In December 1988, the body of a young man was found at the base of the North Head cliffs in Manly, Australia. This was 27 year old Scott Johnson. Police ruled this a suicide almost immediately. Scott had moved to Australia to be with his partner, Michael. Michael told police that Scott had had suicidal thoughts in the past but had been in good spirits lately as he was finishing his PhD in Mathematics and had his whole future ahead of him. Scott’s family never believed his death was a suicide. They tried to accept it, but it never quite felt right.
Nearly 17 years later, Scott’s brother, Steve, received an article in the mail from Michael about three gay men who had disappeared or died in the 1980s along the cliffs of Bondi Beach which was less than an hour from where Scott was found. Could Scott’s death have actually been a homicide instead of a suicide? Could this have been a hate crime? Steve was determined to find out. He was now a millionaire and was able to use his resources to put pressure on police to open the case and investigate it more thoroughly.
Eventually, someone was arrested for the murder of Scott Johnson, but was this arrest the result of a coerced confession? Or did this man actually murder Scott and get away with it for over thirty years before being put behind bars?
Come along with Hannah and Bob as they discuss gardening, tan lines, and Brendan Dassey.
CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussions of suicide, homicide, and hate crimes. Listener discretion is advised.
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Sources:
CBS. (2023, June 8). Australian Scott White gets 9 years in prison for punching gay American Scott Johnson off Sydney cliff in 1988. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/scott-white-9-years-prison-punching-scott-johnson-gay-american-sydney-cliff-1988/
Cook, C., Kelley, M., & Sloan, D. (Executive Producers). (2023). Never let him go [TV series]. Hulu.
Orbey, E. (2025, October 13). A tech millionaire’s costly quest to prove his brother was murdered. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/10/20/did-a-brothers-quest-for-justice-go-too-far
Turnbull, T. (2023, June 8). Scott Johnson: Gay US student’s killer jailed for 1988 manslaughter. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-65841623
