Fugitive Dezi Freeman Shot Dead After Seven-Month Manhunt

Wed Apr 01 2026 08:34:14 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

After shooting two police officers in August 2025, Dezi Freeman, a conspiracy theorist, spent seven months on the run in Australia until his death during a police standoff.

Dezi Freeman, 56, was shot and killed by Australian police after an hours-long standoff at a rural property, ending a seven-month-long manhunt that began after he shot two police officers. Freeman, a self-styled 'sovereign citizen', was wanted for the double murder, having escaped into the bushland following the incident. Authorities reported no officers were injured during the operation. Premier Jacinta Allan stated, \"Today an evil man is dead. It's over.\" The investigation remains ongoing to determine any potential collaborators who aided Freeman during his time in hiding.

Australian police have shot and killed Dezi Freeman after the double-murderer spent seven months on the run.

A well-known conspiracy theorist, Freeman gunned down two police officers on his property in the small Victorian town of Porepunkah last August, before fleeing into dense bushland and evading extensive searches.

Victoria Police say a man was shot dead after an hours-long standoff at a rural property in the state's north-east on Monday morning. Chief Commissioner Mike Bush stated that the man is believed to be Freeman, 56, but formal identification is still underway.

Today an evil man is dead, said Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan. It's over. Police surrounded a building described as a cross between a shipping container and a long caravan around 5:30 local time. After three hours and multiple police pleas, the man believed to be Freeman came outside and was shot dead.

Details are still being confirmed, Bush told reporters, but he believes Freeman emerged wrapped in a blanket and armed with a gun, possibly one taken from one of the slain officers back in August. Our ultimate goal was to arrest the person, Bush said. There was an opportunity for him to surrender peacefully but he did not.

No officers were hurt during the operation, which will be investigated as is standard in police shootings. The squad sent to Freeman's property on 26 August was there to search it over an investigation into sex offences when two senior constables - Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart - were killed by Freeman.

Their families were the first to be informed about Freeman's death, and Bush mentioned that it will take 24 to 48 hours to confirm the identity of the body. Should [his identity] be confirmed… this brings closure to what was a tragic and terrible event. Investigators believe Freeman received aid while on the run and will work to determine who assisted him.

In a statement, the Police Association of Victoria described Freeman's death as a step forward but noted it does not offer complete closure. It doesn't lessen the trauma or give back the futures that were callously stolen, they stated.