‘Brownout Murders’ occurred in Melbourne in May 1942, when the city was under night-time lighting restrictions. The discovery of three murder victims created a climate of fear in the city. When mounting evidence pointed to the likelihood that an American serviceman had committed the murders, all 15,000 US soldiers at Camp Pell were confined to camp, which was placed under armed guard.
Edward Joseph Leonski, a 24-year-old soldier in the US 52nd Battalion, was arrested and charged with murder, and tried in the Melbourne Criminal Court by a military tribunal. His plea of not guilty on the grounds of insanity was rejected on the basis of the testimony of Australian and American psychiatrists: he was convicted and sentenced to death, the sentence being confirmed by Commander-in-Chief General Douglas MacArthur. Leonski was hanged at Pentridge Prison on 9 November 1942.
How to cite this entry:
"‘Brownout Murders’" The Oxford Companion Australian Military History. Ed Peter Dennis, Jeffrey Grey, Ewan Morris, Robin Prior and Jean Bou. Oxford University Press 2009. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. 19 August 2011
