Unsolved case · 1992
The short answer
In 1992, three members of the Wettenhall family — Darcy, his son Guy, and Janet Wettenhall — were shot dead at their stud farm in Ceres, Victoria. A farm hand who had worked for the family was charged with the murders but died by suicide in prison before trial.
No one's coverage is attached to this file yet.
Know great coverage of this case?
A documentary, a podcast episode, a careful long-form video. Suggest it and an editor will review it before it appears here.
Suggest coverage for Wettenhall family murdersOn March 18, 1992, three members of the Wettenhall family — Darcy Wettenhall, 50, his son Guy Wettenhall, 23, and Janet Wettenhall, 81 — were killed in a triple shooting at Stanbury, the family's stud farm in Ceres, Victoria. Stanbury had been in the Wettenhall family since 1951, when it was purchased by Rupert Wettenhall and his wife Janet, and was regarded as one of the top stud farms in Australia, producing award-winning Corriedale sheep. At the time of the murders, the farm was operated by Darcy and his son Guy, while Janet Wettenhall continued to live on the property.
Wayne Garry Walton, a 23-year-old man with prior convictions for theft, was charged with the murders. Walton had worked as a farm hand and labourer at the Wettenhall stud farm after meeting Darcy Wettenhall at the Gill Memorial Home for Men, a homeless shelter in Melbourne. Walton became involved in a sexual relationship with Darcy Wettenhall prior to the killings. He was apprehended by police the day after the murders while driving a stolen car and in possession of items taken from the Wettenhall family's farm, and was subsequently charged with three counts of murder.
Walton died by suicide, by hanging using a television cable, inside a management and supervision section of Pentridge Prison's B Division on February 22, 1993, while awaiting trial for the murders. Because he died before any trial or verdict, no conviction was recorded in relation to the killings.
Separately, Darcy Wettenhall is described as having been in a secret, decade-long relationship with a former neighbour and stud farm employee, and an autopsy on Darcy Wettenhall revealed he was HIV positive at the time of his death.
The murders effectively ended the Wettenhall family's stud farm operations. The Stanbury property was sold by auction in December 1992, purchased by former Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria president Stephen Spargo and his wife Jill. The property, which contains a sandstone home built in the 1850s and a heritage-listed two-storey shearing shed, was again placed on the market in 2015.
A non-fiction book about the case, Devils Grip, A True Story of Shame, Sheep and Shotguns, written by Neall Drinan with Bob Perry, was published in 2019. An award-winning Corriedale ram named Stanbury Jacko, donated by Darcy Wettenhall, remains on display at the National Wool Museum in Geelong.
Stanbury stud farm at Ceres, Victoria, is purchased by Rupert Wettenhall and his wife Janet.
Rupert Wettenhall dies while in Buenos Aires, Argentina, during international travels to sell sheep to overseas buyers.
Guy Wettenhall, son of Darcy Wettenhall, is born.
Darcy Wettenhall, 50, his son Guy Wettenhall, 23, and Janet Wettenhall, 81, are shot dead at the Stanbury stud farm in Ceres, Victoria.
Wayne Garry Walton is apprehended by police while driving a stolen car and in possession of items taken from the Wettenhall family's farm; he is charged with three counts of murder.
The Stanbury property is sold by auction, purchased by Stephen Spargo and his wife Jill.
Wayne Garry Walton dies by suicide by hanging using a television cable inside a management and supervision section of Pentridge Prison's B Division, while awaiting trial.
The Stanbury property is again placed on the market.
Devils Grip, A True Story of Shame, Sheep and Shotguns, a non-fiction book about the murders by Neall Drinan with Bob Perry, is published.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Aged 50; operator of the Stanbury stud farm; shot dead on March 18, 1992.[3]
Aged 23; son of Darcy Wettenhall; shot dead on March 18, 1992.[3]
Aged 81; resident of the Stanbury property; shot dead on March 18, 1992.[3]
Charged with three counts of murder in connection with the killings; died by suicide in Pentridge Prison in 1993 while awaiting trial, before any verdict was reached.[3]
Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.
Are you family of someone named in this file? Corrections and removal requests from victims’ families are prioritized.
Credit: National Archives of AustraliaPublic domainSourceSOLVEDListenCheviot Beach, Portsea, Victoria, Australia · 1960s
Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt vanished while swimming in rough seas off Cheviot Beach, Victoria, on 17 December 1967; despite a massive search, his body was never found, and a 2005 coronial inquest concluded he drowned.
COLDListenMount Cottrell, Port Phillip District, colony of New South Wales (present-day Victoria, Australia) · 1830s
In July 1836, a party of 17 armed men killed an estimated ten Wathaurung people near Mount Cottrell in the Port Phillip District, in reprisal for the earlier killing of settler Charles Franks and convict shepherd Thomas Flinders.
Credit: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-11/vigil-for-samantha-murphy/103453308. This image…Editorial useSourceONGOINGListenBallarat / Woowookarung Regional Park, Victoria, Australia · 2020s
Samantha Murphy, a 51-year-old mother of three, disappeared while running in bushland near Ballarat, Victoria, on 4 February 2024. Despite extensive searches, her body has not been found. A 22-year-old man was arrested and charged with her murder in March 2024.
Credit: Woodlawn High SchoolEditorial useSourceSOLVEDListenLeakin Park, Baltimore, Maryland · 1999
Hae Min Lee, an 18-year-old Baltimore County high school student, was strangled and found buried in Leakin Park in February 1999. Her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed was convicted of first-degree murder in 2000; the case gained international attention after the 2014 podcast Serial, and Syed's conviction underwent multiple vacaturs, appeals, and reinstatements through 2025.
Image recordEditorial useSourceSOLVEDListenCalifornia Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo, California · 1996
Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student, disappeared in the early hours of May 25, 1996, after leaving an off-campus party with fellow student Paul Flores, the last person known to have seen her. Flores was convicted of her murder in 2022 and his conviction was upheld on appeal; Smart's remains have never been recovered.
Credit: Via WikipediaEditorial useSourceUNSOLVEDListenFulham, London · 1990s
English television presenter Jill Dando was shot dead outside her London home in 1999, and the case remains unsolved.
