Mystery Of 1974 Murders Solved As ‘Angel Of Death’ Found Guilty

One of Australia's most notorious cold cases has been solved.

A Brisbane jury has found underworld figure Vincent O'Dempsey guilty of the brutal murders of a woman and her two daughters in 1974. 

78-year-old O'Dempsey, often referred to as the "Angel of Death", took Barbara McCulkin and her children Vicki, 13, and Leanne, 11, from their Highgate Hill home on the night of January 16, 1974.

The trio was tied up and driven to bushland near Warwick where O'Dempsey is believed to have strangled the 34-year-old mother before killing the girls and burying their bodies.

The court heard O'Dempsey's downfall came from his boasting about the murders. 

One man told the court that O'Dempsey had directly admitted to killing the McCulkins but insisted he would never be charged.

"They'll never catch me because they'll never find the bodies," O'Dempsey said. 

O'Dempsey's ex-fiance Kerri Scully also took to the stand, saying he once bragged to her about the murders while they lay in bed.

"I'm good for it but they'll never get me for it," O'Dempsey said.

Ms Scully left the relationship the very next day, later telling police was an intelligent "serial killer" who covered his tracks.

"He takes you in the middle of the night, like an angel, and you're gone for good," Ms Scully told a committal hearing in November 2015. 

O'Dempsey is expected to be sentenced on Thursday and will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.