Our People
19 November, 2025
Insights into a serial killer
enthralled in the drama has been pieced together in a remarkable book that compiles news stories from time. Julie McNamara, known by her pen name Julie Mac, has produced COOKED, a massive 400-plus page window into the life of Robert Francis Burns, a murderer who was hanged at Ararat’s J Ward in 1883.
The title is taken from a contentious quote relayed by hangman Elijah Upjohn, who claimed Burns confessed while being pinioned, allegedly saying “I've cooked eight altogether, and now you are going to cook me.”
More than just a compilation of facts, COOKED takes readers on a fascinating journey into the past, where the newspaper writers of the day painted vivid pictures with their words.
In his day, Burns was suspected, tried and ultimately acquitted for several crimes that history suggest he more than likely committed, and it is now widely accepted that apart from the murder that led to his execution, Burns was probably a serial killer with at least eight victims, having been linked to murders all over western Victoria from Deep Lead, to Wickliffe, and was even potentially linked to a human skull discovered in Ararat decades after his execution.
COOKED is a book that basically happened by accident, after Julie had made a jarring discovery while researching her family history.
“I was looking for a convict,” Julie said, “I didn’t find a convict but I found a serial killer instead.”
Initially, the realisation that one of her Great Great Grandparents had been capable of such evil acts was difficult to process.
“When I first found out, I thought surely not, and I did everything I could to disprove it,” she said.
As for the damning Burns quote alleged by Upjohn, who history best remembers as the man who hanged notorious bushranger Ned Kelly, Julie isn’t convinced it quite happened that way.
“I have a theory on that, I believe Upjohn had the information but I don’t necessarily believe he got it from Burns,” she said.
“After Burns was acquitted at the first murder trial, which wasn’t his first murder but was his first trial, he was remanded back to Melbourn Goal until he was then remanded to Hamilton, and two weeks after he left, Upjohn went into the jail for obscene exposure and if I had of been Upjohn, I would have been following the trial thinking I’m going to get paid, because that’s how he got paid, by hanging people and flogging them.
“I think when he went in, he would have done a bit of due diligence, asked around the yard and maybe asked Burns’ cellmate, and that’s where I believe he came up with that information and that would also explain why no-one else heard Burns’ say what he supposedly said.”
COOKED: Wholesale Murderer R.F. Burns (1840-1883) by Julie Mac is available from Amazon, www.amazon.com.au