Shirley Finn's mysterious life, from parties with Elton John to her execution-style death
By
Briana Shepherd
A coronial inquest into the murder of Shirley Finn has raised more questions than answers.(Facebook: Bridget Shewring)
On a wintry Sunday in 1975, around the stroke of midnight, Shirley Finn was shot four times in the head — her body found the next morning slumped over the wheel of her white Dodge Phoenix at the Royal Perth Golf Course.
It was immediately clear the well-known brothel madam had been murdered, yet decades later, that remains one of the only known facts surrounding the case.
The mother-of-three was facing a $100,000 tax debt and was killed two days before a hearing on the matter, where she had been threatening to blow the whistle on illicit dealings by politicians, businessmen and police.
Ms Finn pictured with her three children, Shane, Bridget and Steven.(Supplied)
Despite two cold case reviews, the execution-style killing has never been solved.
An inquest into her murder, led by coroner Barry King, has this week heard from seven witnesses — all relying on recollections of events that occurred 42 years ago.
In total, 30 witnesses have appeared at the inquest so far — yet their evidence has raised more questions than it has answered, slowly revealing just how little is known about that fateful night in June 1975.
Parties with Elton and meetings with 'The Bear'
Ms Finn lived on Riverview Street in South Perth with her girlfriend Rose Black and 12-year-old daughter Bridget Shewring.
The house was Ms Finn's mansion and she adored it. The court heard she would often host large parties — once welcoming legendary singer Elton John through her doors.
Elton John at the 1975 Rock Music Awards — the same year Ms Finn was murdered.(Wikimedia Commons: CBS Television)
Ms Black and Ms Shewring both told the court that on June 22 1975 — the Sunday night before Ms Finn's body was found — they had a barbecue at home.
The fearsome cop, 'Silver Fox', ex-premier and slain brothel madam
The Shirley Finn inquest has painted a picture of a city in the swinging 70s wracked with crime, gambling, and prostitution.
Ms Shewring said her mother asked her to have an early night, so she went to bed around 9:20pm.
Ms Black said her "lover" had asked her to leave the house that night because she was going to meet a person called "The Bear", who had arranged for someone from Sydney to come over and fix her tax debt.
She told the court "The Bear" was the same person her girlfriend would meet once a month. She believed Ms Finn was paying him a fee in return for operating her brothel.
A previous witness, convicted race-fixer Robert Meyers, told the court
Bernie Johnson — the fearsome head of the police Vice Squad in 1975 — was known as "BJ the Bear".
Ms Black said she later considered that "Bernie Johnson and The Bear were one and the same", but could not be sure.
Ex-detective Bernie Johnson was described by one witness as "a crim with a badge".(Supplied)
On that Sunday night, she said she found Ms Finn crying while getting ready.
"The taxation bill was huge … and it put her under a lot of pressure and stress," she told the court.
"She was nervous and didn't feel good about the whole [meeting].
"I think at the last moment she wanted to back out."
Ms Black told the court she offered to accompany Ms Finn — even to hide in the boot of her car — but could not because it had two garbage bags of money in it, meant as payment for making the tax problem disappear.
She explained how she left the house around 8:00pm and went to a friend's apartment, where she was told to expect a call from Ms Finn.
"[Shirley] said 'hold tight and I'll come and get you when it's over'," Ms Black said.
Who saw what?
A post mortem found Ms Finn died about midnight, yet the details leading up to that remain largely unknown.
At 9:40pm, Ms Finn's neighbour's daughter Loretta Jackson saw the brothel madam leaving her house.
She told the inquest Ms Finn was wearing a "lovely ball gown", walking down the drive fiddling in her evening purse — as if looking for keys.
One witness says they saw Ms Finn leaving her house in a ball gown on the night she died.(Supplied: Bridget Shewring)
However, no bag or purse was found at the murder scene.
Ms Jackson said police later pushed her to change her story so it did not include the bag, which was found at the house in South Perth the next morning.
Later that night, a number of witnesses placed Ms Finn's iconic car at the golf course in South Perth — the same place her body was found.
Steve Couacaud told the court he saw a police van parked next to a white Dodge with a woman inside it about 10pm.
However,
another witness — former motorcycle officer Brian Eddy — placed her in East Perth.
Brian Eddy gave evidence at the inquest, saying he was told to keep his mouth shut.(AAP: Rebecca Le May)
He said he saw Ms Finn at the police canteen around 11:30pm in the company of Detective Johnson, although he did admit in court it could have been the night before.
Yet another witness put Ms Finn kilometres away from the golf course at exactly the same time.
Former security officer Peter Burns told the court he saw her at the University of Western Australia's Crawley campus at 11:30pm.
He said he believed he was the last person to see Ms Finn alive — parked up in her white Dodge with its distinctive black roof.
However, Edward and Elaine Moseley told the court they saw the white Dodge back at the golf course sometime between 11:30pm and midnight.
Ms Finn was found shot dead in her car at Royal Perth Golf Course.(Supplied)
Mr Moseley said it had its headlights on and its doors wide open.
The couple also said they saw two people near the Dodge — one of them a woman who matched Ms Black's description.
Rose Black's story
Ms Black was paraded in front of the couple at the police station after the murder — but Mr and Mrs Moseley said they could not be sure it was the same woman they had seen at the golf course.
Rose Black was Ms Finn's "lover" and was living with her in South Perth in 1975.(Supplied)
Police also conducted a ballistic test to see if Ms Black had shot a firearm and tested some of her clothes.
One outfit was found to have blood which matched both her and Ms Finn's blood type.
Ms Black (R) says she has lived in fear that what happened to Ms Finn could happen to her.(Supplied)
Ms Black did not provide any explanation for the stains.
Lawyers pushed Ms Black on why Ms Finn would ask her to leave the house that night, as it had meant leaving her 12-year-old daughter home alone.
She was asked why she had checked into a hotel on Hay Street after leaving her friend's place around midnight.
The court also heard the friend Ms Black said she had gone to see had written a statement saying she had not been home that night.
Ms Shewring has long believed her mother's ex-girlfriend has been hiding something.
She left court after Ms Black's long-awaited testimony clearly upset and disappointed by the lack of detail in her evidence.
For her part, Ms Black told the court she had lived in fear for decades — afraid that what happened to Ms Finn could happen to her.
The fear of retribution
Fear has become a common theme among many witnesses at the inquest — some clearly trepidatious about openly talking of that time in 1975, and others spilling all after decades of silence.
Ms Finn had threatened to blow the whistle on illicit dealings by prominent figures.(Supplied: Bridget Shewring)
Perth was certainly a different place back then, full of illegal gambling joints, prostitution, dodgy race fixing and wild parties.
The court has heard numerous reports of police corruption, including that Detective Johnson was running the town, taking payment from brothels and gambling venues in return for protection and tip-offs to raids.
Mr Johnson, who now has dementia and lives in a nursing home south of Perth, has been linked by numerous witnesses to Ms Finn's murder.
On Thursday, the brothel madam's dressmaker Glenn Properjohn described the detective as "ruthless" and "bombastic", admitting he was still fearful to talk about him.
Mr Meyers — the horse trainer who knew the detective as "BJ The Bear" — told the court he had no doubt the detective shot Ms Finn, describing him as "a crim with a badge" and "a very violent man".
For now, the search for answers is on pause. The inquest is not due to resume until December 12, when another 10 or more witnesses are due to give testimony.
When the inquest began in August, coroner Barry King indicated it was likely proceedings would run into next year.
A New Year, full of new — and old — questions that remain unanswered.
