Shortcut: Strange Investigations with Charlie Bezzina - Part 2

March 29, 2026·17 min·1 clip

A de facto wife exposes how a son and grandson killed an 80-year-old woman because they weren't getting inheritance quick enough.

Former homicide detective Charlie Bezzina returns to discuss more cases from his 38-year career with Victoria Police. Host Michelle Laurie guides the conversation, which begins with Bezzina reflecting on his lack of PTSD from the job. He explains his role involved managing a team of detectives and engaging with numerous victims, offenders, and their families, requiring an ability to not dwell on cases. Bezzina details a case where a young woman was found with a gunshot wound to her chest on a riverbank, initially ruled a suicide by local detectives. The victim's sister, a lawyer, demanded a full investigation, questioning the detectives' competence. Bezzina's review confirmed suicide, noting studies show women who use firearms for suicide often avoid facial wounds to remain presentable. The investigation found two marks in the soil from the gun's recoil, proving she had positioned the weapon between her legs to reach the trigger. He recounts a security guard's murder at a factory, where extensive blood sampling was crucial because offenders often injure themselves during violent assaults. The investigation revealed the attacker was a lover who lay in wait, knowing the victim's routine from the victim's wife. Bezzina emphasizes the frustration of cases without a clear motive, though motive is not a legal point of proof. He observes that non-career criminals often make mistakes by researching crimes online, leaving a digital trail for investigators. Bezzina describes the murder of elderly Phyllis Hocking in Box Hill, who was battered to death in her son's home. Prior attacks on her included a burglary where her unit was trashed and a Molotov cocktail thrown through her window. The son and grandson had alibis, but the case went cold when Bezzina left the homicide squad. Upon his return, the son's de facto partner confessed that the son and grandson killed Hocking to speed up inheritance, having also committed the prior attacks. The grandson confessed and implicated his father, but without corroboration, only the grandson was charged and received a lengthy prison sentence. Another case involved a female found deceased after an arson; investigation revealed she died accidentally during a sexual act with a male escort involving asphyxiation. Bezzina notes the escort panicked and set the fire to cover it up, which made his actions appear more sinister than if he had reported the accident. He details an investigation that began with a leg found at the Brooklyn tip, leading to the discovery of a dismembered drug dealer from Yarraville. Police identified three suspects at a house on Farrell Street, where the carpet was soaked with diluted blood. The offenders confessed to killing the man with a tomahawk, dismembering him with an angle grinder in the bathtub, and disposing of the parts in garbage bins. The victim's head was never found, likely because it was placed in a bin on the opposite side of the street, which went to a different waste facility. In a final case, a dismembered body found near La Trobe University was initially thought to be a prank from the medical school. The victim was identified by a tattoo, and her torso was discovered buried in bushland in Heidelberg. Bezzina had a videographer tape the onlookers at the scene and noticed two people in the background showing no interest, unlike the crowd. Those two individuals were later identified as the offenders, whose disinterest was a telling piece of body language that helped link them to the crime. The tone is conversational and anecdotal, with Bezzina sharing detailed, firsthand accounts in a matter-of-fact style. The episode is educational, focusing on investigative processes and the realities of detective work rather than sensationalism. Listeners interested in forensic methodology, cold case resolutions, and the psychological aspects of policing will find this episode compelling. Those sensitive to graphic descriptions of violence or dismemberment may wish to skip it.

As heard by us

Charlie Bezzina turns strange case details and quiet behavioral tells into grounded, unsettling true-crime listening.

Charlie Bezzina returns to Australian True Crime with Michelle Laurie for a case-led conversation about the strange, stubborn logic of homicide work.

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