Joseph Schwab

The crime was featured in 2007 in series 1, episode 10 of Crime Investigation Australia entitled The Kimberley Killer. The crime was also featured on Casefile True Crime Podcast, case 70, aired December 2017.

On 18 April 1987, he arrived in Brisbane, Australia via Bangkok as a tourist. On 22 April, he rented a Toyota 4Runner at Brisbane Airport before buying three rifles (.223-caliber Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle, a .308 SAKO bolt-action rifle and a .22-caliber Brno bolt-action rifle) and a Winchester 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and 3,000 rounds of ammunition. He later departed west and was in the vicinity of the Diamantina River by 6 May and in the Darwin area by 20 May.

Joseph Thomas Schwab, also known as Josef Schwab (25 November 1960 – 19 June 1987) was a spree killer, who murdered five people in the Top End region of the Northern Territory and the Kimberley region of Western Australia during June 1987. Schwab, a German citizen, was visiting Australia on a tourist visa; the media dubbed him The Kimberley Killer.

Joseph Thomas Schwab was born in Starnberg, Bavaria, West Germany on 25 November 1960. A shy and timid student, he joined the local rifle club in Pocking when aged 15, remaining a member until 1981. On 15 June 1981, he travelled to Adelaide, South Australia, and worked as a cabinet maker while also joining the local pistol club. Owning several rifles and a 4WD, he also went feral pig shooting. He returned to Germany on 10 May 1984, becoming a security guard and was trained in using a pistol. He was employed as a night watchman from 3 April 1985 to 15 April 1987, and during this time, he committed several minor crimes.