On the evening of March 28th, 1981, a tragic and mysterious event unfolded in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia, that would leave two people dead and fourteen seriously injured. Around sunset, Robin Mervyn Ulapuntu discovered an almost full bottle of Yalumba Barossa Cream Sweet Sherry behind the John Flynn Memorial Church on Todd Street in central Alice Springs. The bottle was quickly taken by Keith Jennings, who shared it with companions, including Amos Inkamala Jambajimba, Lily Abbott, and Howard Ross Jabanunga. Unbeknownst to them, the sherry contained a lethal dose of strychnine, a poison historically used for pest control but strictly regulated due to its extreme toxicity. A fatal dose was estimated at approximately 80mL, or just two mouthfuls.
Howard Ross Jabanunga, an epileptic, consumed some of the sherry and soon collapsed, experiencing convulsions. Fortunately, a nearby policeman noticed his distress and rushed him to Alice Springs Hospital, where he was admitted for observation. The following morning, Dick Bundy Jabarula, who had also taken the bottle, brought it to a riverbed camp near the town’s casino, where it was shared among a group of Aboriginal people. The consequences were immediate and horrific. Fifty-year-old Nabbutta Abbott Nabarula began convulsing and died shortly after. Twenty-eight-year-old David Charlie Jagamara was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to the poison’s effects. Fourteen others who drank from the bottle were hospitalized, with six in serious condition.
The Northern Territory Police launched a comprehensive investigation, led by Detective Chief Inspector Colin Pope and an eight-member task force from Darwin. The team conducted an extensive door-to-door inquiry, interviewing residents across Alice Springs, traveling to remote communities, and even pursuing leads interstate. Over sixty-four witness statements were collected, though notably, statements from Aboriginal witnesses were taken without interpreters, potentially compromising their accuracy. Despite a $20,000 reward offered for information, no one was ever charged.
The investigation revealed significant issues with the regulation of strychnine in the Northern Territory. Records from the NT’s Animal Industry Branch showed a discrepancy of 175 grams in strychnine stock over an eighteen-month period, suggesting lax oversight. The branch also held approximately thirty pounds of strychnine, much of it surrendered over the years, indicating the poison’s availability in the region. Alice Springs had a history of strychnine use in dog baiting, raising speculation about whether the poisonings were linked to a local dog baiter or a more targeted act.
Coroner Denis “Dinny” Barritt oversaw the inquest into the deaths, describing the scene in the riverbed camp as “immediately horrific.” His findings, delivered in 1981, concluded that Nabbutta Abbott Nabarula and David Charlie Jagamara had been “murdered by a person or persons unknown.” The lack of concrete evidence or suspects left the case unresolved, with Barritt unable to pinpoint a motive or perpetrator. The inquest highlighted the challenges of investigating crimes in a region with a transient population and limited forensic capabilities at the time.
The murders occurred in a town with a long-standing reputation for heavy alcohol consumption, as noted in local culture and even celebrated in songs with lyrics like “Oh, we’ve got some bloody good drinkers in the Northern Territory.” This context may have contributed to the ease with which the poisoned bottle was shared, as communal drinking was common. However, the targeting of a group of predominantly Aboriginal people raised questions about whether the act was a random poisoning or a deliberate attack on a marginalized community.
Historian Dr. Robyn Smith, who has researched colonial violence in the Northern Territory, has suggested that the 1981 poisonings could be seen as part of a broader history of violence against Aboriginal people, including attempted massacres as recent as the 1930s and 1940s. The lack of detailed records and the failure to bring anyone to justice underscore the challenges of verifying and addressing such crimes, particularly when they involve Indigenous victims.
More than four decades later, the murders of Nabbutta Abbott Nabarula and David Charlie Jagamara remain unsolved.
Crime Immemorial 