Melbourne 1980 murder of Maria Theresa James remains unsolved

In June 1980, 38‑year‑old Maria Theresa James was found stabbed 68 times in her bedroom at the Bookshop Exchange on High Street, Thornbury, a suburb of Melbourne. The front and rear doors were locked and two coffee cups on the counter suggested she knew her attacker. Police established a temporary headquarters inside the cramped second‑hand bookshop while investigating the case.

A later theory implicated local priest Father Anthony Bongiorno, alleging he killed James to silence her before she exposed his alleged sexual abuse of her son. The theory points to the brutal, slow nature of the wounds as punishment rather than a swift silencing. No suspect has been charged and the case remains open, with the killer never identified.