Most of the bodies were found in barrels in an abandoned bank vault in Snowtown, South Australia, hence the names given in the press for the murders.
Although the motivation for the murders is unclear, the killers were led by Bunting to believe that the victims were pedophiles, homosexuals, or "weak".
Although initially the notoriety of the murders led to a short-term economic boost from tourists visiting Snowtown, it created a stigma, with authorities considering a change of the town's name and identity.
[2] Kevin Howells, a forensic psychiatrist at Broadmoor Hospital in the United Kingdom, believed that Bunting's behaviour suggested he lacked emotion and the capacity to empathise with his victims.
The chart, created using paper notes and wool, was an interconnected web of names of people Bunting alone suspected to be pedophiles or homosexuals.
The final murder of David Johnson was conducted in a Snowtown bank building after the barrels which contained the majority of the victim's remains had been moved there for storage.
Initially, the body of Clinton Trezise was found at Lower Light in 1994,[5] although no connection to Bunting was made at this time.
[12] Justice Brian Ross Martin[13] determined that Bunting was the ringleader, and sentenced him to 11 consecutive terms of life imprisonment without the possibility of release on parole.
In early 2011, a judge lifted the remaining orders in response to a request by the producers of the film Snowtown, a dramatisation depicting the murders and the events leading up to them.
He was released in April and was residing at the Adelaide Pre-Release Centre in Northfield as part of the conditions for his parole.
[17] The notoriety of the murders has led to an economic boost from tourists visiting Snowtown,[5] but created a lasting stigma.
The bank, with a four-bedroom attached house, was placed on auction in February 2012 but only reached half its reserve price of $200,000.
[27] Australian comedian Eddie Perfect wrote a demo song for "Snowtown the Musical" intended to be screened at the 2011 Inside Film Awards that he was hosting.