Two teens charged in Grindr murder – motive unclear

Two teenage boys have been charged with kidnapping and murder and a third teen has also been arrested in relation to the death of 56-year-old Canberra man, Peter Keeley.

On February 2, a man walking his dog discovered Keeley’s body dumped in bushes in Broulee near Bateman’s Bay. It is believed Keeley was on his way to a meet-up arranged on popular gay dating app, Grindr.

According to Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty , one of the boys allegedly spoke with Keeley through Grindr.

“One of the lines of inquiry was the method of communication used by the victim … there were a number of dating apps that were used, and one of those apps was Grindr,” Superintendent Doherty said.

“That appears to be the method of communication that links him to one of the teenagers.”

Supt Doherty did not speculate on a motive and said there were several lines of enquiry, including whether the murder was a hate crime.

“Whether that happens to be one of the motives we’re still unclear on,” he said.

A post-mortem report described Keeley as having suffered head and facial injuries. Police say these details are “inconclusive”.

Keeley leaves behind three children. His family released a statement after news of the arrests.

“Our family is devastated and still coming to terms with the fact we have lost Peter,”  said the statement.

“All that can be said is we have been deeply affected by this tragedy and we are still grieving.

“As we continue to process this news, our family has requested privacy at this time to allow us to support Peter’s children.”

For all of the Star Observer’s coverage of the Grindr  murder, click here. 

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