Trace

A Victorian Coroner has failed to name a killer in the 1980 cold case of Maria James. Her sons are devastated. But there's still hope, in leads yet to be chased by police.

The discovery of a police exhibit - thought to be missing for around three decades - could finally help unmask the killer in the 1980 cold case of Maria James.

We reveal the story of Nicola Gobbo's audacious bid to return to Australia.

Nicola hits rock bottom, but Victoria Police wants her to take on a new role ... as a witness.

Nicola crosses the point of no return and becomes a police informer. She'll represent clients, while passing on the underworld's secrets to Victoria Police.

As the gangland war explodes, both police and criminals start questioning Nicola's allegiances. Where do her loyalties lie?

Lawyer Nicola Gobbo represented some of Australia's most dangerous criminals, all the while secretly working as a police informer. Why did she do it, and how was it allowed to happen?When her cover was blown, the story garnered media interest from around the world. In Victoria's justice system, all hell broke loose.Questions started to be asked about whether her clients received a fair trial. One man has walked free from jail, and more appeals are pending.Did Victoria Police - the organisation entrusted to uphold the law - end up undermining it, in a desperate bid to put criminals behind bars?Whose side was Nicola Gobbo on? Did she break the rules by giving up the secrets of her clients?The only media interview she's done since going into hiding is with Rachael Brown.Join Rachael and her co-reporter Josie Taylor for the second season of Trace. They'll explore the extraordinary story behind why Nicola Gobbo became an informer, exposing the secrets of criminals and the police along the way.Multi-award-winning Australian true crime. Trace examines the fractures in Australia's criminal justice system, and the decades-long ripples they've caused. An investigative podcast hosted by Rachael Brown.

New evidence has been found. So can police test it for a trace of the killer? What happened to crucial documents? And a new confession.It is nearly a year since the James brothers applied for a new coronial inquest into their mum's murder, but the case hangs in legal limbo.

There's a major break in the case, as Trace uncovers a police bungle in the murder of Maria James. But it only serves to throw up more questions than answers, as the James brothers continue their desperate search for justice.

Since Trace was first released, the ABC has received over 50 emails from the community with leads and tip offs. In this bonus update, reporter Rachael Brown follows up with two women who got in touch to say they saw men acting suspiciously around Maria's bookshop at the time of her murder. Send us your tips: [email protected]

On a winter morning in June 1980, Maria James turned to her son Mark and looked him in the eyes. "If anything happens to me, look after your brother." Later that day she was found stabbed to death at the back of her suburban Melbourne bookshop.