Arnold Sodeman lived a normal life on the outside. He was married and had a steady job. Described as mild-mannered, he doted on his only daughter and was well-liked by those that thought they knew him. On the inside, however, Sodeman was a brutal child killer who plagued Melbourne, Australia, until his capture.

On November 9, 1930, Sodeman abducted twelve-year-old Mena Griffiths from a public park by sending the girl's frinds on an errand. When they returned Griffiths was gone, her corpse eventually discovered two days later in an abandoned building. She had been strangled. It wasn't very long until and identical murder alerted authorities to the fact that they had a serial murderer on their hands. Hazel Wilson, 16, was that victim, found slain on January 10, 1931.

Sodeman struck again on January 1, 1936, when he abducted twelve-year-old Ethel Belshaw from a seaside resort. Witnesses reported seeing the girl in the company of a man on a bicycle. Belshaw's body was found the next day. A year later June Rushmer, just six-years-old, was abducted and killed by the raging child slayer. Again witnesses saw the victim with a man on a bicycle before she disappeared.

Sodeman hastened his downfall soon afterward when some innocent joshing at his job alerted a coworker. When it was pointed out jokingly to Sodeman that he and the phantom killer both rode bikes Sodeman erupted in anger, saying, "I wasn't there!" One of the other workers reported the scene to police. When confronted, Sodeman confessedc to the string of killings and gave details only the murderer could have known and was arrested.

He pleaded insanity but was convicted and hung on June 1, 1936.