It was the evening of August 18th, 1980 in Beaumaris, a quiet and affluent bayside suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Eighteen-year-old Thomas Cooper, an apprentice plumber, and his sixteen-year-old girlfriend drove to the Ricketts Point car park, located near the Beaumaris Yacht Club on Beach Road, at around seven fifteen p.m. The secluded spot was a well-known “lovers’ lane,” frequented by couples seeking privacy. The pair had been parked in Cooper’s white Holden HQ sedan for just five minutes when a man emerged from the darkness. Without warning, he smashed the driver’s side window with the barrel of a .22 caliber rifle and shouted “Don’t!” as Cooper attempted to drive away.
In a desperate bid to escape, Cooper accelerated toward the main road, but the assailant fired multiple shots. Cooper was struck three times and succumbed to his injuries shortly after, losing control of the vehicle. His girlfriend, who managed to steer the car to safety, was physically unharmed but deeply traumatized. The incident was described by Victoria Police as a “senseless and indiscriminate act of violence,” with no evidence suggesting Cooper was specifically targeted or had any disputes that would have provoked such an attack.
Homicide Squad detectives launched an extensive investigation, but the case quickly became a mystery. The assailant was described as a Caucasian male with black hair, unshaven with a moustache, and wearing dark clothing, possibly including a hat and coat. An Identikit image was released in 1980 based on the girlfriend’s description, and in 2020, Victoria Police updated and digitally aged the image to reflect what the suspect might look like today, hoping to jog memories. The .22 caliber rifle used in the attack was never recovered, adding to the challenge of identifying the perpetrator.
Detectives have explored various theories about the motive. One possibility is that the attack was sexually motivated, with the girlfriend potentially being the intended target. The car park’s reputation as a lovers’ lane suggests the assailant may have been stalking the area, preying on vulnerable couples. However, no definitive motive has been established, and police have kept an open mind, emphasizing that the killer may not have been local to Beaumaris and may not typically wear a hat, which could have been used as a disguise.
In August 2020, Victoria Police announced a $1 million reward for information leading to the apprehension and conviction of those responsible for Cooper’s murder. The Director of Public Prosecutions also offered potential indemnification from prosecution for anyone providing information about the principal offender, provided they were not directly involved in the killing. Despite exhaustive inquiries and multiple case reviews over the years, no arrests have been made, and the case remains cold.
Tragically, Cooper’s girlfriend, whose identity has been suppressed, passed away in May 2020 without seeing justice for her partner.
Crime Immemorial 