Court date in British backpacker murder case

An Australian truck driver charged with murdering a British backpacker on a lonely Outback highway will appear in court next May for a hearing to decide if he should stand trial for the mysterious killing, a court ruled today.

The date was set at a brief appearance in Darwin Magistrates’ Court by Bradley John Murdoch, 45, who is accused of murdering Peter Falconio on the Stuart Highway north of the central Australian town of Alice Springs on July 14, 2001.