Teens admit they kidnapped Peter Keeley, deny murdering him

Three teens were arrested following the death of Peter Keeley at Broulee. Photo: NSW Police.

Two teenagers charged over the death of Peter Keeley have admitted they kidnapped him, but deny murdering the Canberra man.

Three boys, all aged 17 at the time of their arrests, were charged with murdering the 56-year-old auctioneer and real estate sales consultant on 2 February 2020. His body was found in bushland at Broulee on the NSW South Coast.

Two of the teens appeared in the NSW Supreme Court on Monday (8 November) where they both entered guilty pleas to charges of take or detain in company with the intention of getting an advantage occasioning actual bodily harm.

They maintained their pleas of not guilty to charges of murder.

The case against these two has been separated from that of the third boy charged over Mr Keeley’s death.

When the third boy appeared in the Supreme Court in Sydney on 2 July, it was determined he would face a stand-alone trial on 19 April 2022.

In February 2020, NSW Police said Mr Keeley was found in bushland near McNee Street, Broulee, and while a post mortem examination conducted on his body was inconclusive, he had suffered head and facial injuries.