More than 30 years after American mathematician Scott Johnson died after falling off a cliff in Sydney, a man has been charged with his death.
BRISBANE, Australia — More than 30 years after American mathematician Scott Johnson died after falling off a cliff in Sydney, a man has been charged with his death in an apparent gay hate crime that police believe was one of many over several decades in Australia’s largest city.
New South Wales state police said Tuesday that a 49-year-old man who they did not name has been charged with murdering the 27-year-old Sydney-based Johnson in 1988.
They said the man was arrested at a property in Sydney’s northern suburbs. He was taken to a local police station for questioning, and was later charged with murder. He was refused bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
Three inquests were held into Johnson’s death after he was found at the base of a cliff near Manly’s North Head on Dec. 10,1988. In the first inquest, his death was ruled a suicide. The second inquest, in June 2012, returned an open finding.
