Martin Leach was born on January 11, 1959, in New Zealand. There is little public information about his early life, family, or upbringing. At some point, he moved to Australia, where he later became one of the most notorious criminals in the Northern Territory.

His first known crime happened in 1979 when he broke into a woman’s house and raped her at knifepoint. He was caught and sentenced to three years in prison. However, this would not be his last violent act. Just a few years after serving his time, he committed crimes far worse.

On June 20, 1983, Martin Leach abducted two teenage cousins, 18-year-old Janice Carnegie and 15-year-old Charmaine Aviet, from Berry Springs, a rural area near Darwin, Australia. The two girls had been enjoying a day out when Leach forced them into his car at gunpoint.

He took them to a remote location, where he raped Janice before murdering both girls. Their bodies were later found in a shallow grave. Both victims had been bound and gagged before they were killed.

Leach was arrested and charged with their murders and the rape of Janice Carnegie. In 1984, he was found guilty and sentenced to three consecutive life sentences with no chance of parole.

In 2004, new laws in the Northern Territory allowed some life prisoners to apply for parole. However, due to the extreme nature of his crimes, the Director of Public Prosecutions successfully argued to keep Leach behind bars.

Leach tried to appeal the decision in 2007, taking his case to the High Court of Australia. The court denied his appeal, calling his crimes "horrific" and noting that he had never shown any remorse.

After serving 40 years in prison, Martin Leach died in custody at the age of 65. Reports stated that he refused to take heart medication before his death. His case remains one of the most infamous in the history of the Northern Territory.