Claremont serial killer: Detective Joe Marrapodi, who arrested Bradley Edwards in 2016, quits WA Police Force

A decorated detective who played a key role in the arrest of Claremont killer Bradley Edwards has suddenly quit the force after more than 30 years in the job. The West Australian has confirmed Joe Marrapodi — who took over the Claremont serial killer inquiry in 2015 and escorted Edwards into custody a year later for the murders — recently pulled the pin on an illustrious career that saw him make the most famous arrest in WA policing history. The West can reveal Mr Marrapodi’s resignation came into effect on December 4. In a brief text message sent to The West this week, Mr Marrapodi said he was “looking forward to the next chapter of my life”. The full reasons and motivation behind Mr Marrapodi’s departure are unclear at this stage. But the resignation of such an experienced detective who worked on arguably the biggest criminal case in WA history will come as a shock to many. His resignation will also come as a blow for the family of Sarah Spiers, whose body has never been found, after she vanished from Claremont in 1996. Mr Marrapodi had developed a close relationship with the Spiers family in recent years. In a statement given to The West, a WA Police spokesperson confirmed Mr Marrapodi had resigned, and at the time of his resignation he was attached to the Joondalup police district. “The murder of Sarah Spiers remains an active investigation by the Special Crime Homicide Squad,” the spokesperson said, adding: “The WA Police Force encourages any person with any information relative to this open case to contact Crime Stoppers to assist the investigation.” Mr Marrapodi — who held the rank of Inspector — joined WA Police in 1988, and became a detective six years later. He spent two years on a secondment with the Australian Crime Commission investigating organised crime groups. But it was in late 2016 when his most public role as an investigator came to light, when he arrested Edwards over the Claremont serial killings. Mr Marrapodi formally arrested and charged Edwards on that famous day — December 22, 2016 — when police officers forced their way into the killer’s Acton Avenue home. It was just after 7am when the TRG made their entrance, followed quickly by Mr Marrapodi who was holding a warrant to search Edwards’ home. After reading Edwards his rights, Mr Marrapodi told him he was being arrested on suspicion of murdering Sarah Spiers, Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon — who all vanished from Claremont in 1996 and 1997. Television cameras then captured the amazing moment Edwards was led out of his house with a jacket over his head. He was surrounded by dozens of police — including Mr Marrapodi — and was quickly whisked away in the back of a police car. Mr Marrapodi would later carry out a lengthy interview with Edwards, during which the officer questioned the Telstra technician at length about the murders which had haunted Perth for two decades. Edwards denied any involvement in the murders. During the interview, Edwards also denied knowing anything about a break-and-enter and attack of a woman in her Huntingdale home in 1988 and the abduction and rape of a teen in Karrakatta Cemetery in 1995 — crimes he then admitted to just months before his trial. Edwards was ultimately found guilty of the murders of Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon. He was found not guilty of the murder of Sarah Spiers. He was handed a life jail sentence with a non-parole period of 40 years. In an interview with The West three years ago, Mr Marrapodi said how he felt mixed emotions on the day of the Edwards verdict, and how he and his team had developed a close bond with the women’s families. “You had that proud moment for what you and your team were able to achieve,” he said at the time. “On the other hand, three women lost their lives, two women went through hell, and from my point of view, part of me felt like we failed with the Spiers family because we didn’t get that outcome. “The relationship we had with the Spiers family — we were pretty close to them and spoke to them a fair bit. They are brave, courageous people that had gone through a lot. Not to get their daughter back was difficult.” In 2021, Mr Marrapodi was awarded an Australian Police Medal for his work on the Claremont case, known as the Macro investigation. Mr Marrapodi is one of many senior cops to quit the thin blue line in recent months. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the police officer resignation rate was about 150 per year but jumped to a record 473 in 2022, easing to 326 last year.