Man Charged in 1997 Sunshine Coast Cold Case Murder Appears in Court

Keith Lees, 72, extradited to Queensland after being accused of murdering his ex-partner Meaghan Rose, whose death was initially ruled a suicide.

Keith Lees, 72, was arrested in Sydney and extradited to Queensland, where he faces charges for the 1997 murder of Meaghan Louise Rose.
Rose, 25, was found dead at the base of Point Cartwright Cliffs on the Sunshine Coast, a death initially ruled a suicide but later reopened as a homicide investigation in 2022.
Lees had spent approximately 18 months evading police under an assumed identity before being identified by a community member after media coverage and a podcast about the case.
A $500,000 reward remains on offer for information leading to the conviction of Rose's killer, with indemnity available for accomplices not directly involved in the alleged murder.
Lees appeared briefly in Brisbane Magistrates Court and is scheduled to return to court in Maroochydore later this month.