| Fugitive Australian killer wins cop’s role in film |
SYDNEY A man wanted over a beheading murder who was eventually captured in the Australian Outback auditioned to be a film extra while on the run — winning the role of a policeman in a homicide thriller.
Jonathon Stenberg, 46, sparked a major manhunt in late June after fleeing his home in northern New South Wales following the decapitation of his neighbour, who was reportedly left with a hat where his head should have been.
During the six days he spent evading authorities, Stenberg turned up in the remote Queensland town of Winton, where a casting call was underway late last month for extras for a murder film called Mystery Road.
“I’ve held a number of casting auditions, but for a guy who is Australia’s most wanted to come through your door is most unusual,” said Mark Ingram, second assistant director on the film starring Hugo Weaving.
Stenberg was the first person to audition in the town, telling Ingram he saw the casting poster in a petrol station and wanted to make some extra cash.
“He came across as a really nice guy, a really nice guy. He even went and got me a cup of coffee. We were going to use him,” Ingram said.
“He came across as one of those kind of guys who you can trust. Ironically, we were going to cast him as a police officer.”
It was not until he saw news reports about Stenberg, reportedly a builder and security guard, being captured in a major manhunt north of Darwin that Ingram realised who he had been dealing with. “He wasn’t hiding,” said Ingram, “he gave me his name and number.”
Agence France-Presse
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