Australian Serial Killer Wants TV Series Cancelled Because it Might Make Him Look Bad

Australian signature killer Peter Norris Dupas, 59, convicted of brutally stabbing three women to death, and post-mortem mutilation of their bodies, is appealing one of his three consecutive life sentences. Dupas was convicted of the murder of psychotherapist Nicole Patterson in 2000, prostitute Margaret Maher in 2004 and Mersina Halvagis in 2007, who was putting flowers on her grandmother’s grave at the time. Before graduating to murder, Dupas had already been incarcerated for rape three separate times. With each release his attacks escalated in violence. Dupas was known to cut off his female victims’ breasts, some were never recovered. He is a suspect in at least three other murders.

In 2010 Dupas won a retrial for the Halvagis murder, but the original verdict was affirmed. The cost of his defense has been shouldered by the Australian people. Dupas is now waiting to hear if he will get another new trial in the Halvagis case. Most recently he filed documents with the Victoria’s Supreme Court arguing that the popular television series, Killing Time, should be pulled off the air because it will be dramatizing the Halvagis murder, and some scenes could negatively influence people against him, affecting his ability to get a fair trial, “It would be necessary for a Prohibition Order to ensure a fair trial for the accused in relation to this charge.” When George Halvagis, Mersina’s father heard of the move, he simply said, “He seems to have all the rights. He seems to be able to say whatever he wants.”

Noel McNamara, who heads the Victims of Crime Support Association, had quite a bit more to say about the case, starting with her belief that his last legal action was “a waste of taxpayers’ money.” Mcnamara said, “I don’t know why the courts put up with him. He’s a convicted triple murderer who’s probably done others. Now he’s trying to stop people watching a television show that might be mean about him. Well, tough. He should have thought about that before killing those women.”

The network, Seven Network, disagrees that airing their episodes in Victoria during a retrial would prejudice that trial and is planning on going to the mat for their television series.

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