UNIVERSITY OF BRISBANE STUDENT UNION NEWSLETTER

SPRING TERM 2019

CONTRIBUTORS: MARK JEFFRIES, LIZA FRANCE, TONI SMITT, MATT JACKSON.

MURDERERS OF MARINE BIOLOGY LECTURERS BROUGHT TO JUSTICE

It’s the story that’s been on the lips of everyone on campus for some time now, and it’s finally reached its stunning conclusion. The trial of the man charged with murdering Dr Trudy Erhardt and Dr Dave Herman, both UoB Marine Biology lecturers prior to their deaths, ended with a guilty verdict. Jack Zambuchini, a Master’s Student studying Marine Biology at this very institution, poisoned Herman and shot Erhardt – while formal sentencing for his crimes hasn’t occurred at the time we go to print, we understand he’s due to spend a significant amount of time behind bars.

Jack Zambuchini was the right-hand man of Carl Meekins, and committed both murders under Meekins’ orders. Meekins was the head of a gang producing and distributing psychedelic drugs manufactured from the venom of Snapback fish. Herman was killed after he tried to raise awareness for the damage Meekins’ scheme was doing to the ocean ecosphere, and in such a way that it had initially been ruled an accident. Erhardt, refusing to believe this, started investigating Herman’s death, resulting in Jack Zambuchini murdering her to stop her finding out. Meekins was found guilty of conspiracy to murder, as well as many other charges, including drug trafficking.

A memorial to the two lecturers is due to happen next Sunday in the Main Campus’ Central Square. Vice Chancellor Bruce Saxby has stated that the University plans to install a permanent memorial on the Campus grounds, and that the proposed new wing of the Campus Library be named the Erhardt-Herman Wing.

Case Summary

A detailed summary of the clues for each suspect…Did you find all of them?:

Case Summary

Beatrix Leblanc

Beatrix Leblanc, also known by her stage name “Trix Leblanc”, was a former student at BrisU who was expelled after being reported for plagiarism by her dissertation supervisor, Dr. Trudy Erhardt. This past connection initially cast suspicion on Beatrix, particularly due to bitter references made on her social media profile targeting Trudy.

However, Beatrix had a confirmed alibi for the night of the murder. She was performing as a supporting act for Amy Jenkins at the Toad & Tambourine between 7 and 8 PM—the exact time the murder occurred. This is backed up by both the venue schedule and a confirmation email from the venue’s events team, verifying that all scheduled performers, including supporting artists, were present.

Conclusion: Although she had motive due to past grievances, Beatrix Leblanc is definitively ruled out as a suspect due to a solid, independently verified alibi.

Veronica Johnson and Pauline Flint

Veronica Johnson and Pauline Flint had a clear motive for harming Dr. Trudy Erhardt. Years prior, Trudy was a key witness in the trial that led to their conviction for the death of a fisherman, Jerry Rogers. Following their release from prison, their names resurfaced in a University Security report when they were spotted loitering on campus—raising suspicions of possible revenge.

However, their alibi is conclusive. In a screenshot from ANN TV’s live broadcast, aired at 19:29 on April 19th, the same night Trudy was murdered, Veronica and Pauline are seen in the background. The location of the broadcast is verified as the Gold Coast, confirmed by a local advert in the Brisbane Chronicler and the scrolling headline referencing E.K. Pegg’s memorial, which took place 25 days after his death on March 24th—pinpointing the date of the broadcast to April 19th, the day of the murder.

Given the Gold Coast is over an hour’s drive from Brisbane and the coroner places Trudy’s time of death between 7 and 8 PM, it would have been impossible for the pair to be at the scene of the crime.

Conclusion: Although they had motive, Veronica Johnson and Pauline Flint are eliminated as suspects due to their confirmed presence at a televised event on the Gold Coast at the time of the murder.

John Linnsburgh

John Linnsburgh was in a past romantic relationship with Dr. Trudy Erhardt, as suggested by a personal letter signed “JL” found in Trudy’s drawer, and a note from Trudy’s friend, Maya, referencing their connection. Suspicion deepened when Trudy received a bullet keyring in the mail, later confirmed to have been sent by John—suggesting unresolved tension or possible threats.

However, while John may have had emotional motive, he has a solid alibi for the time of the murder. An article in the Brisbane Chronicler (dated 31st January) confirms that John began co-hosting a weekday radio show, “Linnsburgh and Finch”, on Radio Kix starting from 12th April. The show airs weeknights from 6pm to 10pm, which means that on April 19th—the night of Trudy’s murder between 7 and 8pm—John was live on air.

Conclusion: Despite a suspicious gift and a fraught romantic history with the victim, John Linnsburgh is ruled out as a suspect due to a confirmed, time-stamped public alibi.

Penelope Mudds

Penelope Mudds, the owner of a controversial alternative health clinic, had a public and increasingly bitter feud with Dr. Trudy Erhardt. Trudy had been actively campaigning against Penelope’s so-called “jellyfish cure,” which was ultimately pulled from use. Their dispute was well-documented in the press, and tensions between the two ran high, giving Penelope a strong motive.

However, the evidence shows she could not have committed the murder. According to an article in News Sauce, Penelope claimed she was traveling to Darwin to reopen her clinic, precisely one week after her Brisbane practice was closed on April 12th. She also mentioned traveling in her car “Petey,” named after its license plate.

This ties directly to a Toowoomba bypass toll receipt, dated 19th April 2019 at 18:57. The vehicle’s plate, 435 PTY, closely matches Penelope’s description. The Toowoomba bypass is over 1.5 hours west of Brisbane, making it geographically impossible for her to be at the murder scene (in Brisbane) during the 7–8 PM window when the coroner confirms Trudy was killed.

Further confirmation comes from an email from the Bank’s fraud team, verifying that the toll receipt’s transaction matched a card issued to P. Mudds, definitively placing her on the road far from the crime scene.

Conclusion: While Penelope had both motive and public animosity toward Trudy, a confirmed financial transaction, vehicle tracking, and timing eliminate her as a suspect.

Thomas Drucker

Thomas Drucker, co-owner of Chancery & Drucker, had a clear motive for wanting Dr. Trudy Erhardt out of the way. Trudy had played a critical role in blocking the development of Drucker’s luxury Panorama Tower due to environmental concerns—specifically, her campaign to protect a jellyfish habitat in the proposed development zone. This conflict was reported in The Brisbane Chronicler, making Drucker a person of interest.

According to meeting minutes, Drucker left a corporate board meeting at 18:55 and returned at 19:45, placing him absent during the 7–8 PM window in which the coroner confirms the murder occurred. This raised immediate suspicions—until deeper investigation ruled him out.

A firearms registration document revealed Drucker’s date of birth as 28/02/1969, which allowed police to match him to a keycard number in an access log obtained from the company’s internal systems. Drucker’s full employee number, 1001280269, showed he entered the Sky Point building at 18:26 and didn’t exit until 20:55, meaning he was inside company headquarters for the entirety of the murder window.

Conclusion: While Drucker had a financial motive and a suspiciously timed absence from a meeting, digital keycard records definitively place him inside his office building during the murder. He is not the killer.

Jack Zambuchini

With all other suspects cleared through solid alibis, one name remained wrapped in ambiguity: “Paul”—a student linked to a scratched student card. Clues pointed toward three individuals: Jack Zambuchini, Jay Wolodarski, and Dirk Muir, but which one was “Paul”?

The breakthrough came through a coded word mentioned by Ben: “ABC = ECD”, a letter-shifting cipher Trudy had previously used. When investigators applied this cipher to the word found scrawled in blood on a notepad on Trudy’s lap—the word “BEN”—it decoded to “ZAM”.

That single clue cracked the case: “ZAM” matches Zambuchini—Jack Zambuchini was the only suspect with those letters in his name. Trudy, even in her final moments, had attempted to identify her killer by leaving a coded message. She avoided writing Jack’s name outright—possibly to avoid alerting him—and instead turned to a cipher only her close colleagues might understand.

Earlier hints had linked “Paul” to the scratched card, and now it’s revealed that “Paul” was Jack all along. With the ciphered name, his lack of alibi, and his presence under a false identity, the pieces all fall into place.

Conclusion:
Jack Zambuchini, posing as “Paul,” murdered Dr. Trudy Erhardt. Every other suspect was cleared through time-stamped evidence and airtight alibis. Trudy’s final, coded message pointed directly to her killer—bringing the case to a chilling but satisfying close.

Hi, I’m Luke – Congratulations on finding the killer!!! We hope you had a great time playing our game—we had an absolute blast creating it! I have a polite request…Right now, fewer than 1% of players leave a review – a small group who make a big impact! Please will you be part of that 1% by leaving a quick review? Thank you so much for your support.

Please click on your flag to be taken to the relevant review page:

Get 10% off Today!

As a token of appreciation, I'd like to send you an exclusive discount for your next case file. Simply complete the form below, and I'll send you the discount code via email. I'd also like to send you other related discounts, offers and communications that I think you'd enjoy. Thanks, Luke.