Gruesome Discovery in Aberdeen Home
In the quiet town of Aberdeen, New South Wales, police uncover one of Australia’s most horrific murders inside a family home. Katherine Knight stabbed her partner, John Price, more than 37 times while he slept. She then decapitated him, skinned much of his body, and hung it from a meat hook.
Blood trails throughout the house show Price woke during the attack and tried to escape toward the front door. Officers arriving at the scene face an unimaginable sight. Even seasoned detectives call it unprecedented in their careers.
Chilling Crime Scene Details
Knight, a former abattoir worker, displays large portions of Price’s skin around the home. Investigators find his severed head in a pot of boiling water. Other body parts roast in the oven with vegetables. The dining table features two place settings labeled for Price’s children, prepared before police arrive.
A blood-written note on a photo of Price reads: “Time got you back Johathon for rapping [raping] my douter [daughter]. You to Beck [Price’s daughter] for Ross – for Little John [his son]. Now play with little Johns dick John Price.” Authorities later confirm the note’s allegations are baseless.
Events Leading to the Murder
Neighbors spot blood near the entrance on March 1, 2000, and alert police. Officers force entry and discover Price’s body. They find Knight unconscious nearby after taking pills, but not a lethal dose. A former officer notes Price’s head remains warm, suggesting the cooking happened hours earlier.
Price, suspecting danger after a heated argument, tells colleagues to alert police if he misses work. Knight has a history of violence, including stabbing a previous partner. Price once secures a restraining order against her, but they later reconcile.
Knight’s Violent Past
Knight claims childhood sexual abuse fueled her troubled relationships. Records show her as a school bully. She tries to strangle her first husband, David Kellett, on their wedding night and fractures his skull with a frying pan. She also kills another partner’s dog and attacks him with scissors.
Neighbor Rick Banyard describes Knight, an experienced meatworker from her abattoir days, as highly proficient.
Sentencing and Legacy
Knight pleads guilty to murder. At sentencing, the judge describes Price’s final moments as “filled with terror” and the act as one of “extreme brutality.” In 2001, she receives a life sentence without parole, becoming the first woman in Australia to face this penalty.
