At 19, He Was Pulled Into into Serial Killing Ring that Was Dramatized in a Movie

James Vlassakis, one of the convicted serial killers behind South Australia’s notorious Snowtown murders, has been granted parole after spending over 26 years in prison, according to multiple news outlets.

The South Australian Parole Board announced its decision on Tuesday, Aug. 5, confirming that Vlassakis will serve the remainder of his life sentence outside prison under strict conditions, as reported by The Guardian, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), and The Sydney Morning Herald.

Frances Nelson, chair of the parole board, stated that Vlassakis “does not represent a risk to the community” and will first be transferred to a pre-release facility for up to 12 months before reentering society, The Sydney Morning Herald noted.

PEOPLE reached out to the South Australian Parole Board for comment on Tuesday, but did not immediately receive a response.

Vlassakis was sentenced for his involvement in four of the 11 murders that occurred between 1992 and 1999. At just 19 years old, he carried out the killings alongside three others, including his stepfather John Bunting and associate Robert Wagner, according to The Guardian. Vlassakis has never been publicly photographed.

The case shocked the country when, in May 1999, investigators uncovered dismembered human remains stored in barrels filled with acid inside a former bank vault in the town of Snowtown, per The Guardian.

Authorities later revealed that the victims were primarily people known to the perpetrators, including friends and relatives, ABC reported.

John Bunting and Robert Wagner were both sentenced to life without parole. Vlassakis, who cooperated with prosecutors and testified against the others, received a life sentence with the possibility of parole, ABC noted.

Mark Ray Haydon, 66, who helped cover up the crimes, was released under special parole conditions in May 2024, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

The crimes were dramatized in the 2011 film Snowtown, which portrayed the events from Vlassakis’ point of view.

Ronald Lane, whose uncle was one of the victims, called the parole decision “a kick in the face for the families that are involved,” per ABC.

“What about the victims’ lives? They didn’t get the chance to even live their lives — they were brutally killed,” Lane told the outlet.

Nelson acknowledged that victim families often believe the punishment isn’t enough, but emphasized the parole board’s limited role. “Many victims have the view that someone hasn’t really got a long enough sentence and they shouldn’t be released, but that isn’t a matter that should even feature for the parole board — it would usurp the function of the courts,” she said, according to ABC.