Wayne Edward Butler was a Sydney-based motor industry finance business manager. Prior to his conviction, he lived a relatively private life.

On September 1, 1983, 40-year-old British-born Australian resort worker, Celia Natasha "Tasha" Douty, was murdered on Brampton Island in Queensland, Australia. She had returned to the island after a dental appointment in Mackay and was last seen heading to the secluded Dinghy Bay with a new red towel she had purchased.​

Her body was discovered in the scrub behind the beach, covered with the red towel, which had blood and semen on it. She had been beaten on the head with a stone. Her clothes and personal belongings were missing and never recovered.​

The initial investigation interviewed over 300 guests and visitors, but no charges were laid. In 1988, Butler was arrested but released due to insufficient evidence. A breakthrough came in 1997 when his ex-wife reported to the police that Butler had confessed to the murder. Advances in DNA profiling allowed forensic experts to match the semen on the towel to Butler, leading to his arrest and subsequent conviction in 2001.​

Butler was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. He appealed the conviction, but the appeal was dismissed in 2009, with the court finding no reasonable doubt regarding the DNA evidence linking him to the crime.​