Eighty-seven-year-old World War II veteran Frank Newbery was a beloved fixture in his hometown, having run a grocery store called Frank’s Ham & Beef in Cooks Hill, New South Wales, Australia for nearly fifty years. He was affectionately known as “Old Frank,” and his customers had voted him “The Best Grocer in the World.”
On March 12th, 2007, however, someone cut short the life of the elderly man who was adored by so many. He was found brutally beaten to death on the floor of his shop, lying under some cardboard boxes next to the wrenched-open cash register. Bruises on the victim’s knuckles indicated that he had fought back against his assailant.
Authorities immediately suspected a robbery gone wrong, which they estimated had taken place at around four-fifteen in the afternoon. Though all the money was taken from the till, Frank also had over a thousand dollars in cash in his pocket, which had not been stolen. This left some room for ambiguity concerning the motive for the savage attack.
A witness report claimed that a long-haired individual wearing dark clothing was spotted crouching in the shop at around four p.m., but this person was never identified. Detectives also recovered two unknown DNA samples in the store which may belong to the killer. A driver’s license found at the scene was matched to another suspect, though it appears that this man was never charged.
There is still a $100,000 reward offered by the New South Wales Police for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Frank Newbery’s murderer. As of this writing in July 2024, the crime is unsolved.
Crime Immemorial 