40-Year Hunt Ends: Killer Caught by Fake Confession DNA

Raymond Reddington, 79, has been convicted of the 1986 murder of his wife, Sharon Fulton, in Perth, bringing a 40-year manhunt to a close. The breakthrough came when DNA from saliva on a fake confession letter, sent to the coroner's office in 2021, was identified as Reddington's.

Reddington, formerly known as Robert Fulton, was sentenced to life imprisonment and will be eligible for parole after 20 years, provided he discloses the location of his wife's body. The court heard that Reddington, a former RAAF officer, feared losing access to his children and facing financial repercussions from a divorce.

Sharon Fulton, a 39-year-old mother-of-four, had initiated divorce proceedings prior to her death. Reddington reported his wife missing three days after her murder, fabricating stories about her departure. He had also taken out substantial life insurance policies on both himself and his wife in the months leading up to her death.

Despite the conviction, Reddington maintains his innocence. His youngest son expressed that the sentence was lenient given the decades his father spent free after the murder and continues to seek the location of his mother's remains.