Cold case solved as dog groomer is found guilty of the murder of 16-year-old schoolgirl Michelle Buckingham - who was stabbed 19 times and dumped in long grass - 32 years after her tragic death

  • Stephen James Bradley found guilty of the murder of Michelle Buckingham
  • Michelle, 16, was stabbed 19 times and dumped in the grass in 1983
  • The cold case has stumped detectives for over three decades 
  • A confession by the murderer's brother-in-law led to the guilty verdict
  • Michelle's mother died last week and never saw justice for her daughter 

By Daniel Peters For Daily Mail Australia and Australian Associated Press

Published: 09:04 EST, 9 October 2015 | Updated: 09:50 EST, 9 October 2015

The man responsible for the gruesome stabbing of teenage schoolgirl Michelle Buckingham has finally been found guilty of her murder, over 30 years after her disappearance.

Dog groomer Stephen James Bradley was arrested and brought to trial in 2012 after a lengthy investigative case, resulting in a jury decision in the Victorian Supreme Court on Friday.

Michelle, 16, was stabbed at least 19 times and then dumped in long grass in Kialla East in 1983, after vanishing while walking home from a night out at Victoria Hotel in the suburb of Shepparton.

Michelle Buckingham, 16, was murdered and dumped in long grass in rural Victoria in October, 1983

Michelle Buckingham, 16, was murdered and dumped in long grass in rural Victoria in October, 1983

Stephen James Bradley (pictured covered in a red shirt) was found guilty of her murder on Friday in the Victorian Supreme Court, 32 years after he stabbed the schoolgirl to death

Stephen James Bradley (pictured covered in a red shirt) was found guilty of her murder on Friday in the Victorian Supreme Court, 32 years after he stabbed the schoolgirl to death

Michelle was found two weeks after she was declared missing, on the side of a road in Kialla East

Michelle was found two weeks after she was declared missing, on the side of a road in Kialla East

Her remains were found on the side of a rural road two weeks later, with her necklace nearby.

Her family thanked the jury for their guilty verdict, finally putting an end to a tragic cold case that had stumped some of the nation's brightest detectives for over three decades.

'Our family are extremely happy with today's outcome,' Ms Buckingham's sister and brother, Karen and Phillip, said in a statement, according to the Herald Sun.

'It has been a long time coming and at least now our beautiful sister Michelle can finally rest in peace.'

They expressed their disappointment that their mother, Elvira Buckingham, was unable to see justice be served, tragically passing away a week earlier.

Former Victorian homicide detective Ron Iddles tearfully revealed on Friday that he spoke to Ms Buckingham every month after taking on the 1983 murder as his last case.

Michelle disappeared while walking home from a night out at Victoria Hotel in the suburb of Shepparton

Michelle disappeared while walking home from a night out at Victoria Hotel in the suburb of Shepparton

The cold case stumped detectives for over three decades, until new information resulted in the case's reopening in 2012

The cold case stumped detectives for over three decades, until new information resulted in the case's reopening in 2012

The family of Michelle Buckingham thanked the jury for their guilty verdict, while expressing their sadness that their mother was unable to see justice served out, dying just one week earlier

The family of Michelle Buckingham thanked the jury for their guilty verdict, while expressing their sadness that their mother was unable to see justice served out, dying just one week earlier

'She waited for 32 years for this and she died of a heart attack about a week ago,' Mr Iddles said.

'She was worried about the trial, it was causing her stress ... I wasn't there to give her ... the answers.' 

The case re-opened after Mr Bradley's brother-in-law revealed a damning confession from the morning after the murder, a confession he had kept secret for almost thirty years.

The court heard that Mr Bradley had told his brother-in-law that he had 'killed a girl', an admission that became crucial in his eventual conviction, reported the Herald Sun.

In a final address to the jury, Crown Prosecutor Andrew Tinney reiterated the importance of the confession in solving the case.

'But his words … can never be taken back. He said it. The words have haunted him for 30 years, you might think — 32 years in fact — they haunt him still, and they condemn him,' he said. 

Mr Iddles, now head of the Police Association Victoria, said the result gave hope to families of other cold case murders.

'Every homicide has the potential to be solved,' he said. 

Mr Bradley has not yet been served a sentence, and will face court in December for a plea trial. 

The court heard that Mr Bradley had told his brother-in-law that he had 'killed a girl', a confession that was a crucial piece of evidence in closing out the cold case

The court heard that Mr Bradley had told his brother-in-law that he had 'killed a girl', a confession that was a crucial piece of evidence in closing out the cold case

A detective who worked on the case back in 1983 said the verdict 'gave hope to families of other cold case murders'

A detective who worked on the case back in 1983 said the verdict 'gave hope to families of other cold case murders'

Former Victorian homicide detective Ron Iddles tearfully revealed on Friday that he spoke to the (recently deceased) mother of the victim every month after taking on the 1983 murder as his last case 

Former Victorian homicide detective Ron Iddles tearfully revealed on Friday that he spoke to the (recently deceased) mother of the victim every month after taking on the 1983 murder as his last case