How A Cop Killer Became Australia’s Most Wanted Fugitive
5/20/202657 min
In August 2025, two Victoria Police officers were shot and killed while executing a search warrant at a regional Victorian property linked to Desmond Filby, also known as Dezi Freeman. A third officer was injured, and Filby vanished into the bush, triggering a seven-month manhunt that gripped the nation.
The case began with a child abuse investigation and ended in March 2026, when police found Filby hiding in a shipping container and shot him dead after he threatened officers with a stolen police gun.
In this episode, we unpack the tragedy, the investigation, and the dramatic final chapter of one of Australia’s most confronting police operations.
LINKS
Watch Dezi Freeman: The Hunt on 7Plus here. and listen here.
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CREDITS
Guest: Cassie Zervos
Host: Gemma Bath
Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman
Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy
Video Editor: Julian Rosario
Audio Engineer: Tegan Sadler
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsGemma Bath· Host0:00
[suspenseful music] It's Monday, March 30 in 2026, and Cassie Zervos is getting ready to take her four-month-old baby to a moms and bubs gym class. She's currently on maternity leave from her job as crime editor at Seven News Melbourne. But as she packs the wipes and nappies into her bag while juggling her daughter on her hip, her watch buzzes with a notification. It keeps buzzing. [watch buzzing] Curious, Cassie checks her phone. One of her police contacts has messaged. "DF found," it reads. Moments later, another message comes through, "DF dead." Immediately, Cassie knows what it means. Desi Freeman, real name Desmond Filbe, Australia's most wanted fugitive for the past seven months. The man accused of murdering two police officers at his rural Victorian property. The man accused of fleeing a home in which police found hundreds of files containing child abuse material. That man, that criminal, is dead. Finally, the manhunt that has terrorized a country, and a police force in mourning, is over. [gentle music] I'm Gemma Bath, and you're listening to True Crime Conversations, a podcast exploring the world's most notorious crimes by speaking to the people who know the most about them. Two men, two