Mark "Valera" van Krevel: Avenger

In 1998, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia became the location of two of the most violent murders Australia has ever seen.    In 1998, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia became the location of two of the most violent murders Australia has ever seen.    19-year-old, Mark Valera's pent-up rage led him down the path of murder, leaving destruction in his wake and sparking an equal fury that ultimately led to the killing of his own father.   The murders committed by Mark "Valera" van Krevel further revealed a disturbing wave of child molestation in New South Wales, implicating some of the community's most respected figures including one of Valera's victims.   At the time, Australia, like many places worldwide, was experiencing a surge of violence against the LGBTQ+ community, involving the police on some occasions.    Equally damaging is the capricious conflation of pedophiles, hebephiles, and homosexuals. Wollongong's former Mayor Frank Arkell, who was not gay, was shortly before his murder with 29 charges of child molestation.   Valera's vigilantism removed the possibility of justice for the 29 victims and possible vindication of the alleged victims from a previous case.     Valera's first victim, David O'Hearn, was a quiet man beloved by his family and friends. The extreme violence surrounding these events has unfortunately overshadowed O'Hearn's life and death. This retelling serves to honor his memory.