Casefile True Crime - Case 91: Carly Ryan

Episode Date: August 4, 2018

In 2006, Myspace was the biggest social media platform in the world, surpassing Google as the most visited website. Like many teenagers, 14-year-old Carly Ryan turned to the internet to interact with friends and meet new people. It wasn’t long before she struck up a friendship with 18-year-old Brandon Kane, who went by the username ‘KuruptKoala.’  --- We would like to add a special thanks credit for Karina Natt and The Carly Ryan Foundation for the help in the creation of this episode. Episode narrated by the Anonymous Host Episode researched and written by Elsha McGill Additional writing by Milly Raso For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-91-carly-ryan

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The story features three characters, a mother, her daughter and the daughter's suitor. The daughter's suitor lived deep inside a very dark cave. One day, the daughter asked her mother if she could visit this man. The mother had concerns but didn't want to stand in the way of her daughter's happiness. So she pulled a thread out from the edge of her skirt and told her daughter to hold on to it as she made her way into the cave. If, for whatever reason, she felt in danger, all she needed to do was tug on the thread. Her mother would then pull her away from harm. Music

Sonja Ryan was 20 years old when she gave birth to her daughter, Carly. Being a young single mother was not without struggles. But in a unique and special way, Sonja felt Carly saved her life. She drew strength knowing her baby girl needed her. No matter how hard things got, Carly gave Sonja reason and purpose to go on. This bond between mother and daughter evolved as Carly grew older, but never broke, only strengthened. It was mirrored quite literally in the striking resemblance the pair border one another. It was often remarked that they looked more like sisters, with matching porcelain skin, chestnut hair, deep brown eyes, and a shared sense of style and interests.

As she entered adolescence, Carly experienced her own struggles. Guiding her along was her mother's unconditional love and wisdom. Carly told her mum everything. The two shared a very open and honest friendship. Sonja supported Carly whilst giving her daughter independence and opportunity to grow. Mistakes were inevitable, but they were just lessons learned. Whatever came their way, the pair knew they would always have each other. 14-year-old Carly Ryan lived with her mother and younger brother in Stirling, a quiet and picturesque hinterland town in South Australia. Nestled on the southern edge of Mount Lofty, Stirling is the gateway to the sprawling Adelaide Hills wine region.

It's known for its scenic main street, organic cafes, historic pub, and stately old homes alongside striking contemporary architecture. Yet, for all its charm, Carly's hometown didn't offer much excitement for a teenager. The population peaked at around 2,500 people, and visitors only really stopped by during autumn to check out the rich colours of the tree-lined main street. There were no cinemas, shopping malls, or music venues, and by nightfall, most of the shops, cafes, and restaurants were closed. With Adelaide's city centre a 16-kilometre bus ride away, Stirling's youth were often left to make their own fun. It was mostly her interest in the music and fashion that drew Carly to the emo subculture that was flourishing at the time. The punk-inspired subgroup was often associated with dark colours and themes. However, Carly fully embraced a spectrum of colour in her fashion, a reflection of her bright, creative, and playful nature.

She wore pinks, greens, and blues in a variety of patterns, layered with jewellery and band t-shirts. She dyed the front part of her fringe red, teased up the back, and framed her eyes with eyeliner. Personality-wise, Carly was far from the brooding and angsty type often associated with the emo scene. She was a fun-loving young girl who would go out of her way to make others around her smile. Compassionate and caring, Carly was always looking out for her friends, asking her mother for advice by saying, I'm worried about my friend, what can I do? She'd often tell her mum to take a break from housework, just so the two could put on some music and dance around together. Sonja was only in her early 30s, affording her a genuine sense of relatability to her teenage daughter.

By 2006, the internet was branching out from its infancy into a sprawling, seemingly endless place of entertainment, knowledge, and experiences. Although the internet had a long way to go to become the fully accessible and influential resource it is today, it was fast becoming a staple on many home computers. The seeds of online powerhouses and social media hangouts Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, and Twitter were planted by 2006, but had yet to evolve. At the time, MySpace was the biggest social media platform in the world, surpassing even Google that year as the most visited website. The site often uses a platform to submit blogs, photos, music, and videos on personalized profiles shared to their network of friends. It quickly drew in a younger generation looking to make connections far beyond the borders of their hometowns. There was still a lot yet to learn about the internet and what lurked within it, but users approached it with naive optimism,

as did the older generations, who were coming to grasp this unquantifiable thing that seemed like the work of science fiction. Like her peers, Carly Ryan found herself drawn to spending time online, where there was always something to do or someone to talk to. Sitting at the family computer in the kitchen of her home, Carly scrolled through forums dedicated to her interests, chatted with friends through MSN Messenger, and posted selfies taken with her digital camera. Sonja would often look over her daughter's shoulder as Carly spent countless hours pursuing her favorite sites and exchanging messages back and forth with friends. For Sonja, knowing Carly was just in the other room tapping away on the keyboard came with a sense of relief. Stranger Danger was associated with the outside world, where it was visible, rash, and sudden. The online world seemed the safer option, where threats could easily disappear at the press of an off button.

Carly spent a lot of time on her MySpace page, a digital art space she covered in photos of herself, lyrics from her favorite songs, and art that resonated with her. It was online where Carly's friends introduced her to a user going by the name of Corrupt Koala. Corrupt Koala had been chatting with mutual friends of Carly, and they had come to know him well. He was 18-year-old Brandon Kane, a born and raised Texan, who now lived in South Australia's neighbouring state, Victoria. Carly was quick to learn she had a lot in common with Brandon. The pair bonded over similar interests, including their mutual love for music. Brandon was a musician himself, and played the guitar. He carried himself as a bit of a rebel, but with a soft emotional edge, just like the musicians Carly admired.

She was fascinated by his American background, and how he talked of travelling between his two homes, Australia and the USA. Brandon was older, more mature, and well travelled, offering Carly advice and support. When he remarked that she was cute, Carly was giddy. Over the following months, Brandon became omnipresent in Carly's entire life, not just her online one. They exchanged email addresses, instant messenger accounts, phone numbers, and were chatting every single day. In the days before smartphones, video calls weren't commonplace, but Brandon sent Carly webcam footage of him on the computer whilst the two messaged each other. It was as close as possible to seeing him in the flesh. For Sonia, hearing about the young musician Carly befriended online didn't immediately alarm her, but she did find her daughter's sudden infatuation of him strange.

Sonia glimpsed to the images and footage Brandon was sharing of himself. There he was, tapping away at his computer keyboard, a young man exactly as Carly described. Sonia's apprehension subsided, but she used her own MySpace profile to keep an eye on the pair. One of Carly's closest friends had recently started a relationship with a boy she'd originally met online. Carly witnessed the couple together, admiring the joy and happiness the pair emanated. Seeing an online relationship work out in the real world and wanting the same thing for herself, Carly embarked upon an online romantic relationship with Brandon. Brandon was equally eager to be Carly's boyfriend. Not wanting to stand in the way of Carly's happiness, Sonia accepted the relationship.

She felt her teenage daughter was looking for confidence and validation and founded in the sweeping thrill of her first romance. The young couple were in constant contact, expressing their love for one another. Eventually, they started to make plans for the future together. Carly's face lit up whenever she spoke of Brandon to friends, and he became accepted as a part of her life. Their online social media pages were covered in affectionate messages to each other. All that remained was for them to finally meet in person. It was something Carly was incredibly eager to do, but Brandon lived an 80-hour drive away in a different state, making plans to do so difficult. By late January 2007, Carly and Brandon had been in contact for 18 months.

With her 15th birthday coming up, Carly saw the opportunity of meeting Brandon in person as the best gift she could ask for. She invited Brandon to her upcoming birthday party, occurring at her family home in Sterling. However, Brandon was quick to shut down her proposal, revealing he was going to be in the United States at the time and thus unable to attend. Carly was clearly upset. Coincidentally, Brandon explained his father Shane would be driving through Adelaide for work at the time of Carly's party. Brandon asked if his father could stop by her place and deliver birthday gifts on his behalf. Previously, Brandon had introduced his father Shane to Carly through MySpace. Shane was a former SAS commando who now worked as a security guard for celebrities.

He'd once told Carly about his experiences working for goth rock musician Marilyn Manson, and being a fan, she was impressed. Carly was happy to interact with Shane and build a relationship with him. Being close to Brandon's family made Carly feel a part of his life. Shane was supportive of the young couple and seemed to have their best interests at heart. When Carly asked her mother if Shane could attend her birthday party, Sonia was unsure. Motherly instincts kicked in. She didn't know Shane well and was hesitant for a man she considered a little more than a stranger to come to her house. Carly told Sonia everything she knew about Shane, assuring her mother he was a good guy.

Adding to his genuineness was Shane's work as a security guard to celebrities, a role that would only be given to someone trustworthy. Nevertheless, Sonia could hear the faint sound of alarm bells ringing in the back of her mind. She considered out loud if Shane was a predator. Carly quickly disregarded the suggestion, telling her mother she was being gross. After impassioned begging from her daughter, Sonia permitted Shane to come to the party on one condition. He would have to meet Sonia in a public place first. It seemed like the safest option. She wanted to get a better feel for the guy before letting him near her family.

Shane happily agreed to the meetup. In the days leading up to the party, Sonia met Shane on the main street of Sterling. He was a fairly unremarkable man in his late 40s, with slightly balding hair, a beer belly, crooked teeth and hunched shoulders. He explained he was in the area for work, a statement backed up by the polo shirt he wore that bore the logo of his security company. He was doing grand in a favour of delivering birthday gifts to Carly, but thought it was a good idea that he finally meet the family of his son's affection. Sonia asked to see some form of identification. Shane gladly handed over his security badge, confirming his name, address and occupation. Any doubt Sonia had about the man was quickly overshadowed by authentic evidence proving he was everything he claimed to be.

She felt he was friendly enough, and Shane was happy to oblige to Sonia's request to quam all her concerns about him. As Shane didn't have a hotel booking, Sonia graciously invited him to stay at her place for the duration of his trip. It only seemed right, considering their children were dating. When Shane met other members of the Ryan family, he got along fine with everyone. Carly was most excited to meet him, as she was his direct connection to Brandon. He handed over the birthday gifts his son had gotten for her. She opened them later, discovering Brandon had purchased her lingerie and a nurse's outfit. They weren't items Carly had asked for, but she was happy to receive them, as Brandon wanted her to have them.

It appeared Shane was eager to make a good impression on Carly on Brandon's behalf. In the days leading up to the party, he took her shopping at Rundle Mall in Adelaide City, sharing her with over $400 worth of gifts, including t-shirts, bags, underwear, a corset, and fancy dress costumes. Anything Carly wanted, Shane would get for her. At one clothing store, a shop assistant suggested Carly go try on some clothing she was eyeing. Shane followed Carly to the change room, and the shop assistant witnessed him peering over the door, watching Carly inside. The assistant thought it was weird, but Carly didn't seem outwardly phased by the action. On the night of January 26, 2007, Shane joined Carly's friends and family members in celebrating her 15th birthday at her home.

Everything started off smoothly, and Carly and her guests were having a great time. But as the night wore on, Shane started exhibiting noticeably strange behaviour. At one point, Carly was talking to an old friend, who happened to be her ex-boyfriend. When Shane found out, he got visibly agitated, and behaved in a way others could only describe as a tantrum. He later informed Carly he called and spoke to Brandon on the phone about her behaviour. Brandon expressed that he wasn't happy Carly was talking to her ex. Shane warned her to stay away from him, and Carly, wanting to keep her boyfriend happy, agreed to the demand. Shane's behaviour towards other guests also became increasingly inappropriate.

He made other teenage girls uncomfortable when encouraging them to kiss each other in front of him, even demanding Carly kiss one of her friends, causing the girls to label him as creepy. Another party-goer overheard Shane tell Carly, I love you, I would never let anything happen to you, you're beautiful. Motivated to maintain a good relationship with the man she saw as her future father-in-law, Carly appeared to brush away any concerns she or others felt about Shane. Armed with mother's intuition, Sonia still had her doubts. Shane had been around for a few days now, and despite accepting the man into her home,

she felt herself constantly on guard. She tolerated him, but with great caution. She was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt to make Carly happy and keep the peace, but never felt she could fully trust him. The morning after the party, Sonia walked past her daughter's bedroom. She peered inside to check on Carly, and was horrified to discover Shane was laying on her daughter's bed beside her. They appeared asleep, and although he was fully clothed and lying on top of the sheets, the scene was enough to deeply disturb Sonia. There was absolutely no excuse for it, the man had crossed the boundary.

All of Shane's peculiarities flashed through Sonia's mind, now with sinister undertones, like the way his gaze lingered on her teenage daughter whenever they were together. It was enough to make Sonia skin-crawl. She was convinced Shane was a predator. Enraged, Sonia demanded Shane leave her house, telling him he was no longer welcome, and he was no longer to have any contact with Carly. Shane puffed up and got aggressive, defending himself against what Sonia was implying. He stormed through the house and grabbed his bag, leaving quickly in anger. Carly was incredibly upset by the events unfolding, crying and begging her mum to reconsider.

She cared so passionately about Brandon, and worried the fight between their parents would jeopardise their relationship. Sonia told her daughter firmly, Carly, something isn't right about this, something doesn't feel right. At that moment, something seemed to click in Carly's mind. She sat down at the kitchen table, looked at her mother, and said, Okay mum. After things had calmed down, Carly broke down and confided in her mum, revealing Shane had unbuckled her pants, lifted her top, and touched her inappropriately.

He had also propositioned her for sex, explaining that Brandon wouldn't mind if they did it. Carly accepted the man was a creep, but wanted Sonia to talk things through with him, to quash any conflict, for hers and Brandon's sake. But the news of Shane's perversions far outweighed her daughter's teen romance. Sonia just wanted to keep Carly safe and away from Shane. She obtained Shane's email address and sent him a heated message, once again warning him to stay away from her daughter, or she would notify police about what he did to Carly. She received a response from Shane's email.

He wrote, Bitch please, that email was so full of lies and hearsay, and I am disgusted that someone of a reasonable intelligence could believe such crap to be true. The things you called me were totally defaming, and I have forwarded the email onto my solicitor for further action. I sincerely hope you have insurance against lawsuits, you will need it. I will go into court as a decorated SAS officer, while you will go in as a bitch. Determined to keep Shane from contacting Carly, Sonia temporarily confiscated Carly's mobile phone, computer and internet access.

It worked. To their relief, they didn't hear from him. As far as Sonia knew, Shane had taken her warning seriously. It was unknown whether or not Brandon was told what his father did to Carly during his stay at the Ryan House. Despite the actions of his father, Carly still had feelings for her boyfriend. She still hoped they would someday meet so she could clear things up between them. Less than one month later, at midday on February 19, 2007, Carly told her mum she was going to catch a bus into the city to meet up with friends. Carly made the trip into Adelaide often to go shopping around the Rondlemore precinct and hang out with friends in the surrounding parklands.

Afterwards, she told her mother she would spend the night at a friend's place. Carly put on a leopard print dress with a pair of black wedge heels. She grabbed her navy blue duffel bag, filling it with necessities for her sleepover. She included a change of clothes, a can of hairspray, her purse, mobile phone and a tube of lip balm. Throughout her preparations, she stopped to give her mum four separate hugs. Sonia noticed her daughter had a funny expression on her face that morning, a look that she didn't recognise. Carly wasn't her typical cheerful self. Before she left at about 4pm, Carly rushed over to give her mum one final big hug.

Her hold was noticeably tight. When she did pull away, Carly headed to the front door. As she skipped off the veranda, Carly called out, Love you mum. The following morning on February 20, the phone rang at the Ryan household. Sonia answered. The caller explained they had found a purse left on the footpath of a southern suburb of Adelaide. Assuming it was a piece of lost property, they looked inside for a form of ID and found a phone number,

which rang through to Sonia Ryan. A sense of nervous panic prickled throughout Sonia's body. The purse was Carly's. The suburb Carly's purse was found in was not an area the teenager frequented, and it was nowhere near where she told her mum she was going to spend that night. If Carly had planned to go there, she would have been up front about it. Carly wasn't one to lie to her mother. Sonia tried calling Carly's mobile phone, but there was no answer.

She knew Carly had her phone on her when she left the house the day before. In fact, Sonia received a text message from Carly the night before that read, Mum, I'm okay. Everything's good. Sonia contacted Carly's friends only to discover her daughter hadn't gone to the city to meet with who she said, nor did she spend the night at any of their houses. They had no idea where Carly was. Panic washed over Sonia, and she called the police to report her daughter as a missing person. At 6 a.m. on the morning of February 20, Kim Gordon was enjoying a walk in her seaside hometown of Port Elliott on the Flurio Peninsula of South Australia.

Located 80 kilometres from Adelaide CBD, Port Elliott is a popular beach town frequented by holiday makers and surfers. It's most well known for its swimming beach, Horseshoe Bay, a secluded stretch of pristine coast framed by two granite outcrops and surrounded by picnic areas. It was a long Horseshoe Bay where Kim took a leisurely early morning walk. As she trudged the sandy stretch, the sun rose over the distant horizon. She noticed something in the water. It was a young female facedown in the shallows. Panicked, Kim needed help to pull the girl from the water. She called out for help, but there was no one around.

She sprinted to a nearby car park and found a local fisherman, Ian Slade. Ian rushed down to the shoreline and jumped into the ocean to pull the girl from the waves. The clothing on the young woman was in disarray, and she had numerous bruises and lacerations to her neck, face and arms. Ian and Kim attempted to resuscitate the girl as an ambulance was called. When paramedics arrived, they quickly realized there was a level they could do. The young lady was pronounced dead. Her body, which contained no form of identification, was labelled by police as Jane Doe. Given the extent of the injuries, foul play was immediately suspected and a task force was quickly established.

Police were quick to piece together Sonia Ryan's call about her missing daughter and the unknown deceased female found in Horseshoe Bay. Sonia Ryan opened her front door to be greeted by the police. One had tears rolling down his face, and she immediately knew he came bearing bad news. They informed her that a body matching the description of her daughter had washed up on a secluded beach in Port Elliott, about one hour's drive from Sterling. Sonia positively identified Jane Doe as her baby girl, Carly. An autopsy revealed Carly suffered 19 different injuries, including between six and eight around her head, likely caused by fists or a blunt object. She was found wearing different clothing to those which she had left her home in the day prior. Her tracksuit pants were inside out, and although her bra was on correctly, it appeared hastily clipped together.

The lower clasp of the strap was undone. Her underwear had been removed and was found nearby, tangled up in belt suspenders. Cause of death was determined as drowning as a result of craniofacial trauma. The presence of sand in Carly's lungs suggested her assailant suffocated her face down in the sand before dumping her unconscious body in the ocean, where she eventually drowned. Experts concluded that Carly may have still been alive just half an hour before she was discovered. Police searched the shoreline, rocky outcroppings and jetty, and divers searched the water. Some items of jewellery belonging to Carly were found at a nearby lookout area known as Freeman's Knob. None of Carly's friends could provide any answers as to why Carly wound up in Port Elliott, nor did they have ideas who she may have met there.

Some suggested Carly had been hanging out with a new group of people, ones they didn't know, and perhaps she drove down to the coast with them. Police information booths were set up in Port Elliott and the nearby town of Victor Harbour. The public were urged to come forward with any information that could help identify Carly's movements on the night of her death. Detectives spent hours analysing local CCTV footage taken the day of Carly's death in hopes to track her final journey. In footage collected from the nearby seaside tourist town of Victor Harbour, they spotted Carly in the presence of two men outside the Crown Hotel. The trio were then spotted at a fish and chip shop, and later at a local Subway food outlet. A worker at the fish and chip shop remembered the group stopping by. The older man with Carly asked for advice on a good place to have a drink.

The worker suggested Horseshoe Bay. The same man also visited a supermarket. As he purchased a pack of cigarettes, he asked the cashier a similar question about a place to have a drink. The cashier also recommended Horseshoe Bay. Two Port Elliott locals, Benjamin and Anna, went swimming at Horseshoe Bay at 8.30pm that night. The pair recorded a girl matching Carly's description sitting on a rock on the sandy shoreline. With her were two men. One looked older than the other. The younger male wore all black clothing and a black hat.

The older male wore baggy denim jeans and a red shirt. They were both clean shaven and had short dark hair. Benjamin and Anna sat just metres from where Carly and the two men were talking, but they couldn't hear the conversation. Around 9.45pm, Benjamin and Anna left the beach. When they reached the steep steps leading up and away from the shoreline, the older man with Carly flashed a torch at them, asking, Are you alright? Police pressed forward on identifying the two men seen with Carly.

The South Australian Electronic Crime Unit investigated Carly's online presence, looking for links between her murder and her digital profile, believing she may have had online contact with her killer or killers. At the time of her death, Carly had three different MySpace profiles, but only one was visible to the public. She last logged onto the site the day before her body was found. Her profile page had since become a virtual memorial covered with grief-stricken messages from France. Some read, We will all miss you, Carly, for all the times that we spent together and all the laughs we shared. You cheered us up when we were having bad days, and you always showed us the bright side of everything.

You were such a wonderful person, and you will forever live on in our hearts and memories. Rest in peace, Carly. You were an amazing girl and always managed to make me smile. You will be missed by everyone who ever had the privilege to meet you. I love you. Today I woke up hoping it was all a dream, but it did happen. I saw the newspaper today. Your pretty face was on the cover. I just started crying. As investigators scrolled through Carly's online content searching for clues, the media were doing the same. Carly's MySpace profile was full of artistic expression related to the emo subculture she was engaged in, including dark imagery and text.

The media were quick to take the content out of context and paint a picture of Carly that was far from the up-going bubbly teen she was. They made unproven connections between the emo subculture and Carly's death, and in the harshest of cases, found a way to blame her interest in the scene for her death. Hungry for salacious information, reporters camped outside the gates of Carly's school. Morning students were confronted with prying questions as journalists, digged into Carly's personal life, determined to find any sliver of information that would create a striking headline. The scrutiny became so intense, the media were officially told to get off the property and stop harassing students. Meanwhile, police were informed of the presence of a light blue car with Victoria State registration plates seen by witnesses in Port Elliott and Victor Harbour the day Carly was there. It was also spotted parked on the cliffs overlooking Horseshoe Bay the night before Carly's body was discovered. A security guard's ID was noticed on the passenger side dashboard.

It was 11 days after Carly's body was found when police raided a home located in Rosebud West on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, approximately 75 kilometres southeast of Melbourne CBD. Parked out front was the light blue car they had been surging for. Inside, they found 48-year-old Gary Newman. Newman was well known to Carly Ryan and her family, but they knew him by a different name. Shane. Shane was the father of Carly's online boyfriend, Brandon Kane. In reality, Shane was actually the alter ego of Gary Newman, a divorced father of three. When police arrived to arrest him in relation to Carly Ryan's murder, Newman was sitting at the computer.

He was logged into an online chat room and conversing with a 14-year-old girl in Perth, Western Australia. As for Brandon Kane, Carly's boyfriend whom she had been speaking with for 18 months prior, he didn't exist. Brandon was nothing more than another construct of Gary Newman, who hid behind the persona online to groom young girls. For 18 months, Newman methodically strung together an intricate web of lies to manipulate Carly Ryan. He bombarded her with messages from the fictitious Brandon, an identity he designed specifically to attract Carly, mimicking her own interests and playing on her personal insecurities and vulnerabilities. Newman went to great lengths to keep up the charade. Even the webcam footage believed to be Brandon typing at his computer to Carly was faked by Newman.

It was just looped footage he had edited together of someone else. The security company he claimed to work for was also a fabrication. Newman had not only created a fake ID to play the part, but even went so far as to sew the fake company's logo onto a polo shirt. He wore it when meeting Sonia for the first time to uphold the lie. His deception was so intricately layered, Newman had literally thought of everything. Even when Sonia had her doubts about him, he was always one step ahead, controlling the situation with more convincing lies. While executing the search of Newman's home, police found computer disks and hard drives with thousands of images of child pornography. Newman had kept thorough records of over 200 fake online profiles he created to groom young girls.

Pages and pages of notebooks were filled with details of all his fake identities and phony accounts, including fake names, mobile phone numbers, social media pages and the passwords associated with each one. Police were astounded. They had never seen such a large scale and elaborate setup before. The deep dive into Newman's online identity revealed Carly was not the first girl he had prayed upon. He previously visited a 14-year-old girl in America whom he had also groomed online using a false identity. He had referred to her in messages as his princess and wife. She turned down his advances upon discovering the truth. Then, prior to meeting Carly, Newman arranged to meet another victim in Hong Kong, this time using the alias of Nash. Yet, that 14-year-old girl never showed up to their pre-planned meeting. Newman was infuriated.

According to witness statements, he promised he would get revenge on the girl, saying he would leave her looking like packaged meat. Phone and internet records proved Newman was in contact with Carly for months prior to her death. On the day after her death, Newman logged into Shane's MySpace page and purged all interactions posted there between himself and Carly. Brandon's MySpace account was fully deleted, but it was able to be recovered, and messages between Carly and Newman, pretending to be Brandon, were exposed. Shane's MySpace page had only four friends listed. Only three were visible. One was Carly, a second was a girl named JD, and the third was a close friend of Carly of the same age. Police believed Newman hadn't targeted Carly specifically. Evidence suggested he had attempted to groom various girls from Carly's friendship circle. Failing one attempt, he moved on to another, and kept making his way through his pool of potential targets until he snared someone. Carly

Brandon was Newman's blank canvas, whom he designed to appeal to whichever girl he was attempting to groom at the time. He scrolled through Carly's online profiles, noting her interests and favourite bands, making them Brandon's also. One of Carly's friends pursued by Brandon was Ashley. She stated, quote, We would talk about normal stuff like what we did during the day, and then he would bring up sex stuff. I wouldn't talk like that, and I didn't go along with it. That's when he said I was boring. When Ashley posted a picture on her profile page featuring Carly, Newman narrowed in on his new target. He told Ashley he thought Carly looked hot, and asked for her email address. He had written notes by Newman were found in his home. They were titled Adelaide Slut, with Carly's contact details scrolled beneath.

Alongside them, he had written the words, Resting Peace Carly. Investigators believed after Newman had been kicked out of the Ryan House, he re-established contact with Carly through his Brandon persona. To bypass Sonya's attempts to stop him from contacting Carly, Newman would call the home phone while Sonya was at work. Using Brandon, Newman tricked Carly into meeting him the night of her death. He convinced her to lie to Sonya about where she was really going that night. Carly shared an open and honest relationship with her mum, but was forced to break that trust under the impression it was worth it to meet the love of her life. In reality, Newman was luring her to a secluded location that she was unfamiliar with, where he knew he could be alone with her. The Myspace profile Newman used to pose as Brandon's father, Shane, contained a short bio, providing a glimpse into the man behind the mask.

It read, It's called evolution. I am forthright and self-opinionated, and this annoys some people, but they can either live with it or hate it. Either way, they are not going to change me. I may not be a kid anymore, but I tend to act much younger than I am. I do go for women somewhat younger than me, usually someone sexually adventurous. He described himself as having tattoos, multiple piercings, and that he was a former military commando trying to get his security licence back after some financial disasters and years of travelling the world. He mentioned having custody of a beautiful and loving son that no one could ever take away from him.

That son was a 17-year-old who was also arrested at Newman's home in relation to Carly Ryan's murder. He had recently been returned to Newman's custody after years in the foster care system. He was identified as being the younger male last seen with Carly on the night she was murdered. Due to the fact he was underage at the time of Carly's death, his full identity was protected and his name wasn't publicly released. Evidence was discovered that put both men at the crime scene. Sand was found on shoes belonging to both Newman and his son. Tests of the sand grains and shell fragments resulted in a match for the sand at Horseshoe Bay. Furthermore, the sand on Victoria's coastline where Newman and his son lived was completely different.

Proving the sand on their shoes came from the crime scene. Witnesses around Victor Harbour were also able to positively identify Newman's son in a line-up as one of the men with Carly the afternoon of her murder. After the arrests were made, a memorial was held for Carly in the tranquil grounds of Centennial Park. Around 150 friends and family attended. Sonia Ryan described her daughter as special, loving, caring, humorous, strong, gifted and unique. Whilst awaiting trial, Gary Newman asked fellow inmates whether saltwater destroyed DNA and queried whether they ever tried putting clothes on a dead weight. He wrote to relatives requesting they provide him with a false alibi at the time of Carly's murder. The trial began 965 days after Carly Ryan's body was found.

On October 19, 2009, Gary Newman and his now 19-year-old son stood trial in the Adelaide Supreme Court. Both pled not guilty. Before proceedings began, Supreme Court Judge Justice Trish Kelly declared all evidence of Newman's predatory pursuit of other underage victims to be inadmissible and prejudicial. This was an act to keep the jury focused purely on evidence related to Carly. From the very beginning, Newman made it clear he wasn't going to make it an easy trial. He took the stand in January 2010. His testimony full of lies and conflicting stories. Initially, he blamed his obsession with the internet on bipolar and obsessive-compulsive disorders that caused him to go off for no reason at Stupid Things. He said he had since been medicated and become a better person.

He justified his hundreds of fake identities as smart, stating he had taken expert advice and used bogus names when interacting online to avoid identity theft. He also claimed the 200 false identities he created were research for a book he was writing about the internet. Newman insisted he only had a parental relationship with Carly. He considered himself a stepfather figure to her, providing her with advice and chatting about movies and music. He claimed he always related well to young people, but it did not manifest into a sexual attraction. Despite admitting he found Carly attractive, Newman quickly added that he was asexual and therefore felt no sexual interest to anyone. The prosecution referred to the lingerie and fancy dress costumes Newman had gifted Carly for her birthday, demonstrating that he did in fact harbour a sexual interest in her. Furthermore, Newman displayed sexual jealousy during Carly's birthday party, becoming angry when seeing her interacting with her ex-boyfriend. When Sonia Ryan took the stand, she revealed to the court how Carly had disclosed Newman's inappropriate behaviour whilst he visited the Ryan household.

Faced with the indisputable CCTV footage showing Newman, his son and Carly together on the afternoon of her murder, Newman was forced to admit he was with Carly the night of her death. Newman explained that he drove Carly and his son to a party in Port Elliott. Later in the night, Carly refused his offer of a lift back home, so he and his son left without her. According to Newman's story, Carly was alive and well when they left her on the beach and returned to Victoria. They didn't learn about her death until three days later. Newman also claimed that the co-accused, his son, was the sole creator and operator of the bred and fake identity. According to Newman, news of Carly's death had broken his heart. He told the court he had called crime stoppers with information, a claim that was proven to be false. It was clear to prosecutors that Newman lied with ease and without guilt, even when his deception was obvious to others. He dodged and weaved around the evidence presented, shaping a narrative that he was a sacrificial lamb to his son, only taking responsibility for the murder so that his son wouldn't have to spend his life behind bars. Yet, key evidence at the trial by another of Newman's sons gave jurors a stark look into the man's true behaviour.

Newman's older son testified that Newman was furious after returning home from Carly's birthday party when Sonya had kicked him out. Newman told his sons that he wanted to go on holiday back to Adelaide, before commenting that he was going to fix Carly up. Newman wanted them to help him kill her. His sons didn't really believe he was capable of murder, so they shook it off as an empty threat. Nevertheless, his older son was shocked and disturbed at the mere suggestion. He moved out of the house shortly after, leaving behind a heated letter to his father, deterring him from hurting others. Newman's older son was shocked to learn a few days later that Newman had convinced his 17-year-old younger brother to go to Adelaide. Carly was reluctant to have anything to do with who she knew was Shane.

Newman knew she wouldn't go somewhere with Shane alone. He needed Brandon to be real, to coax Carly to go with him. The part of Brandon was played by his teenage son. Upon his return to Melbourne, Newman bragged to his eldest son about the crime. Newman showed off his discoloured knuckles and asked, Do these look bruised to you? He boasted that he'd done the job, and confessed he punched Carly in the face, pushed her into the sand, killed her, and threw her into the water. In an outrageous display in court, Newman constantly argued with his lawyer.

His lawyer actually tried to resign from the case on two separate occasions, as he thought Newman was intentionally hindering his efforts at a fair trial. As the end of the trial drew near and Newman sensed things weren't going his way, he suffered an apparent seizure after he was labelled a lawyer. His behaviour and demeanour started to change, and he was put under suicide watch. The co-accused Newman's son was more cooperative. He confessed to a social worker while in juvenile detention, admitting he and his father met up with Carly and had taken her to the beach. Using the mask of Brandon, his father tricked Carly into meeting them, telling her not to tell her mother, as Shane would be there, and Sonya would never agree to it. Carly was convinced to meet when Brandon stated that Shane was just giving him a lift to Adelaide, and if he didn't take it, then they couldn't be together. Newman's son had only been in his father's custody for less than a month when he was invited to go to Adelaide to play the part of Brandon.

The son revealed that as the group sat and talked on the sandy shore of Horseshoe Bay, his father made an advance at Carly once again. When she got up and started to walk away, Newman stood and jumped on her from behind, pushing her into the sand and punching her in the head. With Carly incapacitated, Newman continued his attack. Newman's son admitted he helped his father cover up the crime. They even sent a text message to Sonya Ryan from Carly's mobile phone after her death. Pretending to be Carly, they wrote that everything was fine. Finally accepting there was no way out of his web of lies, Newman admitted he did attack Carly, but insisted that he had no intention of killing her. However, his fate was sealed when it was revealed a fingertip of a latex glove containing his DNA was found at the crime scene.

This proved the murder was premeditated as he arrived to the meetup prepared with equipment necessary to cover up his crime. For 12 weeks, the jury were told of the elaborate lies Newman maintained in order to win the heart of Carly Ryan. They heard about the extraordinary lengths he went to to uphold the fictitious character of Brandon Kane. Gary Newman showed no reaction when the court found him guilty of Carly Ryan's murder. He was sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 29 years. Upon sentencing, Justice Trish Kelly said to Newman, quote, It was a terribly cruel thing you did to this beautiful impressionable 14 year old child. I say child because that is what she was.

In love with the idea of the handsome, musically inclined and rather exotic Brandon Kane, who spent Christmas in the United States and was coming home via Paris to be with her. The real man was an overweight, balding, middle-aged pedophile with sex and murder on his mind. When your deception came unraveled and unstuck, you killed her, leaving in your wake a devastated and inconsolably grief-stricken mother, family and friends. After the sentencing, Sonia Ryan said, quote, I hope that he suffers, that he rots from the inside out, that he sees Carly's face every morning and is haunted for the rest of his miserable life.

This has been a big media circus, but people need to remember Carly was a real person, a baby, a toddler, a child, a teenager, who did nothing wrong but to trust the traitor. It couldn't be proven just how much of a participant Newman's son was in the lead-up to Carly's murder. The prosecution argued the fake Myspace page associated with fictitious Brandon was operated by both Newman and his son, either in conjunction or at different times. It was also put forward that the two other private Myspace accounts linked to Carly were actually set up and run by Newman himself, as a means to speak with her directly without the knowledge or notice of others.

Unable to determine the extent of Newman's son's plot or participation in the murder of Carly, the jury acquitted him of both murder and manslaughter. They couldn't find him guilty of a lesser offence, such as assisting an offender, because he was never charged with that crime. Newman nodded and smiled when his son was acquitted, as his son mouthed thank you to the jurors. Outside court, his lawyer said his client was relieved and wanted to go back to his hometown and get on with his life. At the time of the trial, there had been a suppression order in place

concealing the identities of both Newman and his son from the public. Newspublication The Advertiser later revealed they fought to have the identities of Carly's killers publicised, as the public had a right to know. They were able to strike a bargain with the Supreme Court, who lifted the order hiding Newman's identity. His name and face were quickly circulated throughout media outlets. However, as his son was acquitted, his identity suppression order was maintained. Journalist Sean Fuster wrote an article on Carly's death for The Advertiser,

titled The Masked Murderer and The Girl Whose Death Changed the Internet. In it, he stated, quote, The boy's identity was forever consigned to the vault of South Australian state secrets. That meant The Advertiser could not link him years later to a series of grotesque sexual offending committed elsewhere, nor could it report on the circumstances of those crimes, each of which horrifyingly mirrored the events preceding Carly's death. Once his identity was publicly revealed, Newman's ex-wife came forward,

further exposing him as a violent sexual deviant. For the ten years of their marriage, she lived in fear of Newman, who would lash out at her with rage-fuelled bashings at any slight perceived indiscretion. She recalled the time he left her bloody when she wanted to go shopping with a friend. The beating was interrupted by the woman's mother, who called a doctor. When the doctor asked the woman if Newman had harmed her, Newman crushed her hand to keep her silent. The doctor didn't report it.

Furthermore, his ex-wife revealed Newman liked extreme pornography featuring young women dressed as schoolgirls, and he had once applied a girl with alcohol in an attempt to rape her. She claimed that Newman's true identity was ignored by his family, friends, police, doctors, hospital staff, and the courts. Newman subsequently appealed his conviction on several grounds. One of those claimed Sonia Ryan should not have been allowed to give evidence at trial, as he believed conversations she had with Carly were hearsay, including the one where Carly revealed she had been inappropriately touched. In April 2011, his appeal was rejected.

Judges believed it was important the jury be provided with context about events leading up to the murder, and evidence that Newman intended to kill Carly was still overwhelming without Sonia Ryan's testimony. Carly Ryan was the first Australian to be murdered by an online predator. A date doesn't pass without Sonia thinking of her daughter. Quote, You can imagine from a mother's perspective. I asked myself constantly, how couldn't I see that she was in so much danger? The amount of depravity and controlling, the length she went through to get hold of her.

I was no match for that. He used her best qualities to lure her to her death. The murder of her daughter left Sonia shattered. Since her birth, Carly had given Sonia a reason to live. Now that she was gone, Sonia struggled to go on. Sonia Ryan, quote, When everything happened to Carly, it was like being pulled into some kind of black abyss that Gary Newman had created. I can't sit in that space because it's sitting in her suffering and it would just dissolve my soul.

I think what people don't realize is the trauma and I wouldn't want them to realize. Unfortunately, these crimes continue to happen. Carly suffered terribly at the hands of a monster with no remorse. Where does that leave me as her mother? That leaves me in a position to either die or find the strength somewhere from within to fight. Fight not only for Carly, but fight for every single young person that is online trying to make connections. I believe this is what Carly would want me to do. Determined for her daughter's death not to be in vain,

Sonia has established the Carly Ryan Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting internet safety. Sonia has worked tirelessly for over a decade, educating school children, families and the community about the dangers of online interaction and providing support, counseling and political advocacy. Her efforts earned her the title of 2013 South Australian of the Year. Sonia Ryan quote, The internet is an amazing tool for education and communication,

but we have to be aware of the dangers it composes as well. Carly's story reminds us that not everyone online is who they say they are and that we need to question what we're told, not just accept it and trust it. In June 2017, after a vigorous crusade at both state and federal level, Carly's law was passed into the Commonwealth Criminal Code by the Australian government. The new law makes it a crime for an adult to use a carriage service to plan, prepare, cause harm to or engage in sexual activity with a minor.

It carries a 10-year maximum prison term for offenders. The first arrest under Carly's law was made just a few weeks later. In May 2018, Carly's law was further strengthened in South Australia. A tougher version of the law was passed, making it illegal for a person to lie about their rage in an attempt to meet a child, even if they don't intend to commit a crime against the child. After Carly's law was enacted, a patchwork quilt made from the teenagers' favourite clothes was hung up on a wall in Parliament House.

Each piece of fabric is in the shape of a heart. A colourful display of reds, greens, blues, pinks and whites in polka dots, stripes and checkered patterns. At its centre is the largest heart, made from a green fabric with white dots, cut out from what was once Carly's favourite dress. She wore it during a mock wedding she once had with a friend. Just a fun and silly day she looked back on with joy. After the memorial quilt was unveiled, Sonya Ryan wrote a piece for the advertiser. Quote,

My daughter's favourite pyjamas are hanging in Federal Parliament. They're hanging there, in the hallways of power, when really the only hallway they should be hanging in is mine. But that'll never happen now. Aged just 15, my beautiful daughter Carly was murdered by a pedophile who lied about his age online. I fought with every breath in my body for Carly's legacy. I met with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as his government announced Carly's law. It'll end the loophole, leaving kids vulnerable to predators.

Police will better identify sick predatory activity online to prevent horrific sex crimes against our kids. As I write this, sitting in Parliament under my daughter's pyjamas, I feel closer to her than ever, and also more determined. I'd hate any other mother to live through what I've endured. Carly's death will no longer be in vain. Together, we're stopping any other family going through the horrendous pain that mine has. If you have a daughter, go home and squeeze her tighter than you've ever squeezed her. Tell her you love her over and again. And know that she'll be safer from today, thanks to a perfect, compassionate, forever young 15 year old girl called Carly.

Further adding to Sonia's grief was knowing Carly had her mobile phone on her prior to her murder, but was unable to find an opportune moment to call or text her for help. This inspired Sonia to create Thread. Thread is a safety app free to download on mobile phones. If the user feels at all in danger or threatened, they can send a discreet alert that reveals their location to trusted contacts and emergency services. It was important to Sonia to provide safer options for children to request help if needed, but not discourage parents from letting their children go out into the world and seek independence. The app is currently only available in Australia, but the Carly Ryan Foundation hoped to get funding to make it available worldwide.

The name of the app was inspired by a fable that resonated with Sonia. The story of a daughter wanting to meet her suitor in a dark cave and a mother who had her worries but didn't want to stop her daughter from independence and discovery. It is the Thread pulled from the mother's skirt that keeps them connected regardless of where the daughter travels. The Thread would also bring the daughter safely back to the mother if she found danger.