The widow of murdered Melbourne crime boss Carl Williams has revealed she still harbours serious doubts about the circumstances surrounding his brutal killing in one of Australia's most secure prisons, despite more than a decade passing since the incident.
The Barwon Prison Attack
Carl Williams was beaten to death in April 2010 while serving a minimum 35-year sentence at HM Prison Barwon's Acacia unit near Geelong. His attacker, fellow inmate Matthew Charles Johnson, used the stem of an exercise bike seat to bludgeon the notorious gangland figure before dragging his body into a cell.
Williams had been a central figure in Melbourne's gangland wars during the late 1990s and early 2000s, with authorities believing he orchestrated at least ten murders. At the time of his death, he was serving time for ordering three murders and conspiring to kill a fourth criminal rival.
Security Failures Revealed
Roberta Williams, the crime boss's former wife, told the Thoughts Unchained podcast that the official account of her ex-husband's death "didn't sit right" with her, particularly given the prison's reputation for high security.
"You're under 24-hour CCTV," she explained. "You got guards there in the most secure prison in the state, if not in the country. So you would expect him to be observed a lot more than being able to be murdered the way he was."
Shockingly, Victorian Supreme Court proceedings revealed that no prison officers were actively monitoring the CCTV cameras at the time of the attack. The footage captured Johnson approaching Williams from behind as he read a newspaper, striking him on the head with the seat post, then delivering seven additional blows to ensure his death.
Nearly thirty minutes passed before prison staff discovered the 39-year-old drug baron's body.
Motive and Aftermath
The court heard that Johnson, known as 'The General' within the prison system and leader of a gang called 'Prisoners of War', likely targeted Williams because the gangland boss was cooperating with police investigations.
Williams had provided statements implicating both himself and former detective Rodney Collins in the 2004 murders of Terrence and Christine Hodgson.
Despite Johnson's claim that he acted in self-defence against a planned attack using a sock filled with billiard balls, Justice Lex Lasry dismissed this explanation as "fanciful". A jury found Johnson guilty of murder in September 2011, adding 32 years to his existing sentence.
Johnson never expressed remorse for the killing, reportedly stating after the murder: "What's the big deal? People die every day. What are you making a fuss about it for?"
The case took another mysterious turn when Barwon's governor at the time, David Prideaux, disappeared during a hunting trip in June 2011 and has never been found. While police dismissed any connection to Williams' murder, Roberta Williams continues to harbour suspicions about the coincidence.
Reflecting on the television dramatisation of her ex-husband's life in Underbelly, Roberta Williams described the programme as "somewhat embarrassing to watch" and said it portrayed Carl Williams as "an idiot".
