Episode Overview

Podcast: Australian True Crime
Episode: Shortcut: The Hunt for Killer Father and Son Fugitives The Stoccos Re-Issue
Host/Moderator: Michelle Laurie (with producer Matthew Tankard and guest journalist Nino Bucci)
Date: April 5, 2026
Theme:
This episode revisits the extraordinary and disturbing true-crime case of Gino and Mark Stocco—a father-son duo whose eight-year crime spree traversed multiple Australian states and ended with their dramatic 2015 capture. The show features insights from journalist and author Nino Bucci, who has written extensively about the Stoccos. The discussion focuses on the escalation of their crimes, the psychology behind their actions, their ultimate downfall, and the remarkable manhunt that gripped Australia.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Stoccos: Origins and Early Crimes

• Early Offending (2006–2007)

  • “To explain the iteration of the Stockos, as they came to be sort of known in 2015, you’ve got to go all the way back to 2006. That was when they were arrested down in Apollo Bay [...] They got arrested on this yacht that Gino Stocko had bought as part of the property settlement with his wife, Mark’s mum. And they were basically sailing around doing [...] similar sort of offending as they became known for later on.”—Nino Bucci [01:45]
  • Initial offenses included theft, identity fraud, and itinerant small crimes.
  • Their reputation as reliable, hard-working farm laborers allowed them to blend into rural areas.

• Transition to Violence (2011–2015)

  • “From sort of 2011 on to when they were caught in October 2015, things really escalated. And it’s very hard to know why, but that’s when they committed these acts which Mark described as vengeful acts.” —Nino Bucci [04:38]
  • Crimes intensified: property destruction, arson (“four big fires”), armed offenses, and ultimately, murder.

Psychological Dynamics & Motivation

• Social Outcasts & Volatile Tendencies
  • “They’d basically been complete recluses, cut off not only from family and friends but from society as a whole. [...] They were kind of almost like swagmen ...” —Nino Bucci [01:45]
  • Unpredictable tempers: minor disputes would fester until they erupted in extreme violence or destructive acts.
  • They sought only basic needs (food, accommodation), but retaliated harshly when dissatisfied or feeling slighted.

Major Crimes and Murder of Rosario Simone

• Murder Context and Execution
  • “Gino basically walks out and shoots him twice just on the dirt outside the property.” —Nino Bucci [09:31]
  • The murder resulted from escalating tensions with Rosario Simone, a man with peripheral connections to organized crime.
  • The Stoccos believed Simone’s lack of close ties would allow them to get away with the killing.

The Manhunt and Police Pursuit

• The 2015 Chase (Timestamps 11:24 – 14:04)

  • “They basically did these huge sort of loops [...] in this fairly vast section of southeastern Australia.” —Nino Bucci [11:35]
  • Their expertise in rural work gave them a formidable knowledge of back roads, forests, and rural properties.
  • The pair evaded capture for two weeks, despite national attention and a massive police response (“the biggest manhunt that the state had ever seen”).

• Close Calls and Tactical Policing

  • Notably, the Stoccos once disguised themselves as roadwork employees and managed to outwit police during a routine stop, even disabling a police vehicle to escape [12:12].
  • Persistent, escalating danger: “We knew they were armed, they were tired, they were desperate.” —Michelle Laurie [13:14]

Victim Fear and the Last Stand

• Widespread Fear

  • “They had dozens of victims out there, and every single one of those people must have been absolutely beside themselves that they were going to come past [...] you must have just been petrified that, you know, you were going to hear the gravel crunching outside your window one night and it was going to be them.” —Nino Bucci [13:20]

• The Capture

  • The pair’s undoing came from returning to Pinevale—the site of their most serious crime.
  • A park ranger spotted them, alerted police, leading to a 16-hour surveillance and their arrest [14:04–16:00].

The Unique Father-Son Relationship

• Speculation and Reality
  • Police questioned the nature of their intense bond; Mark denied any relationship beyond familial, and Gino expressed indignation: “Everybody’s, you know, very jealous of the special relationship I have with my son, so who knows what that actually meant.” —Nino Bucci [15:44]
  • Early guilty pleas were interpreted by detectives as a strategy to remain together in custody.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “They were kind of almost like swagmen ... everybody sort of had a little bit of a gasp and were a little bit shocked when they were actually caught. And it turned out that they had committed a murder.” —Nino Bucci [01:45]
• “That was when they committed these acts which they. Which Mark described as vengeful acts. [...] There’s these four big fires that they lit ...” —Nino Bucci [04:38]
• “Gino basically walks out and shoots him twice just on the dirt outside the property.” —Nino Bucci [09:31]
• “They managed to back into the police car to like perfectly so that the police car’s disabled and then take off.” —Nino Bucci [12:12]
• “They had dozens of victims out there, and every single one of those people must have been absolutely beside themselves that they were going to come past ... you must have just been petrified” —Nino Bucci [13:20]
• “Everybody’s, you know, very jealous of the special relationship I have with my son, so who knows what that actually meant.” —Gino Stocco (related by Nino Bucci) [15:44]

Segment Timestamps

• 00:00–01:45: Introduction to the episode and case, background on guest.
• 01:45–04:38: Early crimes, first arrests, and lifestyle.
• 04:38–05:48: Escalation to violent crimes.
• 05:48–09:31: The lead up to Rosario Simone’s murder and its aftermath.
• 09:31–11:24: Police begin the manhunt; shooting at police and initial escapes.
• 11:24–13:14: Details on the chase and the fugitives' tactics for evasion.
• 13:14–14:04: The psychological impact on victims and communities.
• 14:04–16:00: The final capture, police tactics, and the Stoccos’ relationship dynamics.

Summary & Takeaways

This chilling re-examination of the Stoccos’ case, with first-hand accounts and behind-the-scenes insights from journalist Nino Bucci, reveals how two seemingly ordinary men became some of Australia’s most infamous fugitives. Their story is as much about rural isolation and family pathology as it is about crime—emphasizing how even the most familiar landscapes can harbor extraordinary danger. With a blend of expert storytelling and psychological analysis, the episode draws listeners deep into the cat-and-mouse game that gripped a nation, ending only when the fugitives made a fateful return to the scene of their darkest crime.