heights and arrest a prison escapee, who is later cleared of involvement.

  5. 1975-04-01

    Queensland Government announces a $20,000 reward for information leading to a conviction.

  6. 1975-06

    Police obtain admissions from two inmates at Goulburn Jail, leading to extradition proceedings.

  7. 1975-07-09

    Maxwell John Harper, Raymond John Wylie and Janice Christine Anne Payne appear at Mackay Magistrates Court charged with murder.

  8. 1975-09-05

    Committal proceedings begin in Mackay.

  9. 1976-02-26

    First trial, for the murder of Noel Weckert, begins in Rockhampton Supreme Court.

  10. 1977-02

    Second trial, for the murder of Sophia Weckert, held in Rockhampton.

  11. 1977-02-23

    Verdicts returned in the second trial: Wylie and Harper guilty of murder; Payne guilty of manslaughter.

  12. 1977-05

    Queensland Court of Criminal Appeal dismisses appeals by Harper and Payne.

  13. 1978-11

    Full High Court refuses Payne's application for special leave to appeal her manslaughter conviction.

  14. 1982

    The Bruce Highway between Marlborough and Sarina is realigned.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Raymond John Wylie

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of murdering Noel Weckert (1976) and of murdering Sophia Weckert (1977); sentenced to life imprisonment on both counts.

  • Maxwell John Harper

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of manslaughter of Noel Weckert (1976, seven years) and of murder of Sophia Weckert (1977, life imprisonment); appeal dismissed 1977.

  • Noel Milton Weckert

    VICTIM

    Shot dead near the Connors River on 22 March 1975 while stationary in his vehicle.

  • Sophia Janine Weckert

    VICTIM

    Abducted from the scene of her husband's murder and shot dead near Kennedy Creek on 22 March 1975; body found 27 March 1975.

  • Janice Christine Anne Payne

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of manslaughter of Noel Weckert (1976, seven years) and manslaughter of Sophia Weckert (1977, ten years, partly concurrent); appeal dismissed 1977 and further appeal refused by the Full High Court in 1978.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Bruce Highway, between Rockhampton and Mackay, Queensland

-21.9000, 149.5000

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Noel and Sophia Weckert were shot dead in separate locations on the Bruce Highway in Queensland on 22 March 1975, sparking a nationwide manhunt that ended with three people convicted of murder and manslaughter.
Where did the murders happen?
Bruce Highway, between Rockhampton and Mackay, Queensland.
Who was convicted?
Raymond John Wylie (Convicted of murdering Noel Weckert (1976) and of murdering Sophia Weckert (1977); sentenced to life imprisonment on both counts.), Maxwell John Harper (Convicted of manslaughter of Noel Weckert (1976, seven years) and of murder of Sophia Weckert (1977, life imprisonment); appeal dismissed 1977.), and Janice Christine Anne Payne (Convicted of manslaughter of Noel Weckert (1976, seven years) and manslaughter of Sophia Weckert (1977, ten years, partly concurrent); appeal dismissed 1977 and further appeal refused by the Full High Court in 1978.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Queensland

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICMurders of Noel and Sophia WeckertWikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. OFFICIAL / AGENCYContemporaneous coverage — trove.nla.gov.autrove.nla.gov.au · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning Herald · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 07, 2026