'I'm going to heaven!' Ivan Milat's afterlife delusions are revealed by his long-time pen pal who claims backpacker killer guessed his cancer diagnosis
- Serial killer Ivan Milat speaks about about his beliefs in letters, a friend has said
- The unnamed pen pal added Milat, 74, also knew two weeks ago he was dying
- The convicted murderer was diagnosed with terminal cancer earlier this week
- Another of Milat's correspondents said he would never confess to his crimes
Ivan Milat believes he will go to heaven despite being convicted of murdering seven backpackers, according to letters he wrote to a close friend from prison.
Ivan Milat believes he will go to heaven despite being convicted of murdering seven backpackers, according to letters he wrote to a close friend from prison
The anonymous pen pal said Milat often spoke to her about his Catholic belief and added he knew he was dying from cancer a week before being taken to hospital.
The 74-year-old was taken to Randwick's Prince of Wales Hospital on Monday and his family were later told he was suffering from terminal cancer of the oesophagus and stomach.
'He believed he probably had cancer. He had lost a lot of weight ... he pretty much knew,' the source told The Sun-Herald about a letter she received from Milat two weeks ago.
'He's quite a religious person, a Catholic believer - he often speaks about religion in his letters. He's very confident of going to heaven one day.'
Crime author Amanda Howard, who has been in written contact with Milat once a month since 1997, said she was certain he would not confess to his crimes.
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'If he sends something out to the press, which if he is able to he probably will, it will be to protest his innocence to his dying breath,' she said.
Ms Howard said while there were moments in their correspondence where Milat may have been referring to himself when talking about the third-person killer, he has never confessed.
Crime author Amanda Howard, who has been in written contact (pictured letter from Milat to solicitor John Boersig) with the serial killer once a month since 1997, said she was certain he would not confess to his crimes
The anonymous pen pal said Milat (pictured) often spoke to her about his Catholic belief and added he knew he was dying from cancer a week before being taken to hospital
Milat was convicted of killing seven backpackers in the Belanglo State Forest, south of Sydney, between 1989 and 1992.
The road worker stabbed or shot his victims - and their bodies were found in shallow graves, often near empty beer bottles.
He was jailed for life in 1996 and was also questioned in 2004 about the disappearance of two nurses at Parramatta in 1980.
Milat was taken to Prince of Wales Hospital, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, from Goulburn Correctional Centre, about 200 kilometres south-west of Sydney, on Monday
Deborah Everist (left) and Anja Habschied (right) were among Ivan Milat's seven victims. Everist, 19, died after being stabbed multiple times. Habschied, 20, was decapitated
Joanne Walters, 22, (left) was stabbed to death by Ivan Milat. Her friend Caroline Clarke, 21, (right) was shot 10 times as if she was target practice. The pair disappeared in April, 1992
In 2006 Milat was named by police at an inquest as the person most likely to have killed a schoolgirl and her boyfriend who disappeared from northern Sydney in 1978.
On Monday, the convicted serial killer was taken from Goulburn Correctional Centre, about 200 kilometres south-west of Sydney, to the inner-city hospital.
Alistair Shipsey, Milat's nephew, told The Daily Telegraph the serial killer had been showing signs of dementia for more than a year.
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