Trace

An investigative podcast hosted by ABC journalist Rachael Brown, Trace examines the fractures in Australia's criminal justice system, and the decades-long ripples they have caused.

S1 Bonus | Maria James inquest finding

A Victorian Coroner has failed to name a killer in the 1980 cold case of Maria James. Her sons are devastated. But there's still hope, in leads yet to be chased by police.

04-01
18:34

S1 Bonus | The Inquest

The new coronial inquest into the murder of Maria James has wrapped up. Will the Coroner be able to name her killer? And of the police exhibits that haven't disappeared, what DNA testing can be done? This episode nears us closer to the end of the James brothers' 41-year-fight for answers for their mum.

11-03
01:05:27

S1 Bonus | Breakthrough in Maria James cold case

The discovery of a police exhibit - thought to be missing for around three decades - could finally help unmask the killer in the 1980 cold case of Maria James.

08-12
26:45

S2 BONUS β€” The Price

The Royal Commission has released its final report into defence lawyer turned police informer Nicola Gobbo.

12-16
40:53

S2 08 | End game

We reveal the story of Nicola Gobbo's audacious bid to return to Australia.

09-21
42:32

S2 07 | Reckoning

Everything unravels, for Nicola Gobbo and Victoria Police. Their secret is out.

09-14
40:35

S2 06 | Whatever it takes

Nicola hits rock bottom, but Victoria Police wants her to take on a new role ... as a witness.

09-07
40:58

S2 05 | Glittering prize

Nicola wants to be the best source ever, and she leads police to the biggest target of all: the mafia. Her double life is getting riskier, but she can't stop. This episode charts an addiction and a crash.

08-31
39:37

S2 04 | Rubicon

Nicola crosses the point of no return and becomes a police informer. She'll represent clients, while passing on the underworld's secrets to Victoria Police.

08-24
37:47

S2 03 | The darkest night

A drug house burglary smells of police corruption and a police informer is executed.

08-17
39:39

S2 02 | One of the crew

As the gangland war explodes, both police and criminals start questioning Nicola's allegiances. Where do her loyalties lie?

08-10
37:37

S2 01 | Nicola

We meet Nicola Gobbo in a secret location, in hiding, now that her double life as a police informer is out, and she begins telling us her full story.

08-03
35:43

INTRODUCING Trace season 2 - The Informer

Lawyer Nicola Gobbo represented some of Australia's most dangerous criminals, all the while secretly working as a police informer. Why did she do it?

07-27
05:13

S1 07 | Hope

More than a year on from their plea for a new coronial inquest, the James brothers get a decision.Will they finally get answers to the burning questions they've carried for 38 years about the murder of their mother?And what about those items Trace has been given that might have DNA on them?Can they identify the killer?We take them to one of the world's best DNA labs, with some of the most sensitive equipment, to find out.

12-03
36:57

S1 06 | Limbo

New evidence has been found. So can police test it for a trace of the killer? What happened to crucial documents? And a new confession.It is nearly a year since the James brothers applied for a new coronial inquest into their mum's murder, but the case hangs in legal limbo.

06-12
29:12

S1 05 | Wait

The fall-out from major revelations in the Maria James cold-case continue, as her sons make a desperate plea to the Coroner.

09-06
24:18

S1 04 | DNA

There's a major break in the case, as Trace uncovers a police bungle in the murder of Maria James. But it only serves to throw up more questions than answers, as the James brothers continue their desperate search for justice.

07-12
32:02

S1 03 | Sins

A second person of interest emerges within the church. Rachael Brown investigates their past and discovers a dark and disturbing history.

07-05
27:54

BONUS | How your leads are helping the investigation

Since Trace was first released, the ABC has received over 50 emails from the community with leads and tip offs. In this bonus update, reporter Rachael Brown follows up with two women who got in touch to say they saw men acting suspiciously around Maria's bookshop at the time of her murder. Send us your tips: trace@abc.net.au

07-04
07:45

S1 02 | Confessions

Rachael Brown's investigation into the death of Maria James turns to the local Church, and Rachael tracks down a new witness who saw someone covered in blood around the time of Maria's death.

06-27
35:40

Elizabeth Stout

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06-29 Reply

Unicorn 1

God bless you Mark and Adam ❀ I hope you find answers and peace. RIP Maria James πŸ™ Fantastic work Rachael Brown - keep fighting for justice! πŸ‘πŸ‘

12-03 Reply

ebony e

I'm sorry but no sympathy. She is a very intelligent women who knew exactly what she was doing and the consequences of being caught out by the people she was spilling the beans on. As if the people she turned on don't want her hurt, the ones saying they dont are full of it. If she wasn't so arrogant in the begining she should have taken the police offer of witness protection. She was never going to come out of it looking glowing, so she'd be safer to stay out of the country. If the father of her children was so concerned about being a part of their lives then perhaps he should move to where she is.

07-05 Reply

Seth Hamon

A curse on all thier houses! A bunch of bastards, the lot of them.

01-02 Reply

ID20488291

Love this podcast. I have followed this story since it first broke. I can’t wait for more updates and season 2!!

12-05 Reply

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