The boyfriend of a German backpacker found dead in Lismore 17 years ago has been arrested in Perth, and will be extradited to NSW to face charges relating to the homicide.
Simone Strobel, 25, had been travelling with her boyfriend, then named Tobias Suckfuell, his sister and another friend, all from Germany, when she disappeared from Lismore Tourist Caravan Park on February 11, 2005. Her naked body was found six days later under a pile of palm fronds.
The body of German backpacker Simone Strobel was found in Lismore 17 years ago. Credit:NSW Police
Strobel’s boyfriend, now named Tobias Friedrich Moran after he took the surname of his wife Samantha Moran, was arrested in the Perth suburb of City Beach on Monday before facing an extradition application in Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Moran did not fight the extradition order, but his lawyer Anthony Elliott indicated in court he will apply for bail in NSW, where he faces charges relating to the 2005 homicide.
NSW Police would only confirm in a statement on Tuesday that “detectives attached to Richmond police district, assisted by WA Police, have arrested a 42-year-old man today in relation to an ongoing investigation.
“More information will be provided when it is available,” the statement said.
Following his girlfriend’s death, Moran was flown home to Germany with her body on a flight funded by the Lismore community. German authorities named him the prime suspect in her murder four months later, but no charges were laid.
In 2007, he refused an offer from NSW Police to fly him to Australia for the coronial inquest from South Africa, where he was working in a resort town.
Deputy NSW Coroner Paul MacMahon returned the investigation of Strobel’s murder to NSW police, after finding there was insufficient evidence to recommend charges.
In 2020, NSW Police posted a million-dollar reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Strobel’s death, with police at the time saying Moran remained a person of interest.
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