[Part 2 of 2]*** Content Warning: Sexual assault, gun violence, child victims ***By mid-1963, The Night Caller’s reign of terror had altered Perth forever, and he still remained at large and unidentified. Following another execution-style slaying in Perth’s wealthy western suburbs, investigators set a trap that would expose his identity as Eric Edgar Cooke. Cooke’s capture would ultimately lead to the unravelling of countless terrible secrets…---Narration – Anonymous HostResearch & writing – Erin MunroCreative direction – Milly RasoProduction and music – Mike MigasMusic – Andrew D.B. JoslynSign up for Casefile Premium:Apple PremiumSpotify PremiumPatreonFor all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-307-the-night-caller-part-2 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Full Episode
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Saturday August 10 1963 was a stormy winter's night in Perth, with heavy rain and thunder. But Carl and Wendy Dowd were heading out anyway to go to a party just a kilometre from their home in Dalkeith. The suburb was just south of Netherlands, which had been upended by the Australia Day shootings six months earlier. The initial panic after that event had somewhat calmed down by now,
Even though the shooter hadn't been apprehended, the fact that there hadn't been any shootings since meant that locals had started to relax ever so slightly. Carl and Wendy had hired a second-year university student to babysit their eight-month-old while they were out. Shirley MacLeod was a diligent science major who was filling in for her friend, the Dowd's usual sitter.
She had won a scholarship to attend university and her plan was to become a social worker. There are so many people who need help, she had once told her father. Shirley had been devastated by the murder of her friend John Sturkey in the Australia Day shootings. They had shared some of the same uni lectures. Carl and Wendy felt confident leaving their baby in Shirley's care.
She was a kind, conscientious girl who'd brought her textbooks with her. As the baby was sleeping, Shirley was hoping to get some study done. The Dowds said goodbye, then headed out to their party. It was 2am when they arrived home, happy and in high spirits after a fun night out.
Wendy went straight to the bedroom to check on the baby, while Carl headed to the lounge room where Shirley had been sitting when they left. The lounge was well lit and warm, as Shirley had the heater running. A teacup and saucer sat on the coffee table, and the turntable was spinning with a record that had long since finished playing.
Shirley's shoes sat neatly on the floor while she sat on a small couch, her head slumped. Carl assumed she must have dozed off while studying, as she was still holding a pen and notepad. Then Carl noticed that Shirley's clothes and face were covered in blood. Clearly visible in her forehead was a bullet hole. She had been shot and killed with a .22 caliber rifle.
As Carl Dowd was struck by the shocking realisation that Shirley MacLeod had been murdered, he was gripped by the terrifying fear that the killer might still be in the house. He raced to the bedroom where Wendy was tending to their eight-month-old son. He was awake and smiling, clearly unharmed. Carl told Wendy what had happened before quietly phoning the police.
The Dowd family remained barricaded in the bedroom until help arrived. While the case couldn't be definitively linked to the killing spree in late January, investigating officers had their suspicions. The victims in all of the murders were random and had been targeted in homes. All had been killed with a single shot to the forehead from a .22 caliber weapon.
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