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The Snowtown Murders Trivia Quiz

This quiz is about one of Australia's most gruesome crimes. Why did they begin to kill? What made these men put their victims in acid? To find out the answers, please enter.

A multiple-choice quiz by DakotaNorth. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
DakotaNorth

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
68,076

Updated
Mar 31 23

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
4 / 10

Plays
936

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. On August 16, 1994, the body of a young man was found in a field. What was the name of this man? Hint

Gavin Porter

Barry Lane

Clinton Trezise

Garion Sinclair

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Question 2 of 10

2. In 1997, a transwoman named Vanessa disappeared. What was her birth name? Hint

Barry Lane

Garion Sinclair

Clinton Trezise

Gavin Porter

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Question 3 of 10

3. On May 20, 1999, a horrifying discovery was made. The discovery was made at a bank. What was the name of the bank? Hint

Adelaide Bank of South Australia

First Union Bank of South Australia

First National Bank of South Australia

Snowtown Branch of the State Bank of South Australia

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Question 4 of 10

4. On May 21, 1999, three men were arrested for the murders. These three men seemed to live normal lives, but unfortunately this was not the case. What are the names of these three men? Hint

Thaddeus Martin, Christopher Stamp, and Braedon Lavery

John Bunting, Braedon Lavery, and Robert Wagner

Robert Wagner, Mark Haydon, and Christopher Stamp

John Bunting, Robert Wagner, and Mark Haydon

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Question 5 of 10

5. Unbeknownst to the murderers, a taskforce was formed by the Acting Police Commissioner. What name was the taskforce given? Hint

Chart

Heartland

Snowtown

Operation Snowtown

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Question 6 of 10

6. On June 2, 1999, a fourth man was arrested in connection with the murders. What was the name of this man? Hint

James Spyridon Vlassakis

Robert Wchinski Szperkya

Bartholomew Baiul Lipinski

John Slavinski Spyridon

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Question 7 of 10

7. One of the victims was the wife of one of the murderers. She was positively identified through DNA evidence. What was her name? Hint

Elizabeth Haydon

Gillian Lavery

Natalie Wagner

Donna Jo Martin

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Question 8 of 10

8. According to the police, all the victims had something in common. What was it that linked the victims? Hint

All banked at the same bank

The same make of car

Government benefit checks

Lived in the same area

9. To help with the identification of the victims, the South Australia police enlisted the aide of an American doctor, who specializes in the identification of murder victims. What was the name of this doctor? Hint

Dr. James Tayoun

Dr. David Hayward

Dr. Park Dietz

Dr. Ronald Codario

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Question 10 of 10

10. On July 3, 1999, three of the four accused men were charged with murder. How many counts of murder were they charged with? Hint

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. On August 16, 1994, the body of a young man was found in a field. What was the name of this man?

Answer: Clinton Trezise

Clinton Douglas Trezise was last seen in 1993, and was reported missing in 1995. On August 16, 1994, a farmer found Trezise's remains in a field in Lower Light. It wasn't until late 1999 that Trezise was identified, but by that time he was part of long list of killings perpetrated by four men.

2. In 1997, a transwoman named Vanessa disappeared. What was her birth name?

Answer: Barry Lane

Vanessa Lane was 40 years old at the time of her disappearance. Lane was a convicted sex offender. It was found out that Lane lived with one of her murderers for approximately eight years.

3. On May 20, 1999, a horrifying discovery was made. The discovery was made at a bank. What was the name of the bank?

Answer: Snowtown Branch of the State Bank of South Australia

On May 20, 1999, a gruesome discovery was made at the Snowtown Branch of the State Bank of South Australia. When the police entered the Snowtown Branch, after a year long investigation of missing persons, they discovered six plastic vats filled with acid.

The vats contained parts from at least eight different victims. The police now knew that they were at the beginning of the unraveling of the case. A few days later, the police found two more victims in the backyard of the murderers. This brought the total number of victims to 11.

4. On May 21, 1999, three men were arrested for the murders. These three men seemed to live normal lives, but unfortunately this was not the case. What are the names of these three men?

Answer: John Bunting, Robert Wagner, and Mark Haydon

On May 21, 1999, John Bunting, Robert Wagner, and Mark Haydon were arrested for murder. Each of them were charged with 'murder of a person or persons yet unknown' between August 1, 1993 and May 20, 1999.

5. Unbeknownst to the murderers, a taskforce was formed by the Acting Police Commissioner. What name was the taskforce given?

Answer: Chart

Sometime in 1998, Acting Police Commissioner, Neil McKenzie, authorized a taskforce to deal with the missing persons. The taskforce was given the name 'Chart'. The taskforce consisted of 33 police officers from Major Crime, Crime Scene Examination, and Missing Persons Squad. Also, the taskforce had an abundance of pathologists, anthropologists, and administrators.

6. On June 2, 1999, a fourth man was arrested in connection with the murders. What was the name of this man?

Answer: James Spyridon Vlassakis

On June 2, 1999, James Spyridon Vlassakis was arrested in connection with the murders. Vlassakis was charged with 'murder of a person or person yet unknown'. His identity was kept secret for a while, until a Magistrate allowed the media to use his name publicly.

While in jail, Vlassakis attempted suicide on three occasions. He was then transferred to the James Nash House, the South Australian Department of Corrections' maximum security psychiatric clinic.

7. One of the victims was the wife of one of the murderers. She was positively identified through DNA evidence. What was her name?

Answer: Elizabeth Haydon

In 1998, Elizabeth Haydon, mother of eight, was reported missing by her sisters, Christine Spek and Gail Sinclair, and by her brother, Garion Sinclair. They told the police that Elizabeth would never leave without letting them know.

8. According to the police, all the victims had something in common. What was it that linked the victims?

Answer: Government benefit checks

After the discovery of the bodies, the police found that all of the victims were receiving government benefit checks. The police theorized that Vlassakis, Haydon, Bunting, and Wagner killed them for their social security checks. The police haven't been able to find concrete evidence that proves this.

Answer: Dr. Park Dietz

Dr. Park Dietz, a forensic psychiatrist with the FBI and New York State Police Forensic Sciences Unit compared Snowtowns serial killings with the killings perpetrated by Jeffrey Dahmer. Dr. Dietz said that killings involving three or more killers, usually had a financial motive. Dr. Dietz's observations aligned with what Chart had proved, and what the police had thought.

10. On July 3, 1999, three of the four accused men were charged with murder. How many counts of murder were they charged with?

Answer: 10

On July 3, 1999, Bunting, Wagner, and Haydon were jointly charged with 10 counts of murder. Vlassakis was charged separately for 1 of the 10 murders. James Vlassakis pleaded guilty to four murders and provided testimony in exchange for a lesser sentence. Bunting and Wagner were convicted and sentenced to long prison terms.

Source: Author DakotaNorth

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