The majority of romantic partner disagreements end in an expression of regret. However, the outcome was far more sinister for Katherine Knight: it resulted in murder and disfigurement.
This Australian female butcher relentlessly stabbed her lover, inflicting no less than 37 wounds on him, before dismembering, cooking, and preparing him for a horrifying feast intended for his own children in February 2000.
Katherine Mary Knight’s life had already been marred by violence and sexual abuse, foreshadowing the horrors that lay ahead.
Childhood
Katherine Mary Knight was the offspring of a scandalous marriage between her mother, Barbara Roughan, and her father, Ken Knight. Katherine Mary Knight was born on October 24, 1955, in Tenterfield, Australia, and her birth shocked their small, religious community. Barbara Roughan, who had four sons from a previous relationship, met Knight through her husband, adding to the scandalous nature of their relationship.
Knight’s tumultuous childhood did not improve after this difficult start. Her father, an abusive alcoholic, repeatedly abused her mother. Knight herself claims that she was sexually abused by various family members until she was 11 years old.
At school, Knight was a bully, instilling fear in younger students. She dropped out of school at the age of 15 and sought work in a clothing factory despite her inability to read or write. A year later, she landed her “dream job” at an animal slaughterhouse, where she was responsible for removing the animals’ internal organs.
Katherine Knight loved her job so much, according to journalist Peter Lalor, that she kept her first set of butcher’s knives above her bed in case they were ever needed. “Blood Stain,” his true-crime book, focuses on Katherine Knight’s story.That day eventually arrived.
First Comes Love, Then Comes Attempted Murder
While working at the butcher shop, Knight met David Kellett, a violent alcoholic who resembled her own father and was prone to fights. Knight surprised her new friend by actively participating in one of his drunken brawls, as she was used to such violence.
He soon discovered, however, that Knight was capable of inflicting moderate damage with her fists, eventually dominating him.
Knight persuaded him to marry her in 1974. Intoxicated, he agreed, despite her mother’s warnings about her daughter’s volatile temperament, indicating that Knight had a “screw loose somewhere.”
On their wedding night, Knight and Kellett consummated their marriage three times. Angry at her husband’s exhaustion, Knight desired a fourth encounter but strangled him when he fell asleep.
Kellett was able to regain consciousness and thwart Knight’s assassination attempt. Despite the fact that her homicidal act occurred only a day into their marriage, they remained together for another decade, despite the fact that their union was far from idyllic.
Kellett cheated on his wife frequently and abandoned their two daughters, leaving them stranded one night. Knight threatened several people with a stolen ax after learning about one of Kellett’s affairs. Knight also cruelly abandoned their two-month-old baby on the local train tracks, just moments before the train’s scheduled arrival (fortunately, the train never arrived, saving the baby’s life).
Knight was diagnosed with postpartum depression after dragging and swinging her second child in a stroller down a busy street.
During her brief stay in a mental health facility, she told nurses about her plan to murder the mechanic who had repaired Kellett’s car, allowing him to leave her. Despite the threat, Kellett returned Knight after she was discharged. Their reunion, however, was brief, and Knight suffered greatly as a result of Kellett’s eventual departure.
Katherine Knight quickly began a passionate relationship with a local miner named David Saunders after her breakup with Kellett in 1986.
Saunders moved in with Knight and her two daughters shortly after. However, Knight’s intense jealousy and suspicion about Saunders’ activities while she was away harmed their relationship. This bond quickly became toxic and violent, mirroring her previous relationships.
Knight once slit the throat of Saunders’ two-month-old dingo puppy in his presence to demonstrate her ability.
Despite this, they stayed together and had a daughter a year later. Saunders, on the other hand, abandoned Knight shortly after the birth after she attempted to sever his head with a pair of scissors.
Following that, Knight met John Chillingworth. They had Eric, Knight’s first son, after three years of marriage. While there were no reported violent incidents during their relationship, it ended when Chillingworth discovered Knight’s affair with John Charles Thomas Price.
Katherine Knight’s Aggressive Relationship With John Charles Thomas Price Katherine Knight and John Price had a pleasant relationship at first. Knight developed a relationship with his two older children, who lived with him, and she supported herself financially by working as a miner. They started dating in 1995, and things seemed to be going well.
Knight falsely accused Price of theft, causing him to be fired from his job. Despite his initial exclusion of her from his life, they rekindled their relationship a few months later.
Price, on the other hand, forbade Knight from returning. Knight’s abuse became more severe, as witnessed by friends and neighbors.
Katherine Knight attempted to stab John Charles Thomas Price in the chest after an argument in February 2000. Price obtained a restraining order against Knight out of concern for his children’s safety. By the end of the month, Price had confided in his colleagues, expressing his concern for his well-being and informing them that if he went missing, Knight would have murdered him.
His fears were justified
Murder, Mutilation, and a Nightmarish Dinner Menu On February 29, 2000, John Charles Thomas Price returned home from work and engaged in customary neighborhood conversations before retiring to bed at 11 p.m. Knight prepared a meal for herself, watched television, took a shower, and then went upstairs shortly after arriving home. Price was awakened by her, and they had sexual relations before he went back to bed.
Katherine Knight then savagely stabbed Price 37 times with a butcher knife that she kept beside her bed. According to the evidence, Price regained consciousness during the assault but was unable to defend himself.
Knight then carried his lifeless body downstairs, skinned it, and hung it from a meat hook in the living room. She decapitated him and then dismembered him to cook with potatoes, pumpkin, beets, zucchini, cabbage, squash, and gravy.
Despite having prepared a dish for herself, the partially consumed food discovered at the crime scene suggests she was unable to complete her macabre feast.
After consuming a large number of pills, Knight collapsed beside Price’s headless and dismembered remains, losing consciousness.
When Price failed to show up for work the next morning, his coworkers took his previous warnings seriously and contacted the police. When the police arrived, they discovered Katherine Knight’s gruesome crime scene. When he awoke, Knight claimed he had no recollection of the previous night’s events because he was unconscious at the time.
The police discovered Price’s head boiling in a pot of vegetables on the stove inside the kitchen. Furthermore, two fully set plates with names were discovered on the table, indicating Knight’s sinister plan to serve John Price’s remains to his own children.
Katherine Knight’s “Never To Be Released” Despite Katherine Knight’s denials, she was charged with the murder of John Charles Thomas Price right away.
Her trial began in October 2001, but it was over quickly. For unspecified reasons, Knight changed her plea to guilty, prompting the judge to dismiss the case without hearing any testimony.
When she was transferred to prison, the judge ordered that her records be marked “never to be released.” As a result, she became the first woman in Australia to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Despite her conviction, Knight maintains her innocence and refuses to accept responsibility for her actions.
Katherine Knight previously appealed her sentence, but her appeal was promptly rejected. She currently serves her life sentence at the Silverwater Women’s Correctional Center.
