Double Cop Killer's Secret Hideout Revealed in Remote Victorian Town
When Dezi Freeman was fatally shot at his concealed bush hideaway on Monday morning, the reasons behind his seclusion in an isolated location 188 kilometres from his last known whereabouts remained largely mysterious. The picturesque town of Walwa, situated in Victoria's northeast, had until this week remained obscure beyond local farmers and water sports enthusiasts. However, in a startling revelation, it can now be disclosed that the double cop killer possessed a long-standing connection to the minuscule community of merely 22 residents, strongly indicating he did not merely stumble upon the abandoned farm by chance.
A Planned Escape to Isolation
Freeman, aged 56, was shot dead by police at a rural property near Walwa shortly after 8:30 AM on Monday, concluding an extensive seven-month manhunt for the fugitive. He had been evading capture since August 26, following the killing of two Victorian police officers and the injury of another during a raid on his remote Porepunkah property, which was prompted by historical sex offence allegations. Freeman was last observed armed with the deceased officers' firearms near his Rayner Track property, initiating the most significant search operation in Victorian police history.
Authorities employed cadaver dogs and drones to scour over 100 homes and properties across rugged terrain dotted with caves and mineshafts, yet no trace of him was discovered until this week. The Mt Buffalo area was closed to the public for months as police persisted with their manhunt amidst the cold and scenic landscape. Freeman cherished the region and relished life in the wilderness, but his frequent confrontations with local police over issues such as unpaid fines, property access, and homeschooling regulations for his children had weighed on his mind for years.
Motivations Behind the Move
Friends assert that Freeman believed he had a target on his back and sought to escape. This sentiment, combined with an influx of city dwellers during the Covid pandemic, led to the Freeman family being priced out of the rental market. 'The house they were renting was sold,' a close friend revealed. 'After that, Dezi applied for dozens of rentals but he didn't have any luck. He didn't want to leave the Mount, but things got really desperate for a while so he decided to look elsewhere.'
Walwa emerged as a viable option, offering a similar environment to what Freeman adored, with its location at the foot of Mt Lawson and the Murray River flowing nearby. 'He wouldn't want to go anywhere dry or without mountains to explore,' the friend explained. 'And Walwa ticked a lot of his boxes, and there was no real rental crisis there.' Once Covid lockdowns concluded, Freeman hoped Porepunkah would revert to the tranquil town he loved, but when it instead became overrun with what he termed 'tour-errists'—a blend of tourists and terrorists—he seriously considered relocating to Walwa.
Meticulous Planning and Paranoia
At the time, the Freemans were residing in a makeshift bus home on a Porepunkah property on Rayner Track, aware it was temporary. Freeman began studying Google Earth and examining real estate listings in the Walwa area. 'He is really particular about what can be seen of a property via satellite, so was spending hours online looking at multiple properties in depth,' the friend noted. 'What he loved most about the area is that tourism never really took off and it was peaceful.'
Freeman ultimately chose to remain in the bus while attempting to secure a more permanent residence in Porepunkah, given his wife and children's strong community ties. 'Mali is very involved in the community and with the local church. She was teaching music and playing locally too,' the friend said. 'His kids were homeschooled, but his eldest has a local girlfriend and the other teenage son has a group of mates too. He was still trying to find a rental for them when all of this happened, and Walwa was his backup should they get desperate.'
The Final Confrontation
The same friend believes Freeman's extensive research led him to Walwa when he made his escape. 'It's hard to explain his mindset, but Dezi really had been planning for something like this to happen for years,' they stated. 'He lived his life in a state of paranoia, that the police would be coming for him one day, and he already had plans in place. He was no fool and would have been one step ahead of authorities, so while they were spending all their time and resources where they last saw him, he was long gone.'
Freeman was shot dead after pulling a gun on officers, with Chief Commissioner Mike Bush confirming the incident involved Special Operations Group members. The hunt for Freeman concluded far from its origin, marking the end of a saga that began with the murders of Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart and Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson. Freeman, an avid outdoorsman, was known to have an intimate knowledge of the north-east Victorian countryside, which he exploited in his flight to Walwa.
