Bradley John Murdoch, the man who killed British backpacker Peter Falconio in 2001, has died from throat cancer at the age of 67.

Murdoch succumbed to throat cancer on Tuesday night at a hospital in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, a corrections spokesperson confirmed. He had been moved to the hospital from jail in June.

In 2005, Murdoch was convicted and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum period of 28 years.

The body of Falconio, believed murdered in 2001, has never been found, and Murdoch always maintained his innocence.

Murdoch had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2019, according to reports.

His death will be subject to investigation by the Northern Territory coroner, officials said.

In July 2001, Falconio, then 28, was travelling Australia with his girlfriend, Joanne Lees, on a remote stretch of highway about 300km north of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory when he was pulled over by Murdoch, who said their van might have an engine problem.

Falconio went behind the car with Murdoch to investigate, and Lees heard a gunshot, before Murdoch cable-tied her and covered her head.

Lees managed to escape and hide in bushland for five hours while pursued by Murdoch and his dog before flagging down a truck driver, while Falconio died from a gunshot wound to the head.

Murdoch was convicted of murder and attempted kidnapping in 2005 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 28 years, but had never revealed the location of Falconio’s body.

Last month police offered a $500,000 reward for information on the location of Falconio’s remains.

More details to come