No Body No Parole: Dianne Wilson-Struber & Stephen Struber

According to the Coroner’s Court of Qld, who published the Non-inquest findings into the disappearance of Bruce Gavin Schuler  found that he is likely to have died on 9 July 2012 and was killed by Dianne Wilson-Struber and Stephen Struber who then disposed of his body which has never been recovered.

Importantly, the coroner relied on evidence provided by the Qld Police Service and the supreme court transcripts of Supreme Court criminal trials: R v Struber; R v Wilson-Struber [2016] QCA 288.

The circumstances were that:

1. Bruce Schuler and three friends travelled to a large (1360 sq.km) cattle station, Palmerville Station.  
2. They hid their vehicle in a creek bed to avoid being detected by the station owners, Dianne Wilson-Struber and Stephen Struber.
3. The next day, they began gold prospecting but went their separate ways and were working separately.
4. Struber’s ute was observed to be driving along a road, driven by Stephen Struber and Dianne Wilson-Struber in the passenger seat.
5. At some point, it is believed that they observed Schuler and the vehicle stopped.  At this point Dianne Wilson-Struber exited the vehicle and retrieved something from the back seat, a rifle.  
6. Following this, it is said by Schuler’s companions that there was a gunshot followed by another shot about 15 minutes later.
7. Schuler’s friends reported him missing to the police that evening.
8. Schuler’s body was never found, Struber and Wilson-Struber were charged with his murder.

1. Struber and Wilson-Struber were convicted of murder by the Supreme Court of Queensland (SC45/15) on 24 July 2015.  Both were sentenced to life imprisonment with a 15 year non-parole period.
2.  An appeal was rejected by the Queensland Court of Appeal in 2016; R v Wilson-Struber [2016] QCA 288.
3. In May of 2017, Stephen Struber sought special leave in the High Court of Australia but was refused.
4. In August of 2017, the Queensland Parliament acted on the proposal of Schuler’s wife that with a body there can be no parole for those convicted of murder.  This was the  Corrective Services (No body,
   No parole) Amendment Bill 2017 which was applied retrospectively.