Murder of Anita Cobby

Anita Lorraine Cobby (née Lynch; 2 November 1959 – 2 February 1986) was a 26-year-old Australian woman from Blacktown, Sydney, who was abducted while walking home from Blacktown railway station just before 10:00 p.m. on 2 February 1986 and was subsequently raped, tortured and murdered. The case received widespread media coverage and public condemnation, including some who called for reinstating the death penalty.

Two days after being reported as missing by family, Cobby's body was discovered by a man in a paddock of his farm in Prospect. Investigations led to the arrest of five men, who were later convicted of her abduction, rape and murder on 10 June 1987. On 16 June 1987, each was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Upon arriving to the location of her body, it was clear to authorities that Cobby had sustained a prolonged and vicious attack, with multiple sharp puncture wounds and cuts, as well as lacerations from being rolled in and dragged through barbed wire. She had obvious signs of being beaten, kicked and struck, mainly from the bruising, cuts and abrasions covering a large percentage of her body. Cobby's cause of death was ultimately a result of a slit throat, an act which the medical examiner noted "nearly decapitated" her. The forensic pathologist who performed Cobby's autopsy additionally noted that she was "likely still conscious" at the time of her throat being cut, and estimated that it would have taken "between 2-3 minutes" for her to bleed to death.

Early life

Anita Lynch was born in Sydney on 2 November 1959, to Garry Bernard Lynch, a graphic artist with the Royal Australian Air Force, and Grace "Peggy" Lynch, a nurse. As a teenager Anita participated in beauty pageants, including winning the Miss Western Suburbs Pageant in November 1979, and had a promising career as a model. However, she decided instead to follow in her mother's footsteps into nursing.

Anita met her future husband, John Cobby, while studying for her nursing degree at Sydney Hospital. They married on 27 March 1982. At the time of her murder in 1986, the couple had separated and Anita was living with her parents in Blacktown. According to John, he and Anita were on good terms and, when she was murdered, had been planning to reconcile.

Murder

Cobby worked in Sydney and commuted daily from her home in Blacktown. On the day of the murder, she finished work at Sydney Hospital at 3 p.m. and met friends for dinner in nearby Redfern. Cobby then caught a train from Central railway station to Blacktown station. Arriving at Blacktown, she would usually ring her father who would pick her up. On the day of her death, she most likely decided to walk home after finding the phone to be out of order and no taxis available at the taxi rank.

Police investigation

When Cobby did not return home, her family initially thought she was staying overnight with a friend, but after learning that she failed to appear at work the next day, they reported her missing on 3 February. On the morning of 4 February, her naked body was found in the paddock by a farmer investigating what his cows were milling around. Her estranged husband John was initially suspected of her murder, but was quickly cleared. On 6 February, the NSW State Government posted a A$50,000 reward () for information leading to the capture of Cobby's killers. Also on 6 February, morning radio host John Laws obtained a leaked copy of Cobby's autopsy report, which contained explicit details of her injuries, and read it live on the air, both shocking and galvanising public sentiment. and was expelled from high school during Year 10 for being continually disruptive to other students. Beyond schooling, Travers held few jobs and relied mostly on unemployment benefits as a source of income.

According to the medical examiner's report, Cobby's body showed extensive bruising on her head, breasts, face, shoulders, groin, thighs and legs consistent with "a systematic beating", including a "blow of considerable force around the right eye". She also had lacerations on her hips, thighs and legs from the barbed wire, several cuts to her neck resulting in the severing of her ear and windpipe and near decapitation, and many cuts to her hands and fingers, which likely occurred when she raised her hands to her face trying to protect herself from the knife. The medical examiner later testified that after Cobby's throat was cut, she would have died within two minutes. Her mother, Grace, died of lung cancer in 2013, at the age of 88. The Lynches had been married for 54 years at the time of Garry's death.

Imprisonment

, John Travers was housed in Wellington Correctional Centre in maximum security. In 1996, he and another inmate were being transported from Goulburn to Long Bay when they attempted to escape from the prison van by hacksawing through and kicking in the back door. When the attempt was noticed, the van pulled over at Bowral Police Station, and the two were arrested and charged. Since being sentenced Travers has spent time in Long Bay, Parklea, Maitland, Goulburn, Grafton, Lithgow and Wellington Correctional Centres.

Michael Murphy was housed in Long Bay Hospital in maximum security. During his imprisonment Murphy had been held in Long Bay, Maitland, Lithgow then spent majority of that time at Goulburn until being diagnosed with liver cancer. He died in Long Bay Hospital on 21 February 2019 at the age of 66. Since being sentenced Murphy has spent time at Long Bay, Maitland, Lithgow, Junee and Goulburn Correctional Centres.

, Les Murphy was housed in Goulburn Correctional Centre in maximum security. Since being sentenced Murphy has spent time in Long Bay, Parklea, Lithgow, Grafton, Maitland and Goulburn Correctional Centres.

As of 2025, Michael Murdoch was housed in Goulburn Correctional Centre in maximum security. Since being sentenced Murdoch has spent time in Long Bay, Parklea, Windsor, Maitland, Bathurst, Lithgow, Junee and Goulburn Correctional Centres.

After the death of Michael Murphy, as of 22 February 2019, NSW Corrective Services confirmed the four other offenders were still alive and were still serving their life sentences in various maximum-security correctional centres across New South Wales, but it could not be revealed where they were currently being housed.

Media

thumb|right|Anita Cobby Reserve

thumb|right|Anita Cobby Memoriał

The murder has been covered by several true crime television series, including Crime Investigation Australia in 2006, Crime Stories in 2008, The case was covered by Casefile True Crime Podcast on 22 July 2017. It has also been the subject of several books (see Further reading).

The Australian social-realist film The Boys (1998), directed by Rowan Woods, is, in part, inspired by the Cobby murder and follows the journey of three brothers leading up to a similar crime.

In February 2016, at the time of the 30th anniversary of the murder, police released the taped confessions of Travers and Murdoch that were obtained by Miss X. Seven News broadcast a documentary, 7 News Investigates: Anita Cobby — You Thought You Knew It All, which included the newly released taped confessions and John Cobby's first televised interview about his wife's murder.

A 90-minute documentary titled Anita was released in 2016, on the 30th anniversary of the murder.

Memorial

A park in Sullivan Street, Blacktown was named ‘Anita Cobby Reserve’ in memory of Cobby.

References

External links

Casefile True Crime Podcast - Case 56: Anita Cobby - 22 July 2017