James Vlassakis, one of the four men behind the notorious Snowtown “bodies-in-the-barrels” murders, has been granted parole after serving 26 years in prison.
Vlassakis was just 19-years-old when he was found guilty of being involved in four of the murders, and he later became a key prosecution witness to put ringleaders John Bunting and Robert Wagner away for life.
The South Australian Parole Board announced its decision on Tuesday. But Vlassakis, now in his mid-40s and kept out of the public eye, won’t walk free just yet. There’s a mandatory 60-day period where the state’s Attorney-General, the Commissioner for Victims’ Rights, and Police Commissioner can appeal.
Provided there are no successful appeals, Vlassakis would then spend 12 months in the pre-release centre.
“We’ve had a look at the legislative criteria and, in our view, he meets the criteria,” Parole Board chair Frances Nelson KC said, according to the ABC.
“We have to look at whether or not he presents a risk to the community and in our assessment he does not. His institutional behaviour has been excellent.”
The Snowtown murders, also known as the bodies-in-barrels-murders, remain one of Australia’s most notorious true crime incidents. They refer to a series of murders that took place in South Australia between 1992 and 1999, with many of the bodies of the 12 victims found by police in barrels. Most victims were known to the perpetrators, with ringleader Bunting appearing to choose them at random for imagined crimes.
While Bunting and Wagner remain in prison for life, Vlassakis’ parole follows accomplice Mark Ray Haydon‘s release last year after serving 25 years.
If the decision goes unchallenged, Vlassakis will spend up to a year in a pre-release centre before any return to the community.
Lead image: Nine
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