Some may say that the small country town of Aberdeen in New South Wales was the perfect place for a murder. The once thriving town ended up being run-down, with the local abattoir having closed, the odd coal train travelling through every now and then, and the two local pubs, known as the top and bottom pubs. The town could almost be a movie set for a classic 80s horror film. Everyone that lived there seemed to know each other and they most definitely knew of Katherine Knight.
It was on the morning of 1 March 2000 when John Price’s neighbour, who was also his work mate, stared out the window, looking at the van that was parked on the drive across from him. He knew that John would have usually left for work by that time of the morning.
The night before, John had visited him with a couple of beers, just wanting to relax and spend some time with a friend. He, like everyone else in town, was aware of Katherine’s violent behaviour towards John, as well as her previous partners, but it wasn’t until that moment, when he was looking out the window that morning, that he remembered a comment made by John before he left the previous evening. The words came flying to the front of his mind, along with flashing red lights and loud alarm bells, ‘Mate, if you see my van out the front in the morning when you get up to go to work, call the cops, she’s done me in.’
Wanting to check on John to see if he was alright, the neighbour went over to the house to see if anyone was home. He knocked on the front door but there was no response from either John or his girlfriend.
John had always been a hard-working and reliable man, so his boss was also worried when he hadn’t called in to say he couldn’t make it to work. It was clear to everyone that something wasn’t right.
The police arrived at John’s house not long after receiving a call from his boss. Sergeant Graham Furlonger, along with General Duties Officer, Scott Matthews, walked up to the front door and knocked, but just like the neighbour, they received no response. The Sergeant then noticed that a small smear of blood had been wiped across the door, so he decided to peer through the letterbox to see if he could see anyone inside. Squinting through the small slit, all he managed to see was what appeared to be a bunched-up curtain, hanging in the lounge room. It was too dark to make out exactly what the object was.
As the pair of policeman received no response, they decided to break in. They ventured around the back of the building and kicked the door down.
Nothing could have prepared them for what they were about to experience.
The curtain-like object was hanging in the middle of the corridor, blocking their pathway. Officer Matthews walked ahead first, moving what he thought was a blanket, with his left hand. He instantly felt coldness on his arm, so he pulled back and looked down. His entire arm was covered in deep red, wet blood. He began to panic, thinking he’d injured himself when they’d broken in, but on closer inspection, his arm was perfectly fine, no cuts, not even a graze. The officer had no idea where the blood had come from.
It was then, that the Sergeant realised that the object hanging before them was neither a curtain or blanket, instead, it was a human pelt. An entire human skin, except the head, was hanging from a meat hook right before their eyes.
The night before, Katherine had driven to John’s house, where she woke him up and they watched some Star Trek together before having sex. Shortly after, John fell back to sleep and then it was Katherine’s time to strike. She had her plan and stage one was about to begin.
Katherine grabbed her favourite knife and sharpened it to perfection. She stood at the bottom of the bed, staring at her partner, who was completely unaware that she was looming over him, knife tightly gripped in her hand, ready to pounce.
She edged closer and closer until she was ready, and with a quick swing, she plunged the blade into his flesh, striking with as much force as she could give. She repeated the action, again and again and again. Up, down, up, down, deep down, into his core.
John’s eyes shot open and somehow, he managed to push himself off the bed. He ran out the bedroom, stumbling down the stairs, smearing blood against the wall with every step. His hand frantically patted the wall while he ran, searching for the light switch, which he eventually found and clicked on. He was so close to the front door, just a few more steps. He could make it.
The entire time that he was trying to escape, Katherine was chasing him, vigorously stabbing the knife, right into his back. She had a goal and she wasn’t prepared to let him get away.
John reached for the door handle, yanking it wide open and the night air hit his pierced skin. He had almost made it, but Katherine was right behind him. She grabbed at his skin and pulled him back inside. The door slammed and closed on his fate.
Sergeant Furlonger stared past the skin that was hanging from the doorframe. Laying on the floor was a torso, headless and stripped of genitalia. A pool of blood covered the floor. The Sergeant’s initial reaction was to fling his arm out behind him as he rushed out the words, ‘Don’t look Scotty!’
It was probably the worst thing he could’ve said, as Officer Matthews eyes instantly looked ahead, taking in the horror before him. He had never experienced a crime like that before, but seeing the remains of the man, he instantly realised what had gone on. His pistol was in his hand within seconds.
The Sergeant stared down at the scene beneath his feet. Blood. Everywhere. Up the walls. Soaking the floor. Trailing into the kitchen. He’d never seen anything like it. It was the work of a true monster.
The two men had no time to stop and come to terms with what they’d just witnessed. They had a job to do. Neither of them could see the head of the victim and they knew they had to find it.
The Sergeant went ahead first and apprehensively pushed the kitchen door open. The sweet aroma of homemade stew wafted through the room and filled their noses. A spotted trail of blood travelled across the floor, right up to the oven, where a large pot had been simmering.
The pair looked at each other, then the pot, then back to each other.
‘I’ll give you one guess where the head is,’ said the Sergeant.
Both men stared ahead at the pot. Which one of them would be brave enough to lift the lid?
‘It’s going to be alright,’ said the Sergeant, as he tried to reassure Officer Matthews.
The Sergeant then turned his gaze towards the kitchen table where a meal for two had been prepared and laid out. Meat, vegetables, even gravy. Four human steaks, two on each plate. Absolutely sickening.
‘We’ve got to keep going and finish this. We’ve got to do whatever it takes,’ he said.
There was no backing out now. Officer Matthews tried to calm himself, not wanting to let the stress effect his senses. He listened closely for any signs of noise throughout the house. Were they alone? Was the murderer still there? Were they hiding? Shock and disgust was instantly replaced by fear. It was time for them to search the house and they had no idea what they would find.
The pair trod carefully throughout the house and slowly creeped up the stairs. The sound of gentle snoring seemed to be coming from the bedroom. Someone was there and they were alive.
The two policemen were stood in the doorway, looking down at a woman who was fast asleep on the bed. The Sergeant approached her with caution and placed his hands on her shoulders. He tried to shake her awake but there was no response. Both men were quick to realise that she had taken some kind of drug and needed urgent medical attention. They carried her into the back yard and called for an ambulance. Katherine laid there, unconscious, her plan having been executed exactly how she had imagined it.
It was on the morning of 1 March 2000 when John Price’s neighbour, who was also his work mate, stared out the window, looking at the van that was parked on the drive across from him. He knew that John would have usually left for work by that time of the morning.
The night before, John had visited him with a couple of beers, just wanting to relax and spend some time with a friend. He, like everyone else in town, was aware of Katherine’s violent behaviour towards John, as well as her previous partners, but it wasn’t until that moment, when he was looking out the window that morning, that he remembered a comment made by John before he left the previous evening. The words came flying to the front of his mind, along with flashing red lights and loud alarm bells, ‘Mate, if you see my van out the front in the morning when you get up to go to work, call the cops, she’s done me in.’
Wanting to check on John to see if he was alright, the neighbour went over to the house to see if anyone was home. He knocked on the front door but there was no response from either John or his girlfriend.
John had always been a hard-working and reliable man, so his boss was also worried when he hadn’t called in to say he couldn’t make it to work. It was clear to everyone that something wasn’t right.
The police arrived at John’s house not long after receiving a call from his boss. Sergeant Graham Furlonger, along with General Duties Officer, Scott Matthews, walked up to the front door and knocked, but just like the neighbour, they received no response. The Sergeant then noticed that a small smear of blood had been wiped across the door, so he decided to peer through the letterbox to see if he could see anyone inside. Squinting through the small slit, all he managed to see was what appeared to be a bunched-up curtain, hanging in the lounge room. It was too dark to make out exactly what the object was.
As the pair of policeman received no response, they decided to break in. They ventured around the back of the building and kicked the door down.
Nothing could have prepared them for what they were about to experience.
The curtain-like object was hanging in the middle of the corridor, blocking their pathway. Officer Matthews walked ahead first, moving what he thought was a blanket, with his left hand. He instantly felt coldness on his arm, so he pulled back and looked down. His entire arm was covered in deep red, wet blood. He began to panic, thinking he’d injured himself when they’d broken in, but on closer inspection, his arm was perfectly fine, no cuts, not even a graze. The officer had no idea where the blood had come from.
It was then, that the Sergeant realised that the object hanging before them was neither a curtain or blanket, instead, it was a human pelt. An entire human skin, except the head, was hanging from a meat hook right before their eyes.
The night before, Katherine had driven to John’s house, where she woke him up and they watched some Star Trek together before having sex. Shortly after, John fell back to sleep and then it was Katherine’s time to strike. She had her plan and stage one was about to begin.
Katherine grabbed her favourite knife and sharpened it to perfection. She stood at the bottom of the bed, staring at her partner, who was completely unaware that she was looming over him, knife tightly gripped in her hand, ready to pounce.
She edged closer and closer until she was ready, and with a quick swing, she plunged the blade into his flesh, striking with as much force as she could give. She repeated the action, again and again and again. Up, down, up, down, deep down, into his core.
John’s eyes shot open and somehow, he managed to push himself off the bed. He ran out the bedroom, stumbling down the stairs, smearing blood against the wall with every step. His hand frantically patted the wall while he ran, searching for the light switch, which he eventually found and clicked on. He was so close to the front door, just a few more steps. He could make it.
The entire time that he was trying to escape, Katherine was chasing him, vigorously stabbing the knife, right into his back. She had a goal and she wasn’t prepared to let him get away.
John reached for the door handle, yanking it wide open and the night air hit his pierced skin. He had almost made it, but Katherine was right behind him. She grabbed at his skin and pulled him back inside. The door slammed and closed on his fate.
Sergeant Furlonger stared past the skin that was hanging from the doorframe. Laying on the floor was a torso, headless and stripped of genitalia. A pool of blood covered the floor. The Sergeant’s initial reaction was to fling his arm out behind him as he rushed out the words, ‘Don’t look Scotty!’
It was probably the worst thing he could’ve said, as Officer Matthews eyes instantly looked ahead, taking in the horror before him. He had never experienced a crime like that before, but seeing the remains of the man, he instantly realised what had gone on. His pistol was in his hand within seconds.
The Sergeant stared down at the scene beneath his feet. Blood. Everywhere. Up the walls. Soaking the floor. Trailing into the kitchen. He’d never seen anything like it. It was the work of a true monster.
The two men had no time to stop and come to terms with what they’d just witnessed. They had a job to do. Neither of them could see the head of the victim and they knew they had to find it.
The Sergeant went ahead first and apprehensively pushed the kitchen door open. The sweet aroma of homemade stew wafted through the room and filled their noses. A spotted trail of blood travelled across the floor, right up to the oven, where a large pot had been simmering.
The pair looked at each other, then the pot, then back to each other.
‘I’ll give you one guess where the head is,’ said the Sergeant.
Both men stared ahead at the pot. Which one of them would be brave enough to lift the lid?
‘It’s going to be alright,’ said the Sergeant, as he tried to reassure Officer Matthews.
The Sergeant then turned his gaze towards the kitchen table where a meal for two had been prepared and laid out. Meat, vegetables, even gravy. Four human steaks, two on each plate. Absolutely sickening.
‘We’ve got to keep going and finish this. We’ve got to do whatever it takes,’ he said.
There was no backing out now. Officer Matthews tried to calm himself, not wanting to let the stress effect his senses. He listened closely for any signs of noise throughout the house. Were they alone? Was the murderer still there? Were they hiding? Shock and disgust was instantly replaced by fear. It was time for them to search the house and they had no idea what they would find.
The pair trod carefully throughout the house and slowly creeped up the stairs. The sound of gentle snoring seemed to be coming from the bedroom. Someone was there and they were alive.
The two policemen were stood in the doorway, looking down at a woman who was fast asleep on the bed. The Sergeant approached her with caution and placed his hands on her shoulders. He tried to shake her awake but there was no response. Both men were quick to realise that she had taken some kind of drug and needed urgent medical attention. They carried her into the back yard and called for an ambulance. Katherine laid there, unconscious, her plan having been executed exactly how she had imagined it.