The Ultimate Sacrifice
The Ultimate Sacrifice
It was a scene of unspeakable evil when a routine callout turned into Queensland's deadliest police shooting. Four young police officers were ambushed in the outback town of Wieambilla. Two were executed in cold blood, and an innocent neighbour was also gunned down. Two officers escaped the siege, injured but alive. Dozens of police reinforcements engaged in a six-hour gunfight against three heav…Social links:
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Listen Next: The Ultimate Sacrifice
While we're waiting for updates in the Erin Patterson case, here's another podcast to dive into over the holiday break. In The Ultimate Sacrifice, Melissa Downes takes us inside Queensland’s deadliest police shooting. When four young officers were ambushed, two escaped, two were executed in cold …
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Episode 17. The Coroner's Recommendations
Weeks out from the third anniversary of the Wieambilla shootings, the State Coroner hands down his report - finding the actions of the Trains on 12 December, 2022 was not a ‘terrorist act’. Some, but not all, of the key issues raised in the inquest are addressed in the Coroner's 10 recommendation…
35:05
Episode 16: The Plea Deal
A major update in Donald Day Jr’s case - the man originally accused of inciting the deadly police ambush has struck a surprise plea deal in the United States. Melissa Downes is joined by Arizona journalist Cody Lillich to unpack the legal twists, the FBI recordings and how Day walked away with a wa…
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Episode 15: Donald Day Jr.
A year after the Wieambilla shootings, on the other side of the world, FBI agents swarmed a petrol station in a remote Arizona town, making a dramatic arrest and revealing the man behind the name “Don”. Donald Day Jr. is now heading to trial on five federal charges and the evidence against him ha…
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Episode 14: A Legacy of Change
Heartache and disappointment consumed the coronial inquest on its final day. The mothers of Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold deliver emotional statements, sharing the many “what ifs” that still haunt them from that day, and the critical questions that remain unanswered. In this episode, new detail…
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Episode 13: The Missing Persons Report
Ominous final emails sent by Gareth Train never made it into the hands of Queensland police. Why were those four young constables sent to that property, into that ambush, without all the information? Would it have even made a difference? This episode takes us back to the start, unravelling the m…
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Episode 12: An Act of Terrorism?
Was the Wieambilla attack an act of terrorism? An expert in political and religious extremism dissects the evidence to address this question. He breaks down Gareth, Stacey & Nathaniel’s radicalisation into five phases, highlighting their dramatic shift through the pandemic along with the part Dona…
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Episode 11: The Madness of Three
Gareth, Stacey and Nathanial Train had descended into a world of paranoia and conspiracy, experiencing a shared psychotic disorder; Folie à troix, “madness of three”. This is the assessment of one of Australia’s leading forensic psychiatrists who, after dissecting their upbringing, communications …
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Episode 10: The SERT Operatives
They’re some of the most highly trained police officers in Australia; and now, specialist operatives take us inside “the most dangerous operation” they’ve ever faced - Wieambilla in December 2022. The team leader recalls the extraordinary ‘volley of gunfire’ that shook their heavy, armoured vehic…
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Episode 9: The Extraction Team
Untold stories of bravery and courage emerge as the first responding officers step into the witness box, delivering confronting and emotional testimony. Before now, we didn’t know their names, or the extent of their selfless actions, to rescue Constable Keeley Brough, retrieve their fallen colleagu…
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